Writing With Style

At one time, every serious writer had a copy of Strunk & White's “Elements of
Style” in their library. It is an inexpensive book and small in size, but it will teach you how to write a good, tight sentence.

Elements of Style's mantra is quite simply “waste no words” --but for our use,
beyond the basic need of proper sentence structure, our words must paint a vivid picture. We are not as interested in being concise as we are conveying a message that triggers emotions by sparking the imagination. We want the reader to see and hear the images we create in their own imaginations.

The most important thing to remember is that we want to use those iconic and
timeless images to create our scene. This will help the reader envision what we
have created with words. When they see the scene in their mind's eye, they will
feel the mood that we wanted to create.

If you run into a stumbling block or find that some sentence seems awkward,
that is the time to choose other words or consult Strunk & White.

Some people may want to add little visual embellishments to their letters or
poetry. It has been my experience that imagination is much more powerful than
illustration-- because imagination is, in essence, visualization. It is owned by the
reader, not the writer. Your reader's visions –triggered by your writing, are her
own. They will bring out far more emotions than an illustration.

The use of metaphor can be powerful. Here is an example:

“Love is the master key...” The rest of the quote is as follows: “...that unlocks the gates of happiness, of hatred, of jealousy, and most easily of all, the gate of fear.” ~Oliver Wendell Holmes

The risk of using a metaphor is that you give control of the phrase to common
usage. For example: “Love is a rose” will trigger this: “Love is a rose, but you
better not pick it.” At the least, this particular choice could be a distraction.
If you use common metaphors, use them wisely.

You must remember that you are writing to paint pictures in the mind of your
readers. That is the real power of romantic writing and that is why it is so
important for you to master it.

It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. But words that paint pictures
in the imagination of the reader are worth far more than a physical picture or
illustration could ever be. That is because the words were written by you, but,
those images painted in the readers imagination belong to them. Those mental
images are far more powerful than photographs or illustrations because they are
accompanied by strong feelings of love and passion.

Now, you can understand the power of descriptive writing. It plants the image
you want to convey in your reader's imagination. That visualization brings out a
strong emotional reaction. In this case, passion and love.