How To Write Like Hemingway: 5 Top Tips To Copy His Style
Now more than ever, writers are crawling out of the woodwork and bringing their A-game when it comes to crafting the perfect piece of prose. And for good reason, too! Readers, especially those in the literary community, are constantly looking for fresh, new writing styles. Why? Mainly because they’re tired of the same ol’, same ol’.
The literary world is also becoming ever more competitive. It’s only a matter of time before the next H.E.R.O. Other writers are looking to you, the future of literature, to step up your game and show the world that you have what it takes to make it as a writer.
Copycatting is almost a necessity, and writers are often inspired by those around them. That’s where we come in! It’s time we learned about the brilliant writing style of Ernest Hemingway and how to incorporate it into our own writing.
Hemingway’s Style Is Distinguished
You might have come across books or writing that seem to have a distinct style that stands out from the rest. This is often because the author is trying to distinguish themselves as a skilled writer. It could also be because the writer was inspired by Hemingway! Hemingway’s style was distinct, and it’s an important part of writing that you should try to copy.
Hemingway often used words, phrases, and structures that were unique to his writing. When it came to sentencing structure and word choice, he was often sparse. He also favored direct, declarative sentences that were often short. For example: “The sea was calm today.” When it came to paragraphs, Hemingway’s writing style was often long and descriptive.
He preferred to use long sentences, with descriptions that went into great length about his settings, characters, and actions. He was also consistent in this, which means you can take a few of his habits and incorporate them into your own writing, too.
He Used Simple Words
When it came to his choice of words, Hemingway was rather minimalist. That might sound contradictory because we’ve just said he used words like “calm,” but what it means is that he often used short simple words.
This is important because it stands out from the rest of the literary world, which is often obsessed with using big words. When it comes to word choice, there’s a distinction to be made between simple writing and simplistic writing.
Simple writing refers to writing that is authentic and true to the author’s voice. It follows the rules of grammar and isn’t overly complicated. It also fits the topic at hand. When it comes to simplistic writing, the emphasis isn’t on the topic at all.
Instead, the author focuses on using big words to sound sophisticated. If you pay attention to the word choices in Hemingway’s writing, you’ll notice that they are often short, simple words.
He Had A Shorter Sentence Length
Hemingway’s writing style often followed the trend of shorter sentences. This is because he often used direct, declarative sentences that were often short. It’s worth noting that there’s a difference between being concise and being concise.
When it comes to being concise, the sentence is complete and has all the information it needs to be said. A succinct sentence is less than that, and it might be missing a word, a word order, a subject, or another part of the sentence that would make it a full sentence.
The sentence above is succinct, but it’s not concise. It’s concise. This tells us that there’s something missing from the sentence. The sentence above is concise. It doesn’t have anything to add, and it leaves out the word “but.” This is a major rule of writing, and it often holds true for Hemingway’s writing style.
He Used Longer, More Descriptive Paragraphs
While you may hear that short sentences are “boring” or “lacking in depth,” that’s a misguided view of the world. That’s because people often associate creativity with a long, complex sentence. In reality, it’s a short sentence that is more creative. Hemingway’s writing style often followed the trend of longer, more descriptive paragraphs.
This is because he often used longer sentences, with longer descriptions. It’s worth noting that there’s a difference between being wordy and being descriptive. When it comes to being wordy, the sentence is too long and it has too many words, including unnecessary words.
It also might be repeating a word and adding another word to the sentence. A wordy sentence is like this: “The sea was calm today.” A descriptive sentence is like this: “The sea was calm today. It was a clear, blue day that dazzled with sunshine.
It looked peaceful, but there was a storm brewing, and the waves were choppy and white with foam.” When it comes to describing your settings, characters, actions, emotions, and so on, you should try to use long, descriptive paragraphs.
He Was Consistent In His Writing
It’s worth noting that there’s a difference between doing something consistently and being consistent. When it comes to being consistent in your writing, you write the same way all the time, regardless of the topic.
When it comes to doing something consistently, you might write different things at different times, depending on the topic. When it comes to writing style, you should try to copy Hemingway’s style.
This means that you should try to be consistent in your writing style. When it comes to word choice, sentence structure, length, and so on, you should try to be consistent.
This means that you should try to follow the rules of your writing style, no matter what topic you’re writing about. For example, if you mainly write about the sea, you should try to use words and structures that are related to the sea.
Otherwise, your writing will sound unoriginal. If you break this one of your writing habits, then you should try to re-establish your writing style as soon as possible.
Hemingway is incredibly consistent when it comes to his writing style. That means you can take a few of his habits and incorporate them into your own writing, too. Here’s hoping these tips will help you channel it into your own writing!
Final words? Hemingway’s style is worth learning, no matter what stage you’re at in your writing career. Here’s hoping these tips will help you copy it into your own writing.
Recommended Reads: Evergreen Ideas To Repurpose Your Content To Reach A Wider Audience