Writing Aesthetic: What It Is and How to Find Your Own

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Have you ever noticed that pretty much everything you read—whether it’s a book, essay, or article—has a defining vibe?

This vibe is known as a writing aesthetic, and while you may not be sure how to define it, you definitely know it when you feel it.

Writers can create their own unique writing aesthetic with the help of literary devices and narrative techniques. In this post, we’ll explain why your aesthetic matters and how you can develop your aesthetic for a voice that’s undoubtedly yours.

What Is Writing Aesthetic?

A writing aesthetic is essentially the feeling or atmosphere of a work that the writer creates through their use of literary devices, including imagery, mood, and tone.

We can describe the aesthetic of a particular work, an author’s style (like when you come across a work described as “Kafka-esque,” you know it’s reminiscent of nightmarish qualities from Kafka’s fiction), or even an entire literary movement (such as Dandyism or Romanticism).

Perhaps the best way to explain writing aesthetic is to think of an author’s unique voice or trademark. You know how you just know when you’re reading something by Hemingway, or at least something reminiscent of his style? You could describe the aesthetic of works similar to his as “Hemingway-esque.”

A story or author’s aesthetic is important because it appeals to the reader’s subconscious. It’s what creates that underlying feeling, aside from the actual plot and main narrative, that keeps them turning the pages. Your writing aesthetic is also what makes you discernible from other writers.

How to Establish Your Writing Aesthetic

Here are 5 tips for identifying and developing your own writing aesthetic.

1. Tap into your emotions.

More than a specific line or plot point, your readers will remember how your story made them feel, even long after they’re finished reading.

Concentrate on the main feeling you want your work to evoke, and find ways to translate that feeling onto the page.

You might do this through imagery, symbolism, rhythm, recurring themes, or a combination of other literary techniques.

2. Use different literary devices and narrative techniques.

Literary devices are what help create the overall mood, and therefore aesthetic, of your writing.

This doesn’t mean that you have to cram metaphors, similes, and flowery imagery into every crevice of your text; there are other devices and techniques, such as rhythm, perspective, and recurring themes that can work more subtly to establish your aesthetic.

Experiment with different sentence lengths, or move words and phrases around to create different nuances. And, forget what your elementary school teachers told you—don’t be afraid to use fragments!

If we all followed every rule in the grammar books, it would be very difficult for any of us to establish a unique writing aesthetic.

3. Study your favorite authors.

It’s always good advice to study the works of your favorite authors, but especially so when you’re trying to establish your aesthetic.

Find a writer whose style you like. Try to identify what exactly you like about it, and how it makes you feel.

Is it their word choice, tone, use of imagery, or perhaps the themes they frequently explore? Take the things you would like to emulate and

4. Reflect on your own writing.

Chances are, you may already have a writing aesthetic, but you just haven’t realized it. Try looking back at some of your past works and identify common moods, tones, or themes.

Or, even better, ask a group of beta readers how your writing makes them feel, what it makes them think of, and what they do or don’t like about it.

This can provide some helpful indications of what your writing aesthetic might be.

5. Edit carefully.

One of the most important steps in your aesthetic development is editing. Remove or rewrite any parts that represent a glaring departure from the aesthetic you’re going for.

While you should have an idea of your aesthetic from the start, it’s nearly impossible to maintain that atmosphere for the entire time it takes you to finish your story.

Building your aesthetic is a conscious effort, so you’re bound to get tired and let it drop sometimes. That’s why paying particular attention to it during the editing phase can really save your writing aesthetic.

And, as we mentioned in the previous step, it’s always a good idea to get feedback from beta readers or even a professional editor.

Examples of Writing Aesthetics

Here are some examples from literature to help you better understand writing aesthetics.

Sublime Nature in Romanticism

During the Romantic era, artists and writers often tried to represent the sublime in their works. This contrasted the emphasis on rational thought, which characterized the Enlightenment.

In 1757, philosopher Edmund Burke defined the sublime as the feeling that occurs when we experience certain types of danger, pain, or terror, often caused by nature. For example, standing at the edge of a cliff, realizing that death could be mere inches away, is a feeling that demonstrates the power of the sublime.

The aesthetic of sublime nature is present throughout Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and sets the atmosphere for many of the outdoor scenes especially:

“Immense glaciers approached the road; we heard the rumbling thunder of the falling avalanche, and marked the smoke of its passage. Mont Blanc, the supreme and magnificent Mont Blanc, raised itself from the surrounding aiguilles, and its tremendous dome overlooked the valley.”

The Feeling of Home in The Kite Runner

Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner has an aesthetic of home, not as a place, but rather a feeling. The feeling of home is present throughout the narrative and evident through the narrator’s childhood memories.

The first part of the book describes the narrator’s home country of Afghanistan, while the second half expresses his longing for home and his return to make things right.

This aesthetic is reinforced by themes of friendship, war, and redemption.

Find Your Aesthetic

Writing aesthetic is something you may not have considered before, but it’s an important part of your writing that you should be mindful of.

Now that you know what a writing aesthetic is, look at your own work and make sure it’s consistent with the vibe you want to create. If it isn’t, you can use the tips from this post to adjust your course.

How would you describe your writing aesthetic? Tell us in the comments below!

 

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