How to find your writing style as a first-time author

Every author has their own style. Just like how we enjoy speaking with certain people in real life due to their charisma and personality, readers of your book will connect with you through your writing. But if you’re a first-time author, it can feel daunting to know where to start, especially if you’ve not written anything long-form before.

Don’t worry – I'm here to help. In this article, we’ll look at the most common writing styles and how to find yours, so you can write a non-fiction book that makes your business soar.

Why does your writing style matter for a non-fiction book?

There are many reasons why the writing style of your book matters:

• Having an engaging writing style draws your reader into your story – and you are telling a story, even as a non-fiction author. Your content should flow naturally from one section to the next.
• It’s important to be kind to your reader. That means making your book easy to read, and enjoyable to read too. Choosing the right writing style – and using it consistently throughout the book – will help your book get more reader retention and engagement: they’ll finish reading your book and want you to implement what they’ve learned.
• As a non-fiction author, it’s important to demonstrate to your reader that you’re an expert in what you’re talking about: you need a writing style that builds credibility and authority, as well as authenticity.
• Your tone of voice – the words you choose – influences how your readers perceive you and your message. You need a writing style that conveys the image you want to portray.

In a nutshell, if you’re writing a book to boost your authority, your writing style has an impact on your book’s success and how people perceive you.

The benefits of clear, simple language

Consider this quote, often attributed to Einstein: “If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough.”

If you’re a first-time author, you may feel tempted to adopt a writing style that ‘sounds clever’ – using longer words, for example. Don’t do it! It won’t read well, and it’s not what readers want. Readers want to feel personally involved with the authentic you, and clear, simple language often gives you a more sophisticated feel, when it’s done well.

Different writing styles for authors

There are lots of different writing styles, and they’re suited to different projects. Let’s take a look at some of them…

Expository writing

What it is: Writing that aims to inform, explain, or describe a topic clearly and concisely. It relies on facts, logical order, and evidence to convey information, avoiding personal opinions or persuasive techniques – expository writing doesn’t ‘pick a side’.

What it’s good for: Academic essays, research papers, instruction manuals, how-to guides, news articles, technical reports – anything where the objective is to present information objectively and comprehensively.

Could you use it in your book? Although you won’t write your entire book in this style – you’re aiming to persuade and entertain your reader as well as to inform them – expository writing is likely to come in handy when you’re explaining something. For example, you might use it to describe a process that you follow, or a scientific theory that informs your work.

Descriptive writing

What it is: Writing that vividly portrays a person, place, thing, or event using sensory details. It will describe how something looks, sounds, feels, taste and/or smells, immersing the reader in the experience.

What it’s good for: Creative writing like novels, short stories, poetry, travelogues, and personal essays.

Could you use it in your book? Again, this wouldn’t be the right style for your entire book, but descriptive writing can be a very powerful and memorable way of referring to real-life experiences. For example, you could use it for your case studies, or when telling a personal story.

Narrative writing

What it is: Writing that tells a story or recounts events.

What it’s good for: Novels, short stories, memoirs, and biographies – anything that focuses on characters and a sequence of actions.

Could you use it in your book? Like we said above, even a non-fiction book tells a story – but it won’t use the same plot structure that you would in fiction. Nevertheless, using some of the features of narrative writing (characters, setting, conflict, and resolution) can be a compelling way to write about your personal experience or that of someone you mention in your book. You could even use it when you’re encouraging your reader to envision an experience in their own life.

Persuasive writing

What it is: Writing that aims to convince readers to adopt a specific viewpoint or take action, via a combination of evidence, arguments, and sometimes emotional appeals.

What it’s good for: Opinion pieces, advertisements, speeches, and editorials – anything that seeks to influence readers' beliefs or behaviours.

Could you use it in your book? Yes: in fact, most of your book is likely to consist of persuasive writing. It’s your job to convince your readers that they need to implement the strategies you’ve put forward so they can see the transformation your book promises.

Technical writing

What it is: Writing that conveys complex information clearly and accurately, often for instructional or informational purposes. It’s similar to expository writing, but often more formal, and may assume more knowledge on the part of the reader.

What it’s good for: Manuals, user guides, reports, and technical documentation in fields like engineering, IT, and science.

Could you use it in your book? Probably not. Avoid technical jargon wherever possible - unless your ideal reader has the same level of knowledge as you do; otherwise assume your reader has a lay person’s level of knowledge – they are reading your book to learn from the expert, so you should make sure your points are easy to understand.

Creative writing

What it is: Writing that emphasises imagination and originality, often focusing on narrative craft and literary style. It includes genres like fiction, poetry, and drama and will include elements of descriptive and narrative writing.

What it’s good for: Novels, short stories, poems, and scripts – anything aiming to entertain, inspire, and evoke emotions through inventive and expressive language.

Could you use it in your book? Some non-fiction authors have had great success writing creatively. A good example is the book ‘If Your Body Could Talk: Letters from your body to you’ by Jacqui Sharples. It takes the form of a series of letters written from a woman’s body to the woman who ‘owns’ it. It works because Jacqui is a gifted writer and her message isn’t lost in this format – if anything it’s amplified – but few people are skilled enough as a writer to get this genre right.

Identify your strengths and personal preferences

So we’ve established that your book is likely to consist mostly of persuasive writing, with some expository writing where needed, and that descriptive, narrative and creative writing are optional extras.

To decide whether and how much to make use of these, think about what you like to read, and what comes naturally to you when you start to write. These strengths and personal preferences will make your writing more natural and enjoyable.

Why you shouldn’t write how you speak

First-time authors are often advised to ‘write how you speak’, but it’s important not to take that too literally. You should write in a way that feels natural and authentic to the ‘real you’, but if you pasted a chunk of your real-life speech into your book it would seem unfocused, long-winded, boring and – strangely – unnatural, because of the ums and ers, pauses, digressions and waffling that makes up so much of our everyday speech.

How to get words on the page – even if you don’t like writing

For some people, speaking comes more naturally than writing, and it can make sense to ‘write’ your book by speaking aloud, recording it and editing your transcription, rather than writing directly. With Book Magic AI you can speak your content and it appears on the page as if by magic, saving you the work of transcribing it.

Don’t worry about grammar and spelling in your first draft

Your first draft should be rough and ready; trying to produce a perfect manuscript the first

time around will waste time and distract you from shaping the basic information into a workable manuscript. Focus on the content and you can polish it later.

Find your writing style with the assistance of Book Magic AI

Ready to find your writing style and use it to write the book that could change your life? Book Magic AI can take your book from idea to finished product - try it for free today.