While working on my outline, I started worrying about how I was going to write the actual story. Outlining is one thing, but putting down the words that will give my story heart and soul is an entirely different matter.
I’ve read stories with high-concept ideas and pedestrian wording. I’ve read purple prose that made minimalistic writing seem downright enjoyable. I’ve compared my evolving style to those of published authors, hoping to find a happy combination of “detailed” and “but not too detailed”.
Then I realized something while reading a popular romance novelist’s recent work. (No, I’m not going reveal their name. Their fans are pretty rabid, and I’m not going to risk having my inbox catch on fire from their hate mail.) Publishable writing is simple writing.
Using the Flesch-Kincaid readability test, I analyzed several paragraphs of this author’s writing. The results? They wrote at a fourth grade reading level.
I ran the test on other popular romance writers. The lowest was third grade, and the highest was sixth grade. My own writing for a very detailed piece scored an eighth grade level, and a simple detailed passage scored a sixth grade level.
My writing doesn’t have to be a mind-blowing example of the written word’s power. As long as I can deliver the story my readers want—and as long as I can get my message across—I can be successful. I don’t have to strive to be perfect. I can be just good enough.
Let me tell you, that’s a load off my mind.
