Exercises in (Picture Book) Style

Raymond Queneau’s 1941 book Exercises in Style retells a simple story in 99 different styles. The author plays with passive voice, rhyme, different verb tenses and forms of slang. It is a case study in style, illustrating the nearly infinite options that we writers have when deciding how to tell our stories. 

Queneau’s book has inspired many a writing exercise, including this one, which I like to use when clients when we’re exploring options for voice, tone, tense and other stylistic choices. This exercise is best for writers who have a complete draft of a manuscript. If you don’t have a draft, jot down a simple 4- or 5-line story to play with instead. The story doesn’t need to be anything special–the point of this exercise is to experiment with style to explore your options, and that experimentation doesn’t require an award-winning tale to be useful. 

Select three styles from this list and re-write your manuscript in the style. Adhere as closely to the style as you can even (and especially) if it doesn’t come naturally or easy. Some of these styles are inspired by Queneau. Others I’ve added. 

Style ideas:

Exclamations 

Haiku

Limerick

Cross-examination (question and answer)

Back-of-book blurb

Negatives (describing things, characters, events in terms of what they are not)

From the perspective of a minor character

Precision (descriptions are precise, measurable, numerical)

Word game (pick 5 random words from the dictionary and work them in to the story)

In the style of Dr. Seuss

In the style of a pop song

In the style of a comic or graphic novel

Once you’re finished, jot down some reflections. Did any of the styles feel like a great fit for your story? Did you learn anything new about your story or your characters by considering them through the lens of a new style?