Do you write the way people listen?

Everyone listens in different ways. Not in a 'some people spend time waiting for their turn to speak' rather than paying attention to what you're saying. Well, yes there are people like that, but what I mean at the moment is the way that they listen, and then process information. This can be very important for your character's... character.

Did you know that there are three ways (called style) that people listen and process information: Visually (see), Aurally (hear) and Kinaesthetically (feel)?

And did you know you can use this to your advantage? (Not in a Derren Brown or 'would you like to buy this bridge?' way). Although I you could if you were ethically ambiguous.

Everyone has a preference for one of these styles and it comes through in what they say:
- "I'll show you what I mean."
- "I'll talk you through what I mean."
- "I'll help you get a hold of what I mean."

How you can use this information
If you want to highlight aspects of your characters, use language specific to their dominant style.
- Visual people tend to talk faster and like to draw diagrams to explain themselves.
- Auditory people want to talk things through and will notice sounds that others may not.
- Individuals who favour Kinaesthetic will tend to be more thoughtful, be concerned about feelings and want to jump in and do it.

By applying linguistic preference to your character's dialogue, they become more realistic, complete and aligned within themselves. It also helps your reader differentiate between your characters because they speak differently. I used this in my non-fiction book When 2 Becomes U (only $4.99 on Amazon) which incorporates people talking about their experiences during their divorce (#shamelessplug).

What about your writing style
Your own preference will influence your choice of language when you write. Kinaesthetic authors may focus more on describing detail, whereas Visual individuals will lean towards showing rather than telling what's going on. That style may make it slightly harder for readers with a different dominant style to engage. They read it, but may have to process it (kind of subconsciously translating it) into their own dominant style to make sense of what they have read.

You don't want to try to appeal to everyone by being completely devoid of anything, but it is a useful to be aware of these styles when you are editing (not when you're writing, it slows you down). Maybe you can throw in a touch more description, or have a character talk through some exposition rather than showing it. It's good to be inclusive and mix it up occasionally.

If you do nothing else today
Listen to the way people around you talk. Listen for words that might give you a clue to what their preferred style is. If you think you might have worked them out, try an experiment (Important note: don't say, "I want to experiment on you." That won't end well. It doesn't matter how I have come to know this, just trust me).

Try and describe something to them using a different style to their dominant style. Then do it again in their preferred style and see if there is a difference in understanding.

Have fun with it and try it out. Have a look at other books that are more detailed on this subject (NLP books are the best for this.) If you apply this technique to your writing (or with real people), you will grab them, they will start talking about your books, and will show your work to others.

cheers

Colin