writing style

As you all know I write stories. I have written several at what my word program tells me is a "grade 12" reading level and some at about a "grade 9 or 10". It seems the grade 12 level stories get more comments etc however I notice to get a grade 12 level it is just a matter it seems of adding more words to make the story longer and to me, very wordy. Any comments on whether others would like a higher level writing with more words or should I keep it down to basics? I find myself deleting the extra words I do in the originals however it does lower my "reading level". Does anyone else check theri levels and if so, do you or should I care about them. Thanks

I think you're worried too much about this. I wouldn't put too much credence in some sort of automated writing-level evaluator. Use the words you need in order to say what you want to say, and let it go at that.

I agree with Rick. The computer programs can give some fairly odd ratings. There was a program recently which would analyse a piece of text and tell you what style it was in. People fed in actual authors paragraphs and got responses citing totally different authors.

I want to put my two credits worth in as well even though I'm not a writer on this site yet. Pay no attention to your word processor programs opinions! Write what you feel and think. Especially if your using Microsoft's word. The only authority is you and to some extent any editor you trust and more importantly your readership.

I totally agree with what's been said above. When I write, I go by whether or not it sounds good to me when I read it back. If the text flows well and you describe your characters and plot in a way that brings them to life, then it makes for a good read...no matter what the computer programme may tell you!

I didn't even know that you could do that.

I have my own style, but I also recognise similarities between similarly educated men of approximately the same age who write on this board. Good old English Grammar schools that taught a classical education with strict discipline.

My advice is do as you like, practice makes perfect and edit as many glitches as you can find.

If a reader enjoys your story great, if they don't so what.

We should all have our own style; and I haven't got a ******* clue what a grade 12 reading level is and guess what- I don't give a twopenny **** that I don't!

I have no idea either what a grade 12 reading level is, perhaps it means you are a Daily Mail reader, as opposed to a Sun reader!?

Here, the 'reading' level of a text is by age, rather than grade, and it allows parents and teachers to gauge whether a book is suitable for a certain age group. Unfortunately, the automated ones take account of the number of polysyllabic words used, and the length and complexity of sentences. They don't take account of vocabulary or content. I suppose it is assumed that short words and simple short sentences are suitable for younger readers. (See Spot run!)

It is actually possible to find parts of Shakespeare which are apparently suitable for readers aged 6! It's a mathematical formula which by itself has little meaning.

I suspect the optimum length for an LSF submission is somewhere under 4000 words. Longer than that & some readers will pass it by in favor of some other (shorter) story.

My earlier stories were written mostly for myself.. I started at the beginning and simply wrote until I reached an end. The result tended to be way too long and dense. Now I try to write with a reader in mind. The result; a shorter, less wordy and (I hope) crisper story.

Guy