In fiction, style is the codified gestures, in which the
author tells the story. Along with plot, character, theme, and setting, style
is considered one of the fundamental components of fiction. Fiction is a form
of narrative, one of the four rhetorical modes of discourse. Fiction-writing
also has distinct forms of expression, or modes, each with its own purposes and
conventions.
Agent and author Evan Marshall identifies five fiction writing
modes: action, summary, dialogue, feelings/thoughts, and background. Author and
writing-instructor Jessica Page Morrell lists six delivery modes for fiction writing:
action, exposition, description, dialogue, summary, and transition. Author
Peter Selgin refers to methods, including action, dialogue, thoughts, summary,
scene, and description. Currently, there is no consensus within the writing
community regarding the number and composition of fiction-writing modes and
their uses.
