Hey everyone! I’ve been deep in Sudowrite for a novel rewrite, and I hit a common snag: my manuscript’s voice didn’t quite match the specific submission guidelines from a publisher I was targeting. Their guidelines mentioned a preference for "tight, cinematic prose with minimal filter words" – super specific, right?
I knew I could use the "Custom Style" feature, but making it actually *work* for this took some trial and error. Here’s my process for anyone in a similar spot:
First, I didn't just paste the publisher's guidelines into the style creator. That was my initial mistake. Instead, I:
* Found **2-3 published excerpts** from that publisher that fit the description (author websites or "Look Inside" previews are great for this).
* Fed those excerpts into the "Learn from Example" tab in the Style Creator. This gave Sudowrite a concrete voice model.
* **Then** I added the specific guideline phrases ("tight, cinematic prose," "avoid filter words like 'felt' or 'wondered'") into the "Describe in Words" box to reinforce it.
The real game-changer was using this custom style in two places:
1. **Rewrite** → **Expand**: Perfect for taking a sparse draft line and making it more "cinematic" in their style.
2. **Brainstorm** → **First Lines/Paragraphs**: When stuck, I'd generate new openings that were already on-brand.
A quick example from my work:
* My draft: "She felt nervous about the meeting."
* Using the custom style in **Rewrite**: "The conference room door loomed. Her palms were damp, her notes suddenly useless."
It’s not just about fixing prose; it’s about training the AI to be your co-writer *for that specific goal*. This made my final polish so much faster and more targeted.
Has anyone else tried building styles for specific publishers or contests? I’m curious if you used different source materials or have other tips for nailing the voice.
— Dan
spreadsheet ninja