I spotted something doing the rounds on Twitter today, and thought it looked like fun for writers.
A free App analyses any section of the text you have written in a story, and tells you the closest connection to a famous writer with a similar style.
I chose this small section of my writing from Part Three of my new serial, ‘The Fear’
There had never been any celebration of birthdays or Christmas in the house. After all, my birthday was also the day of mother Paula’s death. And Christmas was just a reminder of how much she had loved that season. However, I was coming up to a significant birthday, according to a telephone conversation I overheard. Standing outside the door of father’s study one morning, waiting to accompany him to the workshop, I heard him talking to the family solicitor, Mr Dean.
Analysed very quickly, the App decided that I write like… Kurt Vonnegut.
If I write anything remotely similar to the author of ‘Slaughterhouse Five’, then that makes me very happy.
It may only be for entertainment purposes, but it does let you find out why they come to that conclusion, and tells you something about the author.
So if you are interested in discovering who you write like, try this link.
https://iwl.me/
At first let my apologize for another delay. Hope you are fine, and stay save, Pete. Thats a great found.During studies a former professor had said to me, my writing is like from an professor in the age of 90+. Lol Best wishes, Michael
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Glad you enjoyed it, Michael.
Apologies are never necessary. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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Thank you for your kindness, Pete!
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Reblogged this on In Saner Thought and commented:
Ever wonder if you have a similar writing style as some of the all time greats?
My friend Pete has found a site that lets you compare your style to the greats…..give a try and let me know what you find…..chuq
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Your stories are better than Stephen King’s, now that’s my statement for ya and I don’t even need an app to say that. 💖✌✌
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I doubt many would agree with you, but I really appreciate the compliment. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete. xx
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Everybody would agree. You are a genius. This type of writing is impossible for anybody including a master of writing. You Rock, Pete!!! 💖✌😊
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Thanks, honey. 🙂 x
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Welcome 💖✌
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Wow! You’re in the same company as Kurt Vonnegut. That’s great!
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I think it depends on the extract, but it is fun to try.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Well two different passages gave me Vonnegut twice. Do you think it has to do with sentence length?
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Not sure. Other readers have tried multiple passages, and got different results.
Best wishes, Pete.
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I did that with my memoir and also got Vonnegut – who I adore!
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I was happy with Kurt too. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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Ooh! How fun!
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It seems to change its mind, depending on the text you put in for analysis. But it is just entertainment, and we all need that. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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I tried that app years ago and I got at least three authors in three different posts.
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It seems that way, Arlene. Just a bit of fun.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Interesting, but as you say Pete, I think it is best to regard this as entertainment, because consciously wanting to write like another writer strikes me as somewhat dishonest or, at least, not true to one’s self, whatever the coincidental similarities to someone else’s style. Heaven knows whose style is similar to mine, but I think I’ll stay happily ignorant………… 😉 Cheers, Jon.
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Thanks, Jon. I doubt any of us can fail to write like someone we have read, at least to some extent. But the app is just a ‘game’. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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I remember enjoying reading Slapstick, some relevance to todays world situation if I’m thinking of the right book.
As for my writing style, I would have to start writing something again 🙂
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Put in some of your text about the goats, and see if it comes up with James Herriot! 🙂
Cheers, Pete.
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What a fun app…But more fun reading the comments…I wonder who I would be likened to …??? Will I find out or will it just buffer …haha….A bit of fun, Pete I am all for that 🙂
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Doesn’t take that long, Carol. 🙂 I hope you get Delia Smith or Mary Berry. (But I doubt it)
Best wishes, Pete.
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I got Stephen King( a prologue) from my novel and a Russian guy by pasting my bio….but I didn’t copy a recipe so maybe I will try that…
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I just blindly opened “Pope on the Dole” to page 59, chose the middle two paragraphs, and submitted them:
Over the course of this and subsequent Sunday masses, Niccolò catalogues the wackos in the church. He is particularly amused by Charlotte, a fat lady whose mongrel she dresses up in his finest Sunday clothes. The dog participates in the Eucharist, and barks whenever the congregation says an “Amen!” The dog is named Ramon after her brother, who died of an illness. Ramon (the dog) was offered as a remembrance, and to cheer Charlotte up.
Then there is Tiffani, who is known as the church slut who whores for God. She fancies herself a “fisher of men.” Tiffani always brings a pie and three randomly chosen “Wise Men” to church services. The one who chooses the slice of pie with the magic bean in it will be her sex partner for the next three nights. The first time Niccolò witnesses the little ceremony, a black man named Hershey gets the bean. He, of course, receives a round of applause. And Father Priestley blesses the union. On a subsequent visit, a man brings his family, and they applaud when hubby/daddy is chosen. It’s the only way they can get his butt in a “pew” (which is usually a lawn chair).
I write like Mario Puzo! WOW! They offered a style comparison I can’t refuse!
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I am sure it picked up on the Itailan names and church references, Mario. But you never know. 🙂
Best wishes, Kurt.
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Well that was a bit of fun – I like write Stephen King! I wish. It was a short extract from one of my Afghanistan blog posts. Might try something totally different to see what happens. Oh, how we time waste in the blogosphere 🙂
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It only took a short time, so not too much waste. I am sure it will be different using another extract. It would be far more convincing if it returned the same verdict every time though.
Best wishes, Pete Vonnegut.
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Well. I had one more Stephen King and one Ian Fleming 🙂
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I could see Ian Fleming, with your Afghan Adventures. 🙂
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I write like
Vladimir Nabokov Warmest regards, Theo
Here is the paragraph I submitted: “I think it is time for me to hit a restart of some kind. I have been retired for over 20 years and the combination of not being responsible for anything and the need to stay isolated to try to avoid the virus has worn me down. Before I retired, I knew I would need something that involved others to do. I have worked through those things and now find I have no real reason to get up and do anything. Sure, feeding the birds, watering the pots (potatoes, beans, and peas mostly), taking out the trash and all those little things (for example the garbage disposal decided to break yesterday and needs replacing) that one has to do just to keep treading water. But, by in large the lack of variety that teaching and being a faculty member used to provide have all slipped away and leaves me with low energy and somewhat depressed. Perhaps when I get my hearing back (the aids should be in my ears by Friday afternoon) that will give me a boost (at least I may be able to understand what I hear on television).”
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And they got ‘Lolita’ from that? It is funny, if nothing else. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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My thinking exactly. Warmest regards, Theo
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I remember trying a similar App a while back with a fragment of one of my stories and I got one writer (I can’t remember which one now, but somebody I liked) and I tried with a fragment of another one of my books and it told me somebody completely different, so I guess I have no style whatsoever or I write like different people depending on what I’m writing.
Thanks for sharing, Pete.
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I presume the App generates ‘random’ samples, in the hope of pleasing the user. But it is harmless , in the same tradition of many social media ‘games’. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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Checked it twice more and both times it was H.P. Lovecraft….still kinda like the thought….chuq
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It’s fun, but also informative. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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Thanx for the link and I write like Arthur Conan Doyle and H.P. Lovecraft…..some pretty good company huh? chuq
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I would take that comparison 7 days of every week, chuq! 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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Yeah….I am thinking HP is the better analysis….I want to re-blog this over the weekend….if that is okay. chuq
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Of course. I ‘stole’ it from Twitter. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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Wow!!!
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I agree….LOL chuq
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Awesome! I uploaded two different pieces and it told me that I write like Harry Harrison and another writer (forgot the name) and both of them are into science fiction. Since I never heard of them, not sure whether to celebrate or not. 😁 Any idea?
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Shaily, I haven’t heard of him either. Might be worth looking them up, to see if there is any similarity. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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Thanks, Pete! 😁 How’s health now?
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Still much the same thanks, Shaily. No virus symptoms present, but I am still being very careful! 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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Take care, Pete!
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Pete, this reminds me of the student who turns in a short story, and his Professor says “You have a unique writing style.” Just as the boy is about to say “thank you”, the Professor adds: “Hemingway’s, isn’t it?”
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I know what you are saying, John. Is it possible to have any new writing style, I wonder? Especially afte 60+ years of reading everyone else’s. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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I used to, before my stroke, end up writing in the style of Robert Fulghum – in after stroke times, I’m still trying to get back to that, perfect it and be me, not him, but nail that style I love so much – today, memories, history, insights and funny stuff where one stops, and realizes, “hmmm… didn’t I just miss the boat on that opportunity” – or “hey folks! let’s laugh at my little foibles for awhile” – or let’s just all admit, choosing to love someone else is risky, hard and painful at times, but oh how much one misses out on if they take the safe route and aren’t ever able to laugh at themselves’.
Interesting on the app thing – I live in fear of free apps and what all they might be collecting, doing with info, so I avoid like the plague, and choose, instead, to live vicariously through the shares of others who DO use them! :). thanks for sharing!
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I don’t worry too much about apps, TamrahJo, as I don’t have many. This did not require a download, and is not installed on my PC. I used it like a web page, and it was just for fun.
Best wishes, Pete.
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:D. Yeah, I get it – for the first time, in a long time, I was introduced to another ‘colleague’ in tech world, who actually LIKES how anal I am about security, and locking down settings, etc., I miss out on a lot because I don’t like the privacy policy or terms and conditions I just read – LOL. But that’s okay, thus far, missing out hasn’t been painful enough to nudge me into changing much – whether that will continue to be true remains to be seen….. LOL
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I also applaud your sensible outlook. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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I tried it twice with two different excerpts. The first time it indicted I write like Ernest Hemingway, one of my favorite writers. the second it was Stephen King! quite fun.
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And there is us thinking we have a ‘style’! 🙂
Thanks, Darlene, I saw it on your Twitter first!
Best wishes, Pete.
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I tried three different paragraphs from 3 different blog posts- 1) James Joyce, 2) H.P Lovecraft and 3)Mario Puzo. H.P wrote Sci-Fi and weird fiction which I thought appropriate as I chose a paragraph I’d written on St Cuthbert 😀 😀
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I thought it might change if I used different text, but didn’t have time to try it. Just a bit of fun, really. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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Indeed! 😃
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Well done! I have a lot of catching up to do with your blog, Pete, and others, but I think that all these little “fun” exercises do have value. Writers need all the encouragement they can get! Just as an FYI, I am one degree of separation from the fellow to whom Slaughterhouse Five was dedicated, and therefore, two from Vonnegut. Which won’t get me a busride, LOL.
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Thanks, Angela. No problem with keeping up. Life must always come before blogging. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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Ha ha, nice one PJ. The algorithms above must be favoring me – I paired up with James Joyce, a fav writer of mine 🐾
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I would have preferred Dickens, but I will take Vonnegut!
Cheers, Pete.
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Ha ha! Great site PJ. The algorithms above must be favoring me as I came out as James Joyce – one of my fav writers.
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Reblogged this on theshammuramat and commented:
Fun thank!s Pete
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Sounds interesting!
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Worth a try, Somedatta. Takes moments, there’s nothing to download, and it can be fun. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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I write like Mario Puzo! Just checked.
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Well he wrote The Godfather, so that must be good! 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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You know so much about books! Impressed!
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Not so much about modern books, but a lot about ‘older’ ones. 🙂 I have written about some of my favourites on here.
Best wishes, Pete.
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