When emulating the style of master writer Cormac McCarthy there are many things to take into consideration. Each word is perfectly plotted, each symbol and motif cleverly placed in such a way as to express the thought without shoving it down your throat.
1) The first thing you want to do, if you want to emulate McCarthy’s style (as presented in The Road) is to first think of your story in its entirety. Whether you have already written it out, or whether you are mapping it out beforehand, you want to find the major theme of the piece and tackle it within the first chapter. That is to say, don’t tell the reader your theme. Instead, use abstraction and disorientation to get the heart of your idea. In The Road, McCarthy plays with the theme of Man Vs Nature as well as intentional blinding to the world's truths within in the first few pages by addressing a dream of the protagonist. This works two-fold: 1) You subtextually tell the reader what to look out for, what the story will be about. 2) By having the character address a dream (which we all know are messages from your subconscious) you are allowed to nearly explain what your theme is, as the character thinks about what the dream could mean. With this accomplished, you have taken a bold step in the right direction.
2) The second thing is to ground the reader immediately. Most dystopian fiction relies on ambiguity, hoping to make the reader feel as helpless as the characters. This works well in regards to the fact that 1) It draws your reader closer. 2) It allows you to create a jarring character who reacts as though the horrors we are presented are commonplace. McCarthy’s story lends itself to one color and mundane descriptions, if you can’t channelize your setting to one color, then stick with a few, have most things be those colors. That way, when you present something that stands out, it will really pop. This allows you to be more subtle and still get your point across. Wait to reveal how your world ended until at least slightly before the middle of your piece. This is another situation in which giving base details will make your character’s voice jump off the page, showing they have become used to this world.
3) McCarthy’s story deals in perpetual twilight, so the story’s structure with no paragraphs and quotations complement the subject matter well. This might be difficult to do in a normal story, yet think of your piece as a whole. Think about the feelings expressed in it, think about how your structure could convey the content better. This is a tertiary detail, not something you need to have, but something that would give you that McCarthyesque edge.
4) When starting a paragraph, you essentially want to summarize what your paragraph is going to be about. If someone is going to find something they need, say, “Before ___ found the _____, they spent 5 hours tearing through the boxes littering the floor.” After this summation, you will flash back through time and describe what led to this moment. Another thing you can do, talk about an action, perhaps someone is cooking someone some soup, to make them feel better; talk in the first sentence about the soup being made, then in the following sentences talk about scooping it out for the sick person, or giving it to them. Essentially, with this step, think of it like a puzzle. You want to give the reader the outer edge of the puzzle. Then, the rest of the paragraph will fill in the missing details.
5) Turbulent relationships are key in your story, especially shifting roles (Father and son, mother and daughter, mature friend and less mature friend). This shifting will keep the reader enthralled, as they try to figure out what the exact relationship is, or how it will continue to change as the piece progresses.
6) Anti-heroes are your friend. Have a character who says that they stand for something, something righteous and good, but don’t have them adhere strictly to this code of ethics they seem to have set for themselves. Also, this allows you to introduce another character who can tell your character off, or make them feel guilt.
7) Your writing structure must match the section you are writing. Is your character running aimlessly around? Take out all commas, put a ton of ands or other conjunctions, so the reader knows where the sentences are SUPPOSED to end, so they can pick up the natural rhythm. Is the character sacred? Write short choppy sentences, make the reader read the words in the frantic way your character would be saying/thinking them
8) In ending your McCarthy piece, make sure you tie back into your theme, and if you could relate both the theme and a former scene, now taken out of context, that would be perfect. You want the neat wrap up, you can have an open ending, that is ok, just tie the thought you want conveyed back into the ending, so the reader has a deeper sense of fulfillment.
