Writing style
In literature, writing style is the manner of expressing thought in language characteristic of an individual, period, school, or nation. Thus, style is a term that may refer, at one and the same time, to singular aspects of an individual's writing habits or a particular document and to aspects that go well-beyond the individual writer. Beyond the essential elements of spelling, grammar, and punctuation, writing style is the choice of words, sentence structure, and paragraph structure, used to convey the meaning effectively. The former are referred to as rules, elements, essentials, mechanics, or handbook; the latter are referred to as style, or rhetoric. The rules are about what a writer does; style is about how the writer does it. While following the rules drawn from established English usage, a writer has great flexibility in how to express a concept. Some have suggested that the point of writing style is to:
- express the message to the reader simply, clearly, and convincingly;
- keep the reader attentive, engaged, and interested;
- display the writer's personality;
- demonstrate the writer's skills, knowledge, or abilities;
In rhetorical theory and composition studies, style is considered part of the meaning-making process. Rather than merely decorating ideas, stylistic choices help shape and even discover them.While this article focuses on practical approaches to style, style has been analyzed from a number of systematic approaches, including corpus linguistics, historical variation, rhetoric, sociolinguistics, stylistics, and World Englishes.
Alternative views
As Bryan Ray notes, however, style is a broader concern, one that can describe "readers' relationships with texts, the grammatical choices writers make, the importance of adhering to norms in certain contexts and deviating from them in others, the expression of social identity, and the emotional effects of particular devices on audiences." Some scholars argue that the ideal of neutrality in academic writing embodied in the "plain style" can obscure rhetorical choices and suppress authorial presence. Critics note that this tradition, rooted in early scientific discourse, reinforces a positivist view of language that is no longer widely accepted.Choice of words
, or the choice of words, is an element of a writer's style.Suggestions for using diction include the use of a dictionary, and the avoidance of redundancy and clichés. Such advice can be found in style guides. Modern teaching approaches prioritize rhetorical awareness instead of strict adherence to mechanical correctness. Students learn style through techniques such as analyzing stylistic choices, studying genres, and applying rhetorical grammar. These methods promote intentional and adaptable writing decisions based on audience and purpose.
Choice of sentence structure
The choice of sentence structure pertains to how meaning is conveyed, to phrasing, to word choice, and to tone. Advice on these and other topics can be found in style guides. Some scholars support code-meshing, the practice of blending different language varieties in writing, as a means of expressing identity and resisting linguistic hierarchies. This approach stands in contrast to traditional conventions that emphasize the exclusive use of Standard Edited American English in academic and professional contexts.Choice of paragraph structure
Paragraphs may express a single unfolding idea. Paragraphs may be particular steps in the expression of a larger thesis. The sentences within a paragraph may support and extend one another in various ways. Advice on the use of paragraphs may include the avoidance of incoherence, choppiness, or long-windedness, and rigid construction; and can be found in style guides. Scholars contend that clarity in writing is not automatically ethical. What appears to be stylistic transparency can obscure underlying rhetorical intentions and power dynamics. As a result, ethical evaluations of style depend on context and the reader’s critical awareness, rather than on fixed or universal standards.Examples
The following rewrite of the sentence, "These are the times that try men's souls." by Thomas Paine, changes the impact of the message.Authors convey their messages in different manners. For example:
Hamlet, Act II, Scene 2 by William Shakespeare:
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens:
"Memories of Christmas" by Dylan Thomas:
"The Strawberry Window" by Ray Bradbury:
"Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King Jr.:
Writer's voice
The writer's voice is a term some critics use to refer to distinctive features of a written work in terms of spoken utterance. The voice of a literary work is then the specific group of characteristics displayed by the narrator or poetic "speaker", assessed in terms of tone, style, or personality. Distinctions between various kinds of narrative voice tend to be distinctions between kinds of narrator in terms of how they address the reader. Likewise in non-narrative poems, distinctions are sometimes made between the personal voice of a private lyric and the assumed voice of a dramatic monologue. Concepts such as "psychic distance" help writers manage how close or removed readers feel from the narrative or subject. Other terms, like "sprezzatura" or "confessional style," describe stylistic strategies aimed at balancing authenticity and control in prose.An author uses sentence patterns not only to make a point or tell a story, but to do it in a characteristic way.
Writing coaches, teachers, and authors of creative writing books often speak of the writer's voice as distinguished from other literary elements. In some instances, voice is defined nearly the same as style; in others, as genre, literary mode, point of view, mood, or tone.