Style

Style is an essential element of most any form of writing. It can be viewed in two ways. One is the style of a culture in general. This type of style ensures that people are able to communicate in a convenient, intelligent fashion. Certain conventions are agreed upon, or more likely are handed down from tradition. By conforming, more or less, to a sensible, or even arbitrary style, communication is facilitated and everyone can (hopefully) work from the same basic background. For instance, dealing with personal pronouns could become a potential hassle for language users. In the Spanish language, "he" is "el" and "she" is "ella." But what does one do when the subject is unclear or unknown? The person's gender may not be known, or the speaker may just be referring to any person. Now, without a common style, one writer might prefer "el o ella," one might prefer "el/ella," or any one of countless variations. However the Spanish style has solved the problem by picking just one pronoun to stand for both. So if there is a question, "el" or "ellos" is used to represent both or either gender. Thanks to style there is a degree of commonality, writing is simplified, readability and flow is preserved, and everyone can get on to more important things.

For the individual, style is a little different. A part of the individuals' style could be to what degree the writer conforms to the preferred style. But further, a writer's style can be thought of as the writers achievement of readability. It is the difference between writing that is simply decipherable and writing that has grace and flows well. It means choosing the correct word to say what you mean, eliminating jarring phrases or obstacles that may trip up a reader. Ideally, a writer will develop a style that is not mearly readable, but enjoyable and pleasurable. Style could be compared to the quality of a person's voice. As each person has a distinct vocal quality, so will a writer's mature style have a distinctness and individuality. And in the same way that a good speaker can be pleasant to listen to, independent of meaning, so will a mature writer's style be enjoyable to read. There are people whose voices I could listen to for hours, regardless of what they are talking about, and there are writers who have such a style that they are a joy to read. They have developed a refined and engaging style.