Writing Style is Important Essay -- Writing Style Styles Essays

Writing Style is Important Contrary to popular conceptions of the term ‘style’, I have found that in the context of this class, as well as in the context of the books â€Å"Style Toward Clarity and Grace† by Joseph M. Williams and â€Å"The Elements of Style† by Strunk and White, that ‘style’ is not style in the sense that it is the way I write (in such as way as ‘everyone has their own unique style’). Style encompasses many elements to writing a cohesive, clear paper. However, I feel that in order to write a clear cohesive essay or paper, I must write in my own way, a way that I am familiar with. This may seem like it goes against something that would be in â€Å"The Elements of Style,† but it is not. Strunk and White clearly say in their book, â€Å"Write in a way that comes naturally.† (Strunk and White, 70). Even though Strunk and White say to write naturally, they contradict themselves later in the book. â€Å"Prefer the standard to the offbeat.† (Strunk and White, 81) is rather contradictory because I feel that if someone is going to write in a way that comes naturally, it can be offbeat, it can be different, and it can still be understood. Also, imaginative writing or experimental writing can help and create a better writer. Ravi’s Blog also addresses this issue, â€Å"It is much easier for me to be given a topic and write a formal essay on it than to push my writing outside conventional forms and really try something new. In order to succeed in the professional world, a writer needs to have a proficient command of standard English, but in order to explore ourselves and our relationships to one another, writers must find ways to break the mold.† (ravieng328.blogspot.com, October 7th entry). I think Ravi, as ment... ...at a lot of those rules are relative. That is to say my idea of wordy and breezy would be completely different then that of someone who will be reading this. I used to refer to my ‘style’ as the way I would write and the way my writing would be read personally. Now, after reading these books, I can see that there is more to style than just my own personality coming out in the writing. I can still have style, but I also need a different kind of style. I need the kind of style that is standard and recognized so that I will be more cohesive, more clear and write a better academically constructed paper. Works Cited http://ravieng328.blogspot.com Williams, Joseph M. Style Toward Clarity and Grace Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press, 1990. Strunk, William and White, E.B. The Elements of Style: Fourth Edition Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2000, 1979.