What’s a writing style?

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Writing style is the way a writer chooses to use words and sentences. It includes word choice, sentence length, figurative language, and point of view. It can vary depending on the audience and purpose. Writers consciously choose their style, and it can develop over time. Word choice is a big factor, with some writers using rich prose and others using sparse sentences. Figurative language and perspective also contribute to style. Writers may alter their style by changing the point of view.

A writing style is how a particular writer chooses to assemble words and sentences together to create an overall piece of writing. There are a number of different components that typically make up this style, including word choice, sentence length and structure, use of figurative language, and point of view. A particular author’s style can also vary depending on the audience and purpose of a piece of writing. A writing style can be difficult to describe precisely because it is a qualitative and subjective concept, but it is also one of the most important principles people use to judge the quality of a writer.

There are many different ways a writer creates his or her writing style, and these can be chosen consciously or can simply develop over time with practice. Word choice is one of the biggest contributing factors to a writer’s style. Writers such as Edgar Allen Poe are known for their rich prose which often contains vivid sentences with numerous adjectives to carefully set up and describe a scene. The writing style of someone like Ernest Hemingway, however, is known for sparse sentences with precise word choice and little description beyond what is necessary to create a scene.

Other aspects of writing style include the use of figurative language and the perspective a writer chooses to use. These are often related to the audience and purpose of a particular piece of writing. Someone writing an essay for school, for example, will likely choose a professional or academic writing style with few metaphors and language that is more literal and direct than figurative and flowery. The same writer working on an original short story or fictional narrative might use a more figurative style filled with evocative imagery and language.

Many writers also alter their writing style by changing the point of view or perspective used in their writing. A school assignment is likely to be written in a third-person perspective, meaning that pronouns in the essay are usually limited to ones like “he,” “she,” and “they.” When creating a work of fiction, however, the same writer might use first- or second-person perspective. This type of writing includes pronouns such as “I”, “me”, and “you” to create a more informal writing style that is often more interesting as a work of fiction but would be considered inappropriate in an academic text.




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