What is "writing style"

n. a style of expressing yourself in writing [syn: literary genre, genre]

In literature, writing style is the manner of expressing thought in language characteristic of an individual, period, school, or nation. 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. The point of good writing style is to

• express the message to the reader simply, clearly, and convincingly;
• keep the reader attentive, engaged, and interested;

not to

• display the writer’s personality;
• demonstrate the writer’s skills, knowledge, or abilities;

although these are usually evident and are what experts consider the writer’s individual style.