Writer’s block is often an obstacle we have to overcome when writing for school, career or personal purposes. While we usually focus on ways to better our writing skills, sometimes we lose sense of the fact that we have our own individual writing styles. Arguably, it is not about what you are writing but how you deliver it. Therefore, your writing style is crucial to your message, especially if you have to write often.
According to Open Oregon Educational Resources, there are four main writing styles: expository, descriptive, narrative and persuasive; each of which has its own characteristics that distinguish them for each other. Expository writing is one of the most common types of writing used and is used when the author is trying to explain a concept. Examples of expository writing include textbooks, recipes and how-to articles. Descriptive and narrative writing styles are fairly similar as both consist of descriptive language and relaxed structure. Poetry and novels are two examples. However, the difference is, in narrative writing, the author is not only trying to impart information but also construct and communicate a story.
Improving your writing style may sound a bit difficult, but with the aid of technology and software, it may not be as hard as you think. According to the Oxford Royale Academy and Writer’s Digest, here are some ways to improve your writing style:
Be consistent
Consistency is very important in your writing style because you do not want to sound redundant. The example that the Oxford Royale Academy presents is that of someone writing about Microsoft Powerpoint but, throughout the entire paragraph, using many different words to refer to Microsoft PowerPoint such as PPT, PowerPoint and PowerPoint Presentation. Instead, it’s best to stick to one title.
Don’t be afraid to shorten your paragraphs
You do not want one paragraph to go on forever, but you also do not want to have a long series of short paragraphs. According to the Oxford Royale Academy, the purpose of a paragraph is to “group information into organized chunks.” To write a well-written paragraph, your passage needs to contain a point, an example of that point and an explanation of that point. It is also okay to cut your point into two or more paragraphs if it becomes too long to read comfortably. Varying the lengths of your sentences throughout paragraphs also makes your writing easier to read.
Be specific
Choosing descriptive and distinct words in your writing can be the major difference between good and mediocre writing. Writer’s Digest writes that using “vague language weakens your writing because it forces the reader to guess at what you mean instead of allowing the reader to concentrate fully on your ideas and style.” Using concrete examples and specific details will help to improve not only your writing style but also how easy it is to understand your reading.
Favor active voice
Writing in an active voice allows a reader to better understand what you are writing. Since the active voice is more direct and simple, it gives a stronger input than passive voice. An example provided by Writer’s Digest would be writing “I loved Sally” rather than “Sally was loved by me.”
Writing styles can vary depending on the voice you would like to give your writing and what the content is. Writing, however, is something that we need not only for academic purposes but also in daily life. It is a form of communicating ideas and stories, and it is in one’s best interest to communicate their ideas and stories in the most effective way.
