Off-Clock Musings

On Writing Styles

I have a distinct writing style, but I struggle to say "style" instead of "styles." I'm not quite sure if I have more than one style, though I think I do.

Purpose. Functionality. Syntax. Semantics. These are my top priorities when writing, whether it be formal, informal, or creative.

I usually write according to my end goal and audience. If I'm writing formally, then I ensure I do not use contractions, add a variety of sentence types, and mix short sentences with long sentences while constantly reading through the lines to see if I got my message across. I avoid many words such as "got" in my formal writing, and I break down the details so that I can include necessary information only. I was taught to write concisely, including only functional words that serve a purpose in the sentence. Of course, many of my sentences will vary in length, but they are all still concise. I use syntax and semantics to do this (thank you Mrs. Yamen and Dr. Kessler!). I appreciate the people who taught me to write this way because I've noticed that it keeps readers engaged. Fluff may sound cute and leave you in awe, but it's called fluff for a reason. It doesn't serve a particular purpose besides emphasizing the aesthetics of the words. This must never be used in formal writing as one should aim for straightforward and clear, yet enriched sentences.

Although I also do this if I'm writing a story, I give myself a tad bit more leeway. I still don't use contractions and ensure my sentence types vary to keep my readers engaged, but I also ask myself how I can make the plot equally engaging. The advantage in using this type of writing style is that I only include necessary characteristics, actions, and events in my story. I have never added a filler chapter, nor while I ever. If a piece of writing does not serve a purpose, then it simply shouldn't be written. My grammar is always catered to in my stories, too, but I tend to give up some rules once or twice a chapter to emphasize a particular thing.

The main difference between my formal and creative writing styles involves logic and emotions. Even if my goal is to appeal to emotions, I tend to write logically in my formal writings. It's an odd way to do it, but the notion I hold is the following: To have your audience trust you, a writer must stay objective and strong-minded, using only facts and data from empirical studies to strengthen your claim, lest you appear weak to your audience by not being able to control your feelings. Ben Shapiro puts it best: "Facts don't care about your feelings." The goal to write formally is to argue for your claim, and the best way to appeal to your audience is to use logic to do so. Now, of course, logic is sometimes not enough. If we are arguing for a mathematical principle or a strict philosophical claim, then we can stick to logic only, but if our goal is to argue for an experience, then it is best to use empiricism along with logic as scientists do. Our sensory systems are not the most powerful when compared to other species such as birds, who see magnetic fields, or cats, whose tapetum lucidum allows for a second chance to see light (thanks Dr. Park, Dr. Hilbert, Dr. Roitman, and Dr. Wirtshafter for teaching me this). But despite this, we have learned as a species to take advantage of our sensory systems to advance the human condition, and a writer must consider this when writing formally.

My creative writing style, while it contains plenty of logical components to it, surely does appeal to the emotions many times. I may use a metaphor here and there, or I might leave a cliffhanger at the end of the chapter, or I may include words and body language that stirs the reader's emotions. Words are a form of art, an art that I adore using in describing my character's traits. That's where one of the secrets lies. A creative writer must give life to his or her characters by assigning purposeful traits to each one of the characters, and said writer must find words to illustrate these traits and bring them to life. The events that may transpire in the story must be written in a way for the reader to feel like he or she is truly experiencing it. In other words, the writer should use a healthy amount of romanticism in his or her writing. I take precedence to romanticism to an extent, using it functionally. My characters are my main focus here, and I write so that everything I mention revolves back to them only, whereas my claim is my main focus in my formal writing.