What is style?

Looking back at my previous post defining style, I can't say that my opinion has changed too much. I still believe that style is our own way of expressing ourselves, through clothing, music, art, writing, etc... However, my knowledge of writing style has grown, and I now know what's "good" style and what isn't. Also, I understand that good writing style isn't just good grammar, writing in the active voice, and being clear and concise. It's striking a balance between what message you need to get across and doing so in your own unique, but effective way. I do think that my writing style has improved throughout the semester, mostly because I didn't know what I was doing wrong and therefore could not correct it. Having reviewed style guides and discussing the topics in class, I now know where I was making mistakes and where I could make improvements. I think I write more actively now, and I do try to maximize clarity and concision. The web site was a great activity in clarity and concision for me because I kept going back to cut out more and more useless information. Now I think my website says what it needs to in the fewest words possible, which maximizes clarity and concision and allows viewers to get straight-to-the-point. Overall, my definition of style hasn't changed, but my knowledge of what makes writing good or bad has.

In addition to learning about writing style and how to maximize clarity and concision, this course has also taught me to recognize writing as a constantly evolving technology. I've definitely gained a greater appreciation for the writing technologies I have today. Also, when I first picked up Scott McCloud's "comic book" at the school bookstore, I dreaded having to read it. But having read it, I understand how it fit into the class as a whole. Comics are a unique, independent art form that combines words and pictures to create an engaging reading experience for the viewer. Comics include many of the elements of good writing style too: they are typically short and to-the-point, actively engage the reader, and attempt to get a message across quickly and easily without being wordy. I've learned to appreciate comics as more than a sub-style of film or literature and accept it as its own art form.

Overall, I'd have to say I learned much more from this class than I thought I would. Each assignment was a struggle because I had to learn to think differently. I had to acknowledge writing as a technology before I could create one and then reflect on it. I had to be open to learning about comics before I could write an essay about their stylistic effectiveness. I had to come to terms with my own writing flaws before I could attempt to perfect them. And while I certainly haven't perfected my writing or understanding of these topics, I have broadened my understanding and come to appreciate them more.