Chapter sixteen

Chapter sixteen:Writing with Style

Chapter sixteen of the Bedford Researcher indicates the two key questions important in creating style of writing.

The first key question in regard to how to begin to write with style includes four segments: how to write concisely, use active and passive voice, adopt a consist point of view and choose words carefully.

Short sentences are almost always a good choice in order to write clear and concise. For clearer writing, it is important to remove unnecessary modifiers such as there are, there is, these have, these are etc.  Second, also important is to remove un-useful introductory language such as – as matter of fact instead of using – in fact. Third is eliminating stock phrases such as – at all times instead of using the word always, makes writing more clear and concise.

Use of active and passive voice is an equally important tool in creating style of writing. If used effectively and carefully applied to a specific writer’s purpose - i.e. to emphasize the recipient of the action (passive voice), it can make a big difference in understanding and provide a reader with more information.

Adopting a consistent point of view implies a smooth shift within a sentence, so the sentence remains written in the same person – first or third.

Choosing words carefully determines the level of formality in writing. The level of formality can be built on the insights gained in reading other documents that address the same issue. The level of formality also varies depending on the document type; written conversations on blogs and web discussions are usually informal conversations while written conversations in scholarly journals or respective magazines use more formal and restrictive tone of writing. 

The use of specialized language makes sense only when both parties are familiar with the terms. If the writer is not familiar with the specific terminology, it is recommended to get familiar in order to establish good communication with the reader.

Variety of writing in document is a key of effective document. Although fully supported by the argument, the document can be tedious to read; the variety of writing in documents is necessary, by using different choice of words.

The next key question relates to how to polish writing style. It implies variation in sentence structure through mixture of different types, structures, and lengths of a sentences.

It is also important how to create effective transitions within sentences, paragraphs, and even sections of a document. The transition involves a soft transition in writing, which means easier understanding of the connection between information, ideas and arguments in the text. Transition occurs in the form of words and phrases such as, however – for transition words, as a result – for transitional phrases, and as transitional sentences and transitional paragraphs.

Introducing other authors effectively includes use of attributions in order to make the sources of the information, ideas, and arguments stand out.

In order not to leave the reader with the wrong impression, the writer should pay more attention to the correct use or not to use gender-specific pronouns i.e. representatives of particular professions. The solution is to reshape the sentence, so that generic references, such as a doctor, are plural, such as doctors.

Sometimes it is necessary for the writer to use a good hand book with examples and strategies to improve writing style.

As a last element of polishing strategy is reading widely, and frequently; it exposes writers to different styles and engages them more with words.