What is style, why do we write things down, and in what ways does technology influence style?

Style is the form we choose or create in order to clearly present our ideas to others. I think that for most people style has to do with correctness. Williams, although trying to soften the boundaries between "correct" and "incorrect" style, emphasizes this as he develops the clarity, brevity, and sincerity approach to writing. He stresses the importance of form and rules stating that "[w]hen you are under close scrutiny, you might choose to observe all of these optional rules," (23) indicating we are often judged more for how we may say something than for the quality of the ideas presented. Lahnam, on the other hand, purports a slightly more flexible approach emphasizing the importance of the author's motive or purpose over artificial structures. His idea that style is best created from internal motivations as opposed to external rules changes the site where style is created. Allowing style to emanate from the inside, from an internal "gyroscope" or "compass" (Lanham 9), can allow writers to create works which are more sincere and creative and less formulaic in their approach.

I think we chose to write things down for at least two reasons: to communicate our ideas and to remember. First, I believe that writing down our thoughts helps us to focus and clarify our beliefs. I have a short essay my students read during the first week of class that illustrates a variety of reasons they need to take English classes despite the fact that none of them will major in English, and one of the reasons illustrated is the fact that writing their thoughts down improves their thinking skills. It takes a little persuasion at first, but they usually get it--if not that day, then after a few assignments when they've had to revise to clarify what they mean. I also agree with Baron (8) that writing things down helps us to remember what we think or dream or say. These writings can be about mundane, daily issues, but more often they are about things that are important to us, whether academic or personal. I think we've all had the experience where we've had a wonderful idea or insight and didn't take the time to write it down because the thought was so good we knew we would certainly remember it later, only for it to escape to some illusive crevice in our mind. Writing our thoughts down, whether on paper or electronically, allows us to remind ourselves of what we were thinking at a particular moment in time. In essence, it allows us to interact with earlier versions of ourselves and our ideas.

Technology has had a tremendous effect on what we call style. First, technology has given voice to people who may never have been heard outside their geographic, economic, or social circles. With the advent of Web 2.0 technologies, people can author and communicate ideas in a number of ways that reach a much wider audience. Not only is the audience different, but so are the styles that are acceptable. Part of the draw to texting is the ability to communicate messages and ideas quickly--without applying the rules of conventional style. Twitter can't even support what we would recognize as SAE because of its character limit, so acceptable style etiquette in the Twitter environment is entirely different. Even in more traditional writing on the computer, technology provides us with an abundance of creativity to choose fonts, pictures, links, etc. that we would never have been able to use before allowing us more choices in creating our own style.

Why is style important in my current and/or future workplace?

From a fundamental standpoint, style is important to my profession because I am expected to teach "it" to my students. As a professor of developmental English, I encounter a population with a vast array of styles which I am expected to reign in and shape into Standard American English. Since accepted style stems more from economic strength and geographic location (Williams 13), this goal can be lofty as this population typically lacks financial prosperity and resides in areas where traditionally accepted language is infrequently used. The ultimate educational goal is that by the time they leave my classroom, they should know the rules of SAE and readily apply them to their future writing assignments. But a traditional approach to style can lead to dry, formulaic writing.

A more crucial reason for style's importance in the classroom is to assist students in finding their voice within the confines of the rules of academic style. Most of my students realize they lack the ability to "fit" or "blend in" to an academic or business environment resulting from non-standard verbal and writing skills. Although certain conventions are required for acceptance into most professional settings (and I don't have a problem with these conventions), I think it is imperative that these students understand that another part of style is intangible; it is their essence--their ideas. Sentence structure, punctuation, and usage are important, but how students use these tools to express their own unique ideas is at least equally important, if not more so.

So my personal understanding of style and its importance to writing and individual expression is central to providing my students with the maximum opportunity for growth and success.