Writing Style I hear the inner voices of Strunk and White saying "don't overwrite", "write in a way that comes naturally to me", and so on, running through my head. I have visions of endless Williams examples and illustrations on clarity. I see weeks of blog writings running through my memory. From all of this, I now have and believe in a firm and personal definition of what style is and what good writing entails. William Strunk and E.B. White's book The Elements of Style, along with Joseph M. Williams' book Style Toward Clarity and Grace, helped bring me to this point, which is: What's the point? What really matters when we consider writing style? What makes good writing? Each writer could sit together and never find an answer to these questions because each writer has a different opinion on what matters. As a writer and reader, I believe that what really matters in style is the effect a piece of writing has on readers. While every reader is different in how a piece of writing affects them, there is still an unspoken understanding that all readers want to come away from a piece of writing a changed person, with a challenged view on a topic, with a new interest or passion for a previously unknown subject. What's the point? The point is that style, no matter how it is presented, must have an effect on each individual reader. No writer wants to sit and listen to the echoes of their seventh grade English teacher hammering out messages of “use correct grammar and punctuation!” or “watch your spelling!” in their brains, preventing them from any creativity. After all, no reader would want to take two writings by two different writers and if... middle of paper... From these books on style, I learned that the content of the writing is not as important as its presentation. If a piece of writing is clear, concise, understandable, and well-formatted, the reader will be influenced by it. Of course, content is important too, but the point is that no reader will want to spend a moment out of their day on a piece of writing unless they are drawn to it in the first place. If they are attracted, they will be influenced. Style is personal and unique, but it can also follow guidelines that will in turn help a writer fulfill his or her purpose and make a reader's life less complicated and more enjoyable. Works Cited Strunk, William Jr. and E.B. White. The elements of style. New York: Longmann. 2000.Williams, Joseph M. Style toward clarity and grace.Chicago:The University of ChicagoPress. 1995.