Style

A new writer asked me about style. What about style? It's a word loaded with meanings as applied to writing. It can cover everything from punctuation, grammar, syntax, to word choice and self-expression. It can make or break your book, short story, article. "Could you be more specific?" I asked. He wanted to know how to write so that people would want to read his book. I needed more detail. "Who's the audience?" I asked. "Business people." Ah, now we were getting somewhere. At least, we could rule out the purple prose of romance and love poetry. I advised him to take a look at popular business books, not necessarily those on the best seller lists, and notice how they are organized, how information is presented, and what it is about the book that appeals to him (a business person himself).

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