Writing - Style ( Originally Published 1922 ) Style a Reflection
of Self. — As the French academician observed, "Style is the
Man." Style in writing is just as true a portrayal of what a man
is—how his texture of thought is woven together—as are the
actions of his life. Style is a particular method of writing and
no two men are gifted with the same method, just as not two
people are alike. Style is a garb of many colors, a thing of
many constituents. Stories may be told in a multitude of styles.
Thus, a story's style may be elegant, awkward, smooth, dull,
involved, ornate, poetical, simple, melodious, and so forth, all
depending on the individual who impresses on it the inevitable
stamp of personality. Style is like a mirror—it reflects exactly
the peculiarities of each detail of its master. If a man be
nervous temperamentally his style is sure to reflect those
characteristics, and very likely will be choppy and erratic. A
writer of nervous temperament, too, is-quite likely to have a
versatile style, one poss