Love Style
...vs. personal writing debate than simply what makes the two different. I believe it is the similarities between the writing styles that, if recognized, will ultimately make for the better writer. Two separate questions were given for this assignment: “How will you become a better academic writer?” and, “How will you become a better personal writer?” (Actually, there were three questions, but the last one was so inane, that it must wait until the end of the paper.) The questions imply that different steps must be taken to become a better writer for each style, and although that may be true for certain nuances, it is my belief that better writing for one style will directly impact the other. To clarify, there does not need to be a separate process for the different styles—success in one will lead to success in the other. For instance, I believe that personal writing directly influences academic writing in that the “voice” developed in free writing, once refined, can be used in formal papers to make them readable and, God forbid, interesting. On the same note, personal writing is great for the writer, but if no one else is able to understand it, his thoughts and ideas go unappreciated until princi...