While sitting contently on the back row of my American Heritage class, I became aware of a behavioral pattern that has been directing every aspect of my life since the day I could make a decision for myself. Whatever function I was attending, whether church, school, or sporting events, I always opted for the seat in the back. If one was not available, I would find a seat on the outside of a row, and turn inward so that no one was behind me. This behavior followed me onto the playing field as I filled positions on my sports teams that would allow me to view the whole picture "point guard, outside hitter, left fielder. When I began to consider my motives for this somewhat bizarre conduct, I realized that it was all about comfort. I'm the kind of person who needs to know and see everything. I get very uncomfortable when there are any unknowns in my life, so I put myself in a position to control everything I can, in order to stay in my comfort zone.
How I write is a reflection of my controlling nature. My words must be precise, and my sentences must flow. While not everyone is the control freak that I am, anyone who writes does submit to their own pattern "one that makes them the most comfortable. When we take a good look at how we write, we see this pattern translate into our own individual style. Webster's dictionary defines this style as not only "a way of speaking or writing- but also as "a distinctive characteristic or manner."" I define writing style as the pattern that gives the writer the most comfort. (Of course there are some who are not comfortable with writing at all, which is why I included "the most- in my definition.) While some express themselves most easily by writing a technical manual, others would rather wax poetic. Some need to follow a rigid outline and others simply must write whatever comes to mind. .
Writing style is much like a fingerprint in that everyone's is unique to them.
