My Style? :: Writing Eglish Education Papers

My Style? Students crammed the Superlab on Friday trying to finish the assignment for English Class. The assignment was to write a paper about styles of writing and how the students fit into them. The students must finish the paper and send it by E-mail to the professor by Saturday morning. Short and to the point. That's how I'm supposed to write for my news reporting class. Use short sentences and action verbs. Start with the most important facts, answer any questions raised by the lead, then fill in the details. I've been told that it is very difficult to major in both English and mass communication because they have two very different approaches to writing. So what's the big deal? Well, it's not easy switching back and forth between the styles these classes require, especially since one class immediately follows the other. This is just one problem I've run into concerning style, switching between the two that are expected of me in both classes. Another problem is that there is a specific set of rules to follow when writing for the media. I feel as if I'm writing using someone else's style. I don't normally talk or write using short, to the point sentences, and I definitely don't use the inverted pyramid style. So when I write news stories, can I say that is my own style since how I write is almost dictated? Or is it someone else's that I'm just borrowing? But if that's the case, is there such a thing as my own style? Is everything I say or write dictated by a set of rules, like news writing? Or can I manipulate someone else's stylistic rules to make my own? Is there any way to change things so that I can write how I want to? We discussed in class how decorum dictates how we are supposed to talk or write. I can personally attest to that. When I worked at my dad's welding shop this summer, I noticed that because I was a secretary, I was expected to talk to customers differently than my dad or any of the other workers. I was supposed to sound professional and courteous. "Good afternoon, CAP Enterprise," was the proper way to answer the phone. But when my dad got on the phone, he would talk to the customer or salesperson almost like he talks to his buddies.