Series 1 Week 4- Finding your style and setting yourself apart

Many things make up good writing. It starts with a mastery of the fundamentals.1 It is made better with fresh wording, understanding of vantage points, and a good use of imagery.2 But writing becomes great with the elements of style. These are details such as meter and sound, elegance, voice, identity, clarity, and the ability to tell a story.2, 3 Style does not come from a list of rules to follow, like the fundamentals do; it is the ability to communicate in a world of your own creation. It is the avenue to simultaneously convey a relevant message, earn the readers' trust, and add beauty, even in medical writing.2

Style should come naturally due to exposure to enticing works. Our anxieties can make us better writers when we use them to understand the fundamentals. But they can distract us when we try to analyze our style.3 Language is not always straight-laced and formal.1 When we focus on being stylish and lose sight of the intent, it makes for boring writing. Style is engaging, and sometimes even fun. Test this by reading your work aloud.1,4,5 Style can be sensed through the rhythm and cadence, or “the beat,” in writing.1,4 If it doesn’t sound fluid, rewrite that section until it does.

We already know that writing well takes time and a lot of practice. Style even more so. Most writing formats, from fiction to academic, advocate mimicking authors you respect. Ones that inspire you to write in a way that might also inspire others.4 Personal style is what makes every writer unique and different. The work of those we love has a certain rhythm and flow that draws us into it. And sometimes, without even knowing it, we match that beat in our work. But like magic, after hard work and dedication, the author emerges from the cocoon of familiarity into their own unique butterfly. Complete with a set of colors and patterns never seen before. Some might argue that this beautiful transformation doesn’t happen for all medical writers. That the format and structure of regulatory writing prevent individuality. The truth is that no format can keep a writer from their style.2,3 Regulation safeguards ensure only the facts are present and prevent persuasive or opinionated writing. Structure can’t keep out the uniqueness of the writer.

Especially in medical writing, there are dangers to be aware of when mimicking. The most significant risk is the number of published bad writings.6 The industry is sometimes apathetic, satisfied with the mediocre, and unaffected by substandard writing.7 Some medical writers may not be worth imitating. This is why it is essential to expose your mind to various influences based on inspiration. Just because a popular scientist produces a paper on an exciting topic, it does not mean it is written well. Are you inspired by the style or the content? Some writers are so passionate about a subject that they can lure you even if you have no interest in the content.4 This is where you should draw inspiration for your style, and in great quantities. Without various authors and styles to infiltrate your writing, you’re only a poor imitation of another.1 Like a parrot who sings a hit pop song. It’s briefly entertaining, but you’ll never pay to see the parrot in concert.

Writing is at its best when laced with humanity.4 Through tools like narration, description, and dialogue, writers fashion their stories.1 Even in medical writing, the author's personal story plays a vital role.6 The job of the academic writer is to reach the reader intellectually. However, the best academic writers reach deeper using essential, but often overlooked, components like emotion.3 The personality of an author who loves their subject, regardless of the content, will permeate their work and draw the reader into it. It is best to use this passion to introduce a subject and entice the reader, rather than using a lifeless “lead” devoid of humanity.4 

Be truthful in your writing. No one else has your story to tell.6 In pursuing recognition or money, it can be tempting to mimic others based on their success and nothing more. Mimicking for this reason is dishonest and often leads to poor writing.1 Do not use a vernacular that is outside of your own.4 Often in academia, the misconception is that complex writing is more “academic” when it is often just more confusing.6 If you would never describe a disease as an “infectious malady” to a colleague, do not use such terms in your writing.

Personal style is what helps medical writers be uniquely marketable. It’s the “X-factor” that really can’t be defined in your work. But allow me to digress momentarily about more categorized scientific or academic writing styles. Good writing will blend many styles. Academic writing is known to produce various blends of both practical and self-conscious styles.2 Many scholarly writings utilize the practical style. The writer's goal in the practical style is to meet the reader's needs. It is brief, and both the reader and writer have defined roles. But the best gift to the medical writer is classic style, or classic writing. Classic style is useful in conveying abstract ideas in a non-abstract way. It assumes equality between the reader and writer to make the reader feel more intelligent. Classic writing style makes it seem that the writer completely understood their thoughts before putting words on a page, even though writing doesn’t work that way.2 Absorbing more information about these styles will only make you a better medical writer. I highly recommend adding the subject to your further education.

Style is what makes good writing more memorable. I wish that for everyone brave enough to leave their hearts on the page. This week, I would like to close with a quote from Stephen King about the wonder of writing.

We are talking about tools and carpentry, about words and style…but as we move along, you’d do well to remember we are also talking about magic. -Stephen King1

References:

1.     King S. Stephen King on Writing a Memoir on the Craft. SIMON AND SCHUSTER; 2000.

2.     Pinker S. The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person’s Guide to Writing in the 21st Century. Penguin Books; 2015.

3.     Sword H. Air & Light & Time & Space: How Successful Academics Write. Harvard University Press; 2018.

4.     Zinsser W. On Writing Well. Harper Paperbacks; 2016.

5.     Lamott A. Bird by Bird: Some Instruction on Writing and Life. RANDOM HOUSE; 1994.

6.     How to Transform Your Scientific Writing to Maximize Your Impact. Redwood Ink; 2025. Accessed March 24, 2025. https://redwoodink.ewebinar.com/webinar/19501/join/13673944.This webinar has been referenced with the permission of the creator.

7.     Collier R. A call for clarity and quality in medical writing. Canadian Medical Association Journal. 2017;189(46). doi:10.1503/cmaj.171265