Hi all,

question....hav you ever got the uncanny feeling that your writing style is not entirely your own? Since the past couple of days, I've been getting this very scary realization that mine is very heavily like a scholars whose work I respect, whose work actually forms a huge part of my conceptual framework etc etc.

i may be wrong, may be right. But so many tonal things seem similar to me now, i am scared...i am a very prolific and fast writer, i usually produce pretty good stuff in very short bits of time, ever since this has struck me i cant write a word without feeling the style isnt my own...

even stuff like "this book tells us x y z but we dont learn much about x y z" i mean does any one person have an authority on such a style or am I...uhhnmm could i explain myself?

a worried p'bug. :-(

======= Date Modified 23 Nov 2008 19:12:58 =======
i think u are worrying abt nthng, with time u will develop a distinct style, even if u feel u are unconsciously following style of acdemics you admire, this is in my opinion is an integral phase of finding your own style eventually.



just let it grow on its own pace(up)

Gosh lucky you being able to write quickly and well. I wish I could do that. Don't worry about it. Its something which will come with finding your own voice, and also sounding tonally like a well respected scholar is never a bad thing.

I wouldn't worry too much. I can't remember what field you are in, but I have noticed that in my field (microbiology) that certain phrases, facts and ideas are put across in pretty much the same style in many papers and so you do find yourself saying exactly the same thing. Your style is undoubtably going to be influenced by certain people, this occurs in many areas of life. Songwriters are influenced by other songwriters, writers are influenced by the classics and artists can often have some influence from someone else. I think the main thing to maintain is that you have a constant writing style and that your work flows; I have read some stuff where there is an obvious change of style where you can tell that the author has either been given a passage to slot in or copied something from elsewhere.

I agree with others. Don't worry phdbug, read and write as much as you can now, style will follow.