'Your personal writing style is unique to you' is something I've read quite often.
That's not much help when you don't even know what a writing style is, let alone how to develop it.
'Of all aspects of the craft of fiction, voice and style are the two things that are virtually impossible to teach.
That's because they are (or should be) unique to each writer.
' (by James Scott Bell, in 'Revision and Self Editing') However, just because it is 'virtually impossible to teach voice and style' doesn't mean that they are impossible to learn.
It is just that they don't make good classroom subjects.
I'll also use JS Bell's definitions from the same book here: 'Voice is your basic approach, the sound of the words, the tone of the sentences, paragraphs, and pages.
Style is the application of voice on the whole.
It's the overall feel the reader gets as the novel approaches.
' Style is applicable to non-fiction too, of course.
It is more likely that other people will recognise your style, rather than you seeing it for yourself, especially when you are just starting.
My own definition: Your writing style is a reflection of your personality, shown by the words you choose and the way in which you use them.
How then can you learn how to discover your writing style and develop it? There are two ways: Reading and Writing.
Reading: Everything you read adds to your greater understanding about how others perceive life, which will influence how you see life too.
You can study particular writer's styles, or you may just read to absorb.
Either way is effective, depending on what you want to achieve.
Writing: No matter how much you read, though, you simply can't develop a writing style if you don't actually write.
If you think you're a 'failure' as a writer because of experiences at school, remember that writing learned in class was most likely best suited to a busy schoolteacher with a pile of marking to do after hours, so try not to be held back by bad memories.
I suggest you don't consciously look for your own voice or style.
That's like trying to watch a plant grow.
Don't try to force your style either.
To use that analogy of a plant again: force-fed plants are often weaker because their stems haven't had time to thicken properly.
What sort of writing should you do, in order to develop your own individual style? I recommend an experimental approach.
Give the writing muse plenty of freedom.
Here are some ways you can do this: • Write first drafts, without editing, till you've finished.
• Try free writing or other creative starters.
They can help at any stage of a writing project, not just the beginning.
• Use expressive devices such as metaphors or poetical phrases.
• Examine how different points of view change stories.
For example, rewrite a section in 3rd person POV to 1st person, or vice versa.
• Read and write poetry.
Its distinct and evocative expressions can make your prose writing livelier too.
• A writing support group or a writing course that challenges you to try out different forms of writing is a good idea.
Even an experienced writer benefits from different challenges.
Above all that: write - and keep on writing.
Your style is you.
Be true to yourself, and your style will develop naturally.