What is Style?

Style is an extremely broad term that can mean a number of things.  It is formally defined as a "specific or characteristic manner of expression, execution, construction, or design, in any art, period, work, employment, etc."  That is one of many definitions of style in Webster's New World College Dictionary, because it has many forms.  Style is arbitrary; everyone has their own individual idea of what style is.  I would define style loosely as how someone does something.  It could be how a person writes, dresses, dances, etc.   

There are many forms of style in writing.  One of them is how the writing appears; each of these fonts is a style.  Another style in writing involves things like word choice, the amount of formality, and other things like that.  Style can determine a person's place in the writing field, whether it be in journalism, creative writing, or some type of professional writing, based on their chosen media.  

Basically, style is something that everyone forms for themselves, through their background and interests.  It takes a while to develop personal style, and sometimes even longer for a person to discover what makes something his or her own style.