Style juxtapositions

I have been thinking about two potentially blog-worthy topics for a couple weeks now. Although I've been planning to blog about them, I just haven't got around to it yet. So when both topics came up in class yesterday, I decided now is a good time to write about them. I'll blog about each separately so neither post becomes too long. First, the juxtaposition of writing styles...

Topic 1: News Writing vs. Creative Writing
As you heard in class yesterday (and have probably gleaned from some of my previous blog posts), I have an interesting issue to deal with this semester. I'm in Creative Writing class, but I regularly have to use or edit news writing. So far it's been interesting, but I'm starting to be able to separate the two. With news writing, I must always follow AP style. The AP Stylebook is my journalistic bible, my rule book, my lifeline. If I write news stories without a Stylebook nearby, I feel somehow slightly not-right. Using AP style is what I know, at least in writing news. I feel comfortable falling back into the old stand-by, knowing that if I ever have a question about anything, I can refer to my Stylebook and usually find a concrete answer. At heart I am ruthlessly organized (although, with school work and other interests getting in the way, it doesn't always get put into practice). Knowing a certain style inside and out, forward and backward makes me feel safe and secure when I write. I have rules to follow and a recipe for success. While AP is currently my preferred writing style, I'm comfortable with others as well. In high school I learned the style my English teacher (yes, I had just one English teacher from grade eight to grade twelve) was looking for and became an expert at giving her exactly the writing she wanted. In college English classes I discovered MLA and adapted my essays from the Corbel (my English teacher) Style to fit into the MLA Style. Then I learned AP Style, a handy formula for consistency among journalists. I loved it!

Conversely, when I need to write creatively I have to remind myself that I can think more openly. If I see intriguing diversions along my writing path, I am allowed to take one just on a whim and explore it further. I can write more freely and take more liberties with trying out new ideas, writing styles or punctuation uses. Now I'm learning that although writing styles are good and serve a useful purpose, I need to develop my own style. The AQ Style. I need to craft it, mold it and, most of all, use it. And this is why I'm taking Creative Writing.