You could always tell when Jerry was around because his cologne got there first. My business partner described it alternatively as “industrial strength” or “cloying scent in a drum.”

If that were just a personal quirk, it might have been fine, but what happened was that people paid attention to Jerry’s cologne instead of to Jerry. The same thing can happen with your writing style.

If your style calls attention to itself, readers will pay attention to your style and not your message. Your writing style should help the reader get the message, but not call attention to itself.

Bottom Line

Like cologne or salt in your food or a drum track on a jazz record, your style should make your writing better without being noticed.