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Elements of a writer's style reveal to readers what sort of a person it is with whom they are spending time. These revelations are important because they are a mark of respect for readers. To develop style, follow these guidelines. Find a subject to care about and which others should care about. It is this caring which will be the most seductive and compelling element of style. Do not ramble. Keep it simple. Remember that two great masters of the language, William Shakespeare and James Joyce, wrote sentences which were almost childlike when their subjects were most profound. Have the guts to cut. If a sentence does not illuminate the subject in a new way, scratch it out. Sound natural. The most natural style for writers is to echo the speech they heard as a child. Say what is meant. If there is something worth saying and understanding, then it must be able to be understood. Pity the readers. They have to make immediate sense of thousands of little marks on paper, an art so difficult that most people don't really master it. For really detailed advice on literary style in a technical sense, see "The Elements of Style," by William Strunk, Jr. and E. B. White. (DC)