Formal and informal diction

[brooksmoses]

I just sent my insurance agent an email, and got a reply back, and was struck by the difference in writing tone between the two. I think I'm incapable of not lapsing into formal tone when I write that sort of thing. And then when people write back with an informal-friendly tone, I feel awkward about it.

Not sure what to do about that, but I notice it.

Comments

[redbird]

Notice it and figure he is giving you permission to be informal in turn? (I doubt an insurance agent is going to be bothered by getting a first message to "Dear Ms. Smith" instead of "Hello Jane.")

[brooksmoses]

It's not so much the greeting, or feelings about permission, really -- it's that even when I feel like it's okay to be informal (and I mostly did with this email) and put informality-markers like "Hello Jane" in it, my prose style itself just keeps coming out feeling very formal even though that's not really my intent.

[johnpalmer]

I can imagine it, though I tend to write informally the same way (i.e., having a hard time not lapsing into it). Of course, that's probably the more normal problem to have....