This post is for all my blogger friends who want to become better writers. As an editor and a blogger myself, I consult style guides every single day. Sometimes I even read them for fun (#nerdalert). I’m going to tell you how to use style guides to improve your writing and I’ll link you to the online style guides I use the most.
WHAT’S A STYLE GUIDE?
A style guide is a resource – either online or hardcopy – that performs two functions:
- Explains spelling, grammar, and punctuation rules so your writing can be technically correct
- Specifies preferences relating to writing when choices are available so your voice will be consistent and distinct
For example, people who write in English have a choice to use American, British, or Canadian spelling and punctuation. A piece exhibiting a combination of all three is inconsistent and will appear sloppy and confusing to the reader. A style guide specifies which type of English the author will use so they can apply it consistently.
Style guides do much, much more than just specify what kind of English to use, so read on to find out how they can benefit bloggers.
HOW STYLE GUIDES HELP BLOGGERS
1. They make you look smart
Style guides prevent all sorts of mistakes that can make you look stupid in writing. Aren’t sure if you should say “affect” or “effect”? The style guide knows. Don’t know where to put the apostrophe in a plural possessive noun ending in ‘s’? The style guide does. Is there one ‘t’ or two in “commitment”? There’s one, and the style guide told me.
Writing mistakes do not mean an author is stupid; it probably just means they are focusing on other things. However, a blogger’s writing is their primary interface with the world. You want your readers to recognize you as an expert in your field and trust you. So why not give them every reason to think you are brilliant?
2. They reinforce your brand
Most major companies and publications have their own style guide to ensure that all written material produced by them is recognizable in connection to their brand. For example, most people recognize a Wikipedia article at first sight. This is because Wikipedia has their own style guide that governs every detail about the formatting, structure, and language of their articles.
Following a style guide gives your writing a consistent look and feel that readers will recognize as yours. This is essential in building your brand.
HOW DO I USE A STYLE GUIDE?
As an editor and a blogger, I consult style guides every single day. When I’m editing, I read very attentively and when I’m editing and come across something that seems odd, I look it up in the style guide. Sometimes it’s right, and I learn something; sometimes it’s wrong and I help the client fix it. When I’m writing and find myself unsure of how to spell something, I look it up in the style guide. Same thing when I’m dropping commas and semicolons – those guys are tricky and I want to do it right.
In addition to consulting style guides for technical writing issues, I also maintain my own personal style guide where I document how I want to write things when there are different ways of doing it. For example, I always write “okay” instead of “OK” or “ok” or “o.k.” Another example is capitalization in titles. Do you write the whole thing in capitals? Do you capitalize only the first word? What about every word? Or every word over four letters? Or every word other than “at, in, of, and for”? If you document your choice in your style guide, and follow it every time, your blog will look consistent and distinctive.
STYLE GUIDES I USE EVERY DAY
Let me introduce you to my favourite style guides. All three of them are online and free to use.
THE WRITER
The house style guide at The Writer is my go-to every time I have a question. I love The Writer because it’s:
- Easy to navigate – Topics are all listed on one screen, in alphabetical order, and there’s lots of white space and cute graphics.
- Easy to understand – Spelling, grammar, and punctuation topics are explained clearly and simply with relevant examples to illustrate the concepts.
- Funny! – Seriously, the people over at The Writer are hilarious and they use that humour throughout the guide. Who knew reading about proper ampersand use could make you laugh!
The topics I consult most often on The Writer style guide are:
- British vs. American English – It highlights typical spelling and punctuation differences between the two. When I edit my friends’ blogs, I think about which style of English is most familiar to their audience and restrain myself from maniacally changing all their “colors” to “colours”.
- Tricky Words – Described by The Writer as “words you might not realise you don’t know how to spell”. Seriously, I need to check the style guide EVERY TIME for “focussed or focused”, “in to or into”, “judgement or judgment.” It also covers “affect vs. effect” and “than vs. then”.
I have even spent time reading this style guide when I’m not looking for something in particular, simply because it’s funny and I want to learn. The Writer style guide is perfect for bloggers who want simple explanations for common writing issues.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC STYLE MANUAL
If you want to solve every spelling and grammar problem you’ve ever had (and ones you never imagined) the National Geographic Style Manual (NGSM) is your JAM.
This guide is super easy to use. The homepage has a vertical list of letters and you just click the one that your issue starts with. For example, I want to know about comma usage so I click on the letter “c” and then choose “COMMA” from the list of issues that start with “c”. It goes on to explain 14 different types of comma issues, including paired commas, conjunctive adverbs, quotations, compound predicate, etc.
Sometimes I find the NGSM a bit too technical, but I also like it because it covers every conceivable spelling, punctuation, and grammar issue you might have. It also has lots of examples. So if there’s something I can’t find on The Writer, I head to the NGSM.
The National Geographic Style Manual is written in American English, so it’s perfect for American bloggers and those seeking a deeper understanding of technical writing topics.
THE CANADIAN STYLE
For my own writing, I rely on The Canadian Style guide almost as much as The Writer style guide. It’s super easy to navigate: you can browse by chapter, peruse the alphabetical index, or search by keyword.
Something special about The Canadian Style guide is the chapter called “Elimination of Stereotyping in Written Communications”. It has great suggestions for modifying language that might unwittingly perpetuate racial, ethnic, or sexual stereotyping.
The Canadian Style guide is also a gold mine of information about the following common issues:
- British vs. American spelling (many more examples than The Writer)
- Frequently misspelled words (abysmal, commitment, consensus, occasional, weird…)
- How to pluralize anything and everything
- Words that sound the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings (thank you, English)
The Canadian Style guide is perfect for Canadian writers who want their writing to be consistent with a Canadian audience’s expectations. It’s also perfect for all writers who want to make their writing more inclusive.
I will also give an honourable mention to Google. Sometimes I just want to know “is it die-hard, diehard, or die hard?” A quick Google search often brings me to a reasonably reliable post by Grammarly or The Grammar Girl. But I still prefer using style guides to get more comprehensive answers.
I hope these were useful and I wish you happy writing, editing, and blogging!
