You’ve heard of them; perhaps you’ve used them. The Chicago Manual of Style. The Associated Press Stylebook. The MLA Style Manual. The web style guide. Even the source of this blog’s title, The Elements of Style.
I learned to use style guides only when I started doing professional editing, and once I did, I wished I’d known about them far sooner. Because their use isn’t just about making copy correct; it’s about making copy coherent. And that’s important for every writer!
Consistency is the first concern when you’re writing, if you want to make sense; and a style guide is your friend. It matters less which guide you use—and more that you use one. Why? So that in one place you won’t write U.S. while in another you write US. That’s one area where consistency makes for an easier read, which at the end of the day is what you want. Your content may be challenging to read; your style shouldn’t be.
But, to my mind, the best thing about style guides is that you can (and, in fact, should) create your own. Every document that you produce, whether it’s a novel, an article, a white paper, or a short story, should have a style sheet attached. How do you spell a character’s name? Put it in the style sheet. Did you decide to write “website” or “web site”? Put it in the style sheet. Even information like hair color, the way you spell colloquialisms (is it ain’t or ein’t?), anything that will be used more than once: it all goes into the style sheet. Which then becomes your best friend—and that of your eventual copyeditor.
Yes: when your piece is going to be edited, make sure your editor gets a copy of your style sheet. Believe me, he or she will thank you for it—and you’ll be … beyond the elements of style!