If you’ve ever written a university paper, you know that there are specific ways to structure your information and cite your sources. Once people are out in the working world, however, the use of style guides seems to drop off (unless, of course, your employer has an established internal style guide). A lack of reference material for those who are producing documents for a business can lead to inconsistencies, making communications look unprofessional or disjointed. What is a style guide? Style guides provide standards for things like punctuation usage, abbreviations, and formatting. They are useful not only for maintaining consistency between documents, but also maintaining consistency throughout a single (perhaps lengthy) document. What kinds of style guides are there? There are a number of style guides to choose from, and which one you select will likely depend on what types of documents you are producing and the makeup of your audience. Popular style guides include:
How do I know what kind of style guide I need? Normally, it makes sense to choose a style guide or two and then adapt the information to suit your needs (by selecting standards that apply to your field and communication goals). You can then add your own style standards that have been agreed upon by those involved in your company’s communications activities. Some things to think about include:
How can I make a customized style guide? Once you have selected a base style guide, you can begin to adapt it and add your own standards. It is useful to record set standards in a document that can be shared with anyone in your company who is producing communications material (emails, reports, marketing material, presentations, etc.). Just be sure to update the document and distribute the updated version any time a standard changes or needs to be removed. Some basic standards to include in your style guide are:
What if I’m completely confused? Language use, despite what some guides and language purists will tell you, is an ever-evolving and often subjective process, and what one group decides works for them could seem completely unnecessary in the eyes of another group. The best way to go about choosing a style guide is simply to review a variety of guides, pick one you feel comfortable with and that makes sense for the type of writing you're doing, and use the guide's standards (along with some of your own) consistently. You can also look for guidance from a friendly editor! Do you use a style guide where you work? Is it something you think could help your company, if you’re not already using one? What are your go-to guides and why? I’d love to hear about your experiences, so please feel free to comment below! More information on style guides:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_style_guides
http://nectafy.com/written-style-guide/ http://www.intelligentediting.com//resources/writing-a-style-guide-what-you-need-to-know/ http://marketeer.kapost.com/best-content-marketing-style-guides/ https://gathercontent.com/blog/how-to-make-a-style-guide-that-people-will-actually-use If you’re anything like me, there’s something a little irksome about people not paying attention to the standards of what’s known as Canadian English. You know what I’m talking about—people who use “center” instead of “centre” and who refuse to add the letter u to words like “colour” and “favourite”. I’m sure for most people, these small differences really don’t matter, especially because they do nothing to change the meaning of the words. But I feel a bit protective of our unique version of English and the fact that it sets us apart from the country to the south of us with which we’re so frequently lumped together. These differences feel especially important when used in the media, as they help to identify Canadian versus American content. Much of the time, Canadians are perhaps too accepting of a watered-down, Americanized version of who we are, and I believe small things like maintaining Canadian English standards help us to carve out a deeper sense of identity (albeit, a Canadian anglophone one). A Brief History So what is Canadian English, exactly? According to the Canadian Encyclopedia, Canadian English is a blend of British and American English, with a bit of French influence for good measure. Waves of immigration from Europe and the northern United States helped to establish the foundation for what is modern Canadian English. The strange thing about Canadian English is the way it has borrowed seemingly inconsistently from the languages that influenced its development. For example, we use the British spellings of words like “colour” and “favourite” (Americans don’t use the u between the o and r), but we opt for the American spellings of words like “realize” and “analyze” (the British use s instead of z). I like to think this is just because we’re super polite and didn’t want to offend by leaving one or the other out of our English standards. Even within our own country, though, there are standards that differ depending on what region you’re from. People on the east coast sound different from those in central Canada, and they often use phrases that people in other regions have never heard before. Accents, slang, and phrases in each region separate us somewhat as a country. And maybe that’s why the standards of Canadian English feel like they can draw us together. Will it Survive? The thing about language is that it’s a constantly changing entity. And young people tend to have a hand in the shifts that occur in its use. Based on what I observe of language use among younger people now, I would guess that Canadian English will eventually lose out to a more Americanized version. Globalization and technology have already changed the way we communicate, so I suspect that there might eventually be a global standard for English one day (certainly not in our lifetime, but maybe generations from now). In some ways, a global standard for English would be more inclusive, although it’s a bit sad to think that groups of English speakers with their own dialects and standards across the globe would eventually lose their uniqueness. How would Americans continue to make fun of the way we talk? For now, my fellow Canadians, can you just do me a favour and use re instead of er? What are your thoughts on Canadian English vs. American or British English? Do you care? Do you think we should just fully adopt one version or the other? Share your thoughts in the comments section below! More Reading on Canadian English: http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20150820-why-is-canadian-english-unique
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_English http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/03/11/canadian-english-differen_n_2853947.html https://www.oupcanada.com/reference_trade/canadian_oxford_dictionaries/why_do_i_need_a_canadian_dictionary.html Editors tend to get a bad rap. People perceive them to be nitpicky, tyrannical monsters who live for pointing out other people’s mistakes. Writers might cringe at the idea of having an editor review their work because they envision the cutting and chopping of their words in similar fashion to the demise of a victim in a slasher horror movie. In reality, most editors I’ve encountered have been nice people. They like to help others. They appreciate language. They serve an important purpose and often don’t get much recognition for making others look good. They’re the unsung heroes of the written (or spoken) word. They also have their own techniques and preferences, some of which don't work for every writer. And this leads to the monster perception thing I mentioned above. The Editing Approach The best way to avoid a toxic writer-editor relationship is to shop around and get to know as many editors as you can. Some editors are heavy-handed in their approach, and while most writers might not appreciate it, some writers do feel they benefit from having a more structured and straightforward editing experience. Other editors take a more collaborative approach, making suggestions about subjective areas, and always having a conversation with the writer about why the suggestions are being made. Heavy-handed editing makes sense in situations where a particular style guide has been designated as the be-all and end-all, or where an editor is someone who makes the final call on the overall style of pieces in a publication (newspaper, magazine, etc.). Collaborative approaches tend to work better in developmental situations like a company just starting to put together frameworks for future documents, or when an editor is reviewing pieces of fiction. What Kind of Editor Do You Want? When you’re looking for an editor to work with, consider some of the following so that you can determine which of them might be a good fit for you, your writing style, and your willingness to give up control:
A Little Advice The questions listed above should at the very least start to point you in the right direction. Every editor is different, in both personality and editing approach, and what one writer is comfortable with will be completely different from what another prefers. The best pieces of advice I can give are to learn as much as you can about an editor’s techniques and approaches by asking questions, do a trial run by having the editor work on a few pages to show you what to expect (this may require a fee), and be weary of editors who haven’t written anything before or haven’t had their writing edited by someone else. The editing process should be fun and exciting, not tedious and painful. Choose your editor wisely. What would you look for in an editor? Have you had a bad experience with one? Do you have a story about an absolutely amazing editor you’ve worked with in the past? Feel free to share in the comments section below! More reading on the writer-editor relationship:https://ooligan.pdx.edu/the-writer-editor-relationship/
http://thehelpfulwriter.com/editorial-relationship/ http://www.makealivingwriting.com/5-ways-to-build-a-great-writer-editor-relationship/ http://www.cjr.org/the_kicker/writer_editor_relationship_bre.php http://flavorwire.com/343316/the-artist-and-the-critic-8-famous-authoreditor-relationships |
Hello!
If you're looking for information and resources on writing, editing, and communication in general, you've come to the right place! Archives
November 2016
Categories
All
|