The Rhetoric of the Paragraph: A Reconsideration  

Efforts to define the fundamental structures that enable meaning in discourse have a long history, beginning with ancient speculation. Classical logic, rhetoric, and grammar imposed restrictions on the processes of composing, as well as the shapes of finished texts, in order to safeguard the truth by attending to prerequisites for its effective communication. From earliest times, a concern for vindicating some larger moral order, and for teaching others to appreciate it, has often motivated pronouncements on the nature of verbal form. From Quintilian to the present, for example, teacher-scholars have striven to insure that logical and aesthetic values celebrated in the classical doctrine of decorum are made suitably manifest in student performance, as though to enforce publicly accepted styles of thought and action by reference to acceptable forms of language.

Knoblauch, C.H. JAC (1981). Articles>Writing>Style Guides

Sentenced to a Cruel End

A simple definition of a sentence is: a set of words that expresses a complete thought and contains a subject and a predicate. Let's look at this.

Right Words. Articles>Writing>Style Guides

Social Rules for Creating a Style Guide

Creating a style guide may initially seem like a terminology affair ('option button' or 'radio button' - pick one), but the real challenge lies in persuading the department to adopt new style principles. Some writers will feel threatened by change, and respond in bizarre and unpredictable ways. Whisper campaigns and ambushes may lie in wait for you. Beware, innovative editor! Before you even think about the literary details of style, prepare to do battle with the true Goliaths and Grendyls: the department itself. By following these five rules below, you can avoid an unexpected apocalypse when you reveal the new guide.

Johnson, Tom H. TECHWR-L (2006). Articles>Writing>Style Guides

Standards for Online Content Authors

The standards on this page include non-technical standards relevant to all web authors and technical standards relevant to some web authors.

McAlpine, Rachel. Quality Web Content (2005). Articles>Web Design>Style Guides>Writing

The Style Guide is 'Dead': Long Live the Dynamic Style Guide!

Nobody, least of all an editor like me, would argue that printed style guides are really dead--at least not in the sense that they're no longer with us and no longer useful. Yet there's no doubt that printed style guides are looking a little antequated these days. Despite how useful the guides are to writers and editors, they're simply too static for most writers, and don't take advantage of computer technology to make the writer's working life easier. But if you're thinking that online style guides are inherently better solutions, think again; using the computer to find static information certainly helps, but simply moving a paper guide online only exchanges one form of 'static' for another.

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. TECHWR-L (2003). Articles>Style Guides>Writing

The Style Guide is Dead: Long Live the Dynamic Style Guide  

Arguing that printed style guides are too static to be useful, Hart recommends using a dynamic style guide, a system of templates, macros, and reference materials that actually guides writers through their work. The article also advocates direct interaction between editors and writers as a non-technical approach to a dynamic style.

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. Intercom (2000). Articles>Writing>Style Guides

Style Guides? Dictionaries? Who Cares?

You should! Whether you're a corporate or a freelance communicator, a style guide and a dictionary are among your most important tools. And all the departments in your company or your client's company should be using the same ones, designated by their communication departments.

Canavor, Natalie and Claire Meirowitz. Communication World Bulletin (2006). Articles>Writing>Style Guides

Style Sheets: The Abbreviated Answer  

As a project moves from writer to editor to designer and ack again, style sheets (abbreviated versions of style gides) offer quick access to answers during documentation development. Style sheets provide consistency, give a quick-reference point, set a project’s style from the beginning, eliminate confusion on major style points, and serve as a double check during revision. Designed specifically for a project, style sheet formats include laminated sheets and standees, and content ranges from grammar references to contact information.

Dalton, Tracy. STC Proceedings (2002). Articles>Writing>Style Guides

Technical Writing Rules You Didn't Learn in RHET 101  

To hyphenate or not to hyphenate, that is the question. As compound nouns evolve over time in Eng- lish, they gradually move from being written 'open' (data base) to being hyphenated (data-base) to being written 'closed' (database). Just where your particular word might be in its evolution is often un- clear and subject to the inscrutable and highly individual logic of copy editors. Consult a recent edition of a standard dictionary.

Elliott, Celia M. University of Illinois. Articles>Writing>Style Guides

Terminology and Spelling for Web-Related Concepts

Generally speaking, 'Web' as a short form of 'World Wide Web' is capitalized, with one exception (webmaster). However, your company style may prefer the lower-case version.

Hollis Weber, Jean. Technical Editors Eyrie (2002). Articles>Writing>Style Guides

Understanding the Importance of Style Guides

Style guides describe conventions for virtually every aspect of writing, ranging from such things as spelling, punctuation, and word usage, to structural and formatting issues. With the myriad of style guides in use, the dilemma for many writers is deciding which one to learn and apply in the trade. The answer to this is easy: learn at least one style guide thoroughly and keep a selected few others for backup. In the course of recruiting technical and generalist writers and editors for nearly a decade, I am sometimes shocked at the low level of familiarity with long-established style guides by people who claim to be seasoned professionals in this business. The reality is that it is plainly obvious to spot writers who “claim” to know a style guide and those who have actually taken the time to study it. The proof is in the pudding, as they say. The quality and consistency of a writer’s or editor’s output is the litmus test to how proficient he or she is in applying a given style guide.

Zvalo, Peter. Writer's Block (2002). Articles>Writing>Style Guides

Use of Hyphens

This page collects a series of notes from readers of my newsletter, and my responses to those notes, arising from an article in issue 60, 13 May 2002. I thank those who took the time to write and explain why some hyphen usage is considered to be correct or incorrect.

Hollis Weber, Jean. Technical Editors Eyrie (2002). Articles>Writing>Style Guides>Grammar

Using 'Which' and 'That'

'That' clauses form a sense unit with the word they're attached to, and that's why they aren't preceded by a comma.

Right Words. Articles>Writing>Style Guides

Verbs with -ize: Efficient or to Be ... Ostracized?

A discussion of whether neologisms such as 'prioritize' have 'arrived' yet.

Packard, Robyn. Editorial Eye, The (1996). Articles>Writing>Style Guides

When Technical Writers Don't Write Technically  

Technical writers are often asked to write more than just end-user manuals or online help systems. Due to company size, layoffs, or a lack of resources, the technical writer might also be expected to deliver marketing communication collateral, Web site content, training materials, and more. These additional tasks can daunt those who have not been formally trained in other writing styles or those who do not switch writing styles easily.

Statt, Ronald A. Intercom (2003). Articles>Writing>Style Guides>Technical Writing

Writing Consistently Across Media: Ten Proofreading Tips

Last time I wrote about consistency in online writing. Soon after, I received an email from Leslie Drechsler, a reader in Tustin, CA: 'As a Marketing Communications Specialist, I'd love to hear your ideas on how to successfully implement consistency in an established business,' she wrote. 'I thought developing a company style guide would solve the problem. But perhaps there are other ways to approach it. 'Perhaps this could be the subject of another article.' Here's that article, Leslie.

Henning, Kathy. ClickZ (2001). Articles>Editing>Style Guides>Writing

Writing Processes

Our Writing Guides help you locate information quickly on specific topics. These guides focus on a range of composing processes as well as issues related to the situations in which writers find themselves.

Colorado State University. Articles>Style Guides>Writing>Rhetoric

One Space Or Two Spaces?

When I began writing technical documentation and courseware for Guru Labs, I asked a question during training about whether we should be putting two spaces after a period, colon, question mark and exclamation point, or one. The answer shocked me, as I was hoping for the standard answer as a means of teaching the rest of my colleagues. The answer was ONE space, not two. Then, I listened to the argument.

Toponce, Aaron. Aaron Toponce (2008). Articles>Writing>Style Guides>Grammar

How to Use the Bulleted Lists Properly in Your Technical Document?

Bulleted lists are important in technical writing. They summarize information in a manner that is easy to read and absorb. Use them whenever you can to get your information across quickly. Bullets are ideal for things-to-do, equipment, sets, collections, cooking ingredients, and all kinds of other lists.

Akinci, Ugur. Technical Communication Center (2009). Articles>Documentation>Style Guides>Technical Writing

Do I Really Need a Style Guide?

So, after all, I must follow those infernal style guides. I am straight-jacketed. Am I not?

Palagummi, Sharada. Indus (2009). Articles>Editing>Style Guides>Writing

The Missing Manual Authors’ Guide  

This Authors’ Guide tells you everything you need to know to write Missing Manual. It starts out by giving you a brief introduction to the Missing Manual way of explaining things and then takes you through the nitty gritty of style guidelines, figure formatting, and so on.

Missing Manuals (2009). Articles>Documentation>Style Guides>Technical Writing

Do I Really Need a Style Guide?

Style guides recommend certain styles. In the domain of technical communication, we refer to guides for writing style, presentation of content in user documentation and technical documents, and graphical user interface of software and web sites.

Palagummi, Sharada. Indus (2009). Articles>Style Guides>Editing>Writing

Style Manuals: The Politics of Selection    

Bette Frick and Betsy Frick discuss how a style manual can save time and money, how to select the proper style manual and get buy-in, and how to create a style guide to use in conjunction with a style manual.

Frick, Elizabeth G.'Bette' and Elizabeth A. 'Betsy' Frick. Intercom (2009). Articles>Writing>Style Guides>Standards

Writing Great Documentation: Technical Style

Now that I’ve discussed what kinds of technical documentation to write, I can move on to the question of how to actually develop a writing style that produces great technical documentation. So how do you learn to write (anything) well? There’s only one answer: you’ll learn to write well if you write. A lot.

Kaplan-Moss, Jacob. Jacobian (2009). Articles>Documentation>Style Guides>Technical Writing

Sometimes, You've Got to Break the Rules 

Sometimes, you don’t need documentation made up of perfectly-chosen words and phrases. Instead, you need something that can be easily scanned, easily understood, and easily digested. Documentation that distills the main points quickly.

Nesbitt, Scott. DMN Communications. Articles>TC>Style Guides>Writing