Writing Wisdom Series - Writing Tip #1

Once Halloween’s over, we start the fast track to Christmas, with stops—NaNoWriMo and American Thanksgiving—along the way. To mark the month many writers dedicate to completing the NaNoWriMo competition, I thought it fitting to feature some writing wisdom.

Writing tip #1: Use a style guide.

A style guide is a place to record details about your characters, stylistic choices, spelling conventions. I used style guides as an editing tool before I ever realized its potential application in the writing process. Using a style guide is an efficient and organized invention strategy. And it’s a convenient method to help prevent the inconsistencies—Mary’s eyes stay blue throughout the story, ‘e-mail’ and ‘email’ aren’t used in the same text—that drive a reader crazy.

Before you write your first draft, think about using a style guide. I know I will.