…which includes pretty much everyone I would think? LOL
When I was asked to review Linda Dessau’s new book The Customizable Style Guide for Coaches Who Write I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I had no clue what a style guide was and wasn’t sure if I even needed one?
As I dove into Linda’s book I very quickly came to understand the benefits of a style guide and how to create one for my business. Put simply, a style guide is a central reference for how you (and your team) will handle recurring writing issues. By using a style guide you will have consistency in your writing style, be able to write with ease and improve your overall readability.
This book isn’t a boring grammar lesson – Linda takes a very simple and light approach to the various elements of writing that you need to consider. Things like proper use of punctuation, when to capitalize (did you know Internet should be capitalized?) and how to use lists (when to number a list or just use bullet points) to name just a few.
What I love best about this book is that it answered some age old writing questions for me:
- should I be using hyphens in my writing – which I tend to do alot. 😉
- do I put a period at the end of points in a list?
- how to properly use quotations so I don’t ‘overdo them’
- why I should stop using i.e. (and use e.g. instead)
She also includes some great tips on how to approach different writing projects, from websites to white papers and everything in between. And of course there is a section for us Canadians and what we need to consider in our writing – a client of mine likes to point out the very Canadian words and phrases that I use from time to time, hehe.
If you are using writing at all in your business I highly recommend grabbing a copy of Linda’s book. It is a quick read, and you will be glad to have it on hand when you tackle your next writing project.