I often see you talk about ‘style guides’ but I don’t really understand what they are. What’s a style guide and why does my organisation need one? When writers and editors talk about ‘style’ or ‘house style’, we mean the writing, spelling and grammar conventions an organisation uses consistently across all its written communications. TheseContinue reading “What is a style guide?”
Author Archives: Louise Merrington
Giving constructive feedback
I was recently promoted and now I often have to edit or give feedback on my staff’s writing. Do you have any tips on how to do this? One of the things I’ve noticed over my years as an editor and writing trainer is that people often get put into positions at work where suddenlyContinue reading “Giving constructive feedback”
Using jargon
I work in a technical field. Is it okay to use jargon? If you’ve ever been trained in plain English or professional writing, you’ve probably been told to avoid jargon at all costs. However, I think there’s room for more nuance. First, let’s look at the definition of jargon. The Macquarie Dictionary has three mainContinue reading “Using jargon”
Improving your self-editing
What skills should I develop to get better at editing my own work? Great question. You might expect me to say something like ‘spelling, grammar, and punctuation’, but actually the skills that I think are most important for an editor (or even for someone who just wants to get better at self-editing) aren’t writing-related atContinue reading “Improving your self-editing”
Using ‘however’
How do I use ‘however’? Do I need a comma? ‘However’ is one of those things that people commonly trip over. The short answer is yes, you do need a comma…sometimes. ‘However’ can be used in three ways: To start a sentence that contradicts the previous one In the middle of a sentence, contradicting theContinue reading “Using ‘however’”