In writing, there are different kinds of style manuals. Academics usually refer to the MLA Style for their writing. Journalists usually think of AP Style. Book writers might follow the Chicago Manual of Style. APA Style is what people in the social sciences usually adhere to. If you are writing in the government sector, you know about GPO Style. I know there are more, but these are the main ones that people usually use. For the most part, you should adhere to a style manual. However, you should also be your own writer. Find your voice and follow it.
If you look at the prolific writers of all time, their way of writing didn’t follow the “proper way of writing” to a tee. For instance, Marcel Proust who was one of France’s best writers (I think so) and he didn’t follow writing standards. He is famous for his run-on sentences that would last pages and pages. However, his writing is so lovely that you don’t seem to notice. Well, I did forget what I was reading once or twice. William Shakespeare created his own words. Some of his invented words even changed the English vocabulary. Therefore, you have to be your own person when you are writing any type of piece.
I tell Technical Writers this all the time. When I was at my previous company, I had a woman who had just started delving into the world of technical writing. I was her mentor there. She would come to me flustered with three books and say that they all had a different way of doing one thing. She would ask which one was right. I would always tell her that there is never a definite right-or-wrong way to do something, so she should follow the one she feels more comfortable using. She seemed perplexed about this concept. I really hope that she has realized that it in technical writing, it isn’t really adhering to a style guide, but being consistent.
In Technical Writing, consistency is key. If you are on a project, you can’t have one document written one way, and the other written in another. The client will be used to seeing the document written one way or the other. Therefore, you have to ensure that all your document for that project look and read the same. It’s like in Lord of the Rings, “one ring to rule them all.” Well, “one style guide to rule them all.”
This is when a style guide (one you have created) is the best way to go. You can define the formatting, style, and basic rules that any documentation needs to follow. Templates that adhere to the style guide would help tremendously because if someone new were to come in, you wouldn’t have to worry that your documents are not following the project’s style guide. However, one Technical Writer from another project doesn’t have to write exactly the same way as another Technical Writer. Everyone should have their own form of writing.
Find your voice, be consistent, and you will be ok.
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