A decision to make about Style Guides

[Ihe]

So, I'm thinking of upping my writing game and solidify it a bit. Was thinking of buying a style guide. Chicago or Oxford? Are there any advantages of one over the other? Is there another option that would suit a SFF writer better?

 

[The Judge]

Can't help you with the style guides as I've never consulted one, but if you feel you need one, then I'd suggest whichever applies best to wherever it is you write -- ie if you're American writing in the US and wanting to submit to US agencies/publishers, I'd suggest an American guide; if you're in the UK, writing for the home market, go for the Brit one; if you're elsewhere, go for the one from the market you would be submitting to first. (I'm assuming one guide is UK and one is US, but if not, then that advice has just fallen flat...)

However, do you really need one? We have The Toolbox here which is very good for most grammar etc issues, though probably more weighted for the UK side of things.

 

[Ray McCarthy]

My style guide, for better or worse, is over 50 years reading other people's SF, Fantasy, thrillers, detective, romance, school stories, adventure!

 

[tinkerdan]

If you feel you really need the guidelines you should first ask where you want to be published and what guidelines they use. Writing to guidelines can be rewarding and confusing especially if you write to one set and the publishers and editors use another.

That said; I opted to use The Gregg Reference Manual and then worry about style guides if I run up against something that seems quite esoteric in my writing that might suffer from a change by egregious style adherents. Even then the real reason to be in the know with the style guidelines is to be aware that you might want to make a note for something that you know might go averse to the guideline being used.

On the other hand though most of my editors have been quite upfront with changes made and cite the style guide parameters when they make the first such change and the continually mark the other changes so that I can easily catch those and make sure that the style doesn't somehow alter the intent of the writing.

Finally, though, if you intend on being the author editor and publisher then you will benefit greatly from some form of style guide and you might want to research what guide seems most prominent in your particular field-genre.

My editors used Chicago but they work in a wide variety of genre.(Because of which, I found myself making several notes to keep certain genre items under control.) Such things as turning Range of Motion into an acronym of ROM (for a suit that preforms range of motion) and then fighting over whether it should be an ROM or a ROM ; when in this case the characters were talking about the suit as a ROM suit and the editors wanted to see it as an R.O.M. suit even when the periods were removed from the equation. But I suspect that will come up with most style guides anyway.

 

[Ursa major]

whether it should be an ROM or a ROM

Surely that isn't a matter of writing style, in the sense that it would be in style guides (or ones you should follow word for word).

Depending on where it's used in a story, it's the character's way of saying it -- if it's in dialogue (or first person -- or, perhaps, very close third person -- narration) -- or the "voice" of the author.

 

[tinkerdan]

It wasn't directly cited as a style issue:

Surely that isn't a matter of writing style, in the sense that it would be in style guides (or ones you should follow word for word).

Depending on where it's used in a story, it's the character's way of saying it -- if it's in dialogue (or first person -- or, perhaps, very close third person -- narration) -- or the "voice" of the author.

:But it fell into one when examining it closely and it may be true that the editor was not looking at it from any sort of narrative point of view at all and likely was following the guideline word for word and showing poor judgment.

 

[Ihe]

However, do you really need one? We have The Toolbox here which is very good for most grammar etc issues, though probably more weighted for the UK side of things.

Truth is, my grammar and other writing technicalities are pretty solid already, but that is my opinion (ego-based and statistically proven to be untrustworthy--or is it "statistically proved?"--See? I'm doubting myself already). Since I've never laid eyes on a style guide, I don't know if I'm missing something. And the main reason I'm considering one is because I sometimes mix up American with British.

I read everywhere that a style guide is a must for any writer in any field or genre. I wouldn't mind if you'd convince me otherwise though, since I really could get behind not spending 40 bucks.

PS: I'll check out the Toolbox thingy. I didn't even know we had it.