Most writers assume a style guide is something only large publishing houses or media organisations need. In fact, a personal style guide is one of the most useful tools any writer can have. Whether you're writing a weekly blog, client reports, social media content or personal correspondence a style guide will prove itself indispensable.

A style guide doesn't have to be elaborate. It can be a notebook, a spreadsheet, or a folded piece of paper tucked into your journal that captures the decisions you've made about how you write. The point is that you've made those decisions deliberately and you've written them down.

What exactly is a style guide?

A style guide is a record of your writing preferences and grammar rules. It answers questions such as, Do I use single or double quote marks? Do I spell out numbers or use numerals? How do I punctuate bullet points? Do I use Australian or American spelling?

These are questions every writer answers, but most answer them differently each time without realising it. A style guide means you answer them once, record the answer and apply it consistently from that point on.

Why consistency matters as much as correctness

Here's the thing that surprises most people when they start thinking about style. Correctness and consistency are equally important. Getting the grammar right matters, but so does applying it the same way every time. Both 'email' and 'e-mail' are defensible, but whichever you choose it should appear the same way throughout your writing. Both 'organise' and 'organize' are correct in different contexts, but once you've chosen Australian English 'organise' is always correct and 'organize' never is.

When your writing is internally consistent readers trust it, even if they can't articulate why. Consistency is what makes writing feel authoritative and considered. It's the difference between a letter that feels dashed off and one that feels crafted. And for anyone writing for a business, a blog or a personal brand that distinction matters enormously.

What to include in your style guide

Quote marks

Single or double? Australian style favours single quote marks for emphasis and quoted material, with double quote marks used for quotations within quotations.

For example: 'I spoke to the professor and she said "do not hand it in today" so I promptly left.' demonstrates the use of double quote marks well. To avoid reader confusion, always apply your quote marks consistently. 

Numbers

A common rule is to spell out numbers one to nine and use numerals from 10 onwards. But there are exceptions. Dates, percentages and measurements are usually expressed as numerals regardless of size.

More recently, some professional style guides are not writing out numbers from zero to 10, but using numerals instead. Decide your rule and write it down. However, there is one rule that will likely never change, and that is to always write out a number when it's at the beginning of a sentence.

Hyphenation

Hyphenation is one of the trickiest areas of punctuation because the rules are genuinely inconsistent and change over time. 'Email' was once 'e-mail'. 'Online' was once 'on-line'. Check your preferred dictionary for current usage and note any words you use frequently.

Which and that

These two relative pronouns trip up even experienced writers. The rule is straightforward once you know it. 'That' introduces information essential to the meaning of the sentence. If you remove it the sentence changes meaning. 'Which' introduces additional information that could be removed without changing the core meaning, and it's most often preceded by a comma.

So 'the notebook that I bought last week is already full' is essential information because it identifies what notebook we mean. But 'the notebook, which I bought last week, is already full' is additional information as the notebook is already identified.

If you can remove the clause and the sentence still makes sense, use 'which' and add a comma. If a comma changes the meaning or doesn't work for some other reason, use 'that' instead.

Capitalisation

Do you capitalise the seasons Autumn, or autumn? Job titles such as the Managing Director or the managing director? The word 'government'? These aren't arbitrary choices, they're grammar rules and style guides may apply them differently.

If you're writing for a company or organisation, check whether they have a house style guide and follow that. If you're writing for yourself, select a preferred style guide, such as the Australian Government Style Manual, and stay with it throughout your writing. Your personal style guide is then where you record what rules you follow, so your writing stays consistent every time.

Words you always look up

Every writer has a handful of words they can never quite remember. Add them to your style guide with the correct spelling or usage noted. You'll stop looking them up within a month.

For Australian English, the Macquarie Dictionary is the authoritative reference for spelling. If you're unsure whether to write 'judgement' or 'judgment', 'focused' or 'focussed', the Macquarie Dictionary is where you go to settle it (note it's a subscription service). Record your answer in your style guide and you'll never have to look it up again.

The stationery connection

There's something fitting about keeping your style guide in a physical notebook. The act of writing a rule down by hand, rather than typing it into a document you'll never open, makes it more likely to stick. A dedicated notebook, a quality pen and a few minutes of reflection at the end of a writing session is all it takes.

Your style guide is, in its own small way, a record of how you think about language. That's worth keeping somewhere you'll actually return to.