[Editors Note: This originally appeared as part of the BlogOfManly writer’s guide. ]
As a group, the Blog of Manly authors are solid writers.
Therefore, this list of writing guidelines is not meant as a sharp correction, but instead as a baseline from which our men can choose to deviate when appropriate. Formulaic writing is boring and dry. Grammar-less writing is sloppy and disingenuous. Good writing is formulaic, but breaks the rules when appropriate.
Blog of Manly has no purpose if we are not able to engage our audience. Therefore, all of these rules and guidelines should be willingly sacrificed at the altar of engagement.
Rule: Spell Check
Example: None.
Rationale: Every modern browser and editing tool has spell check built in. If you happen to be using a tool that does not, pick a different tool. If you are not using it, or are ignoring its suggestions, you are wrong. Please do not waste any one’s time fixing your spelling mistakes.
Exceptions: If you are quoting someone in the context of telling a story, and intentionally misspell a word to emphasize their pronunciation, then MAYBE that is acceptable. Proper grammar would include a ‘[sic]’ tag following the knowingly misspelled word, although in the midst of dialog, that may prove distracting. My wife likes to talk about being “M-A-I-D, MAD,” so I could see that showing up in an entry. Just be judicious.
Rule: Its vs It’s
Do not use an apostrophe to show possession. “Its” shows possession, ”It’s” is a contraction for “it is” or “it has”.
Example: The cat hurt its paw. It’s a nice day.
Rationale: Likely the biggest grammar mistake in all of the English language, the spelling of ‘its’ is backward from how most people think of showing possession with an apostrophe. However, “Its” is consistent with other personal possessive pronouns such as “hers,” “theirs,” “yours.” If you are unsure, see whether your usage can be replaced with “it is” or “it has” – if so, use the apostrophe.
Exceptions: None
Rule: There, Their, and They’re
“There” describes a location, “their” shows ownership, and “they’re” is a contraction of “they are.”
Example: There is an empty bottle of whiskey. That is their empty bottle of whiskey. They’re going to be sorry all the whiskey is gone.
Rationale: All three of these words sound the same, for most people, when read aloud. Unfortunately, this lack of distinction in pronunciation has led to their intermixing. Much as the “its vs. it’s” rule, the only way to get this correct (outside of letting a tool check your grammar) is to ask whether you are describing a location (there), possession (their), or a group of people’s state (they’re).
Exceptions: None
Rule: Subject/Verb Agreement
The number of subjects and the number of actions must agree.
Example: The Blog of Manly is an excellent blog. The Blog of Manly authors are excellent men.
Rationale: The only real rationale for proper “subject/verb agreement” is writing correctness. Making this mistake makes our work look silly.
Exceptions: None
Rule: Indistinct Sentence Subjects
Sentences where the subject is “they,” “it,” “he,” etc.
Example: I enjoy reading the Blog of Manly. It is a challenging read.
Rationale: The short answer is that every sentence should stand alone – if you can’t take every sentence out of context and it still be a complete idea, then it needs to be reworked. That each sentence needs to stand-alone is especially true in our medium, where readers are prone to interruptions and distractions. If you find yourself with more than one sentence in the same paragraph with an indistinct subject, fix it.
Exceptions: It can be tedious to rename the subject in each sentence. In tightly coupled paragraphs with complex subjects, it can be acceptable to use an indistinct subject.
Rule: Word Choice
Use strong words rather than adverbs
Example: The Blog of Manly is very good. The Blog of Manly is excellent.
Rationale: People always love to use the word “very” or “really” in order to intensify an adjective. However, “very,” “really,” and words like it, do not convey a strong image, they simply turn into filler. A far better choice is to choose a more powerful adjective that exactly captures the essence that you are trying to communicate.
Exceptions: None.
Rule: Passive Voice
Choose verbs that express an active voice, and thus cause the subject to be the “do-er” instead of the recipient of the action.
Example: My last entry was approved by the editor. The editor approved my last entry.
Rationale: Active voice is more interesting to read. Technically speaking, there is nothing wrong with passive voice, despite what you might have learned in English classes. In arenas where the use of first (I) and second person (you) is prohibited, such as technical writing or literary reviews, passive voice is a virtual requirement. Blog of Manly, however, has no such prohibitions, so passive voice should not be necessary.
Exceptions: Any use of “is,” “are,” and “was” should be reviewed, but this is more of a guideline than a rule, so exceptions are plentiful.
Rule: Starting with a Conjunction
Starting a sentence with “But,” “And,” and even “However.”
Example: I love the Blog of Manly. But sometimes it can be too much manliness at once.
Rationale: There is technically nothing wrong with starting a sentence with a conjunction, except in a few specific scenarios: it causes an indistinct subject, or it falls across paragraphs. As in my example, the issue is not so much the conjunction as the use of an indistinct subject, really indicating that the two sentences are one complete thought, and should be punctuated as such. In the case of falling across paragraphs, starting the first sentence of a paragraph with a conjunction is incorrect. If the sentence begins a paragraph rebutting or continuing the previous paragraph, then the conjunction needs to be replaced with a proper lead-in such as “In contrast to …”.
Exceptions: Again, more a guideline than a rule, so exceptions are plentiful, but use should be judicious.
Rule: Incomplete sentences
Sentences without a proper subject and verb.
Example: And of course, when quoting dialog.
Rationale: In the example, which is clearly taken out of context, there is no clear subject. Much like the “indistinct subject” discussion, incomplete sentences are dangerous, especially in our web-based context. Each sentence should be able to stand-alone and convey a clear meaning.
Exceptions: Where the incomplete sentence is being used to add emphasis. Incomplete sentences are jarring, and that can be used to great effect, but also must be judicious in application.
Rule: Sentence Punctuation
Use of ‘;’ and ‘-‘.
Example: I’m very tired today – I drank too much last night. I hate hang-overs; they are not worth the price of admission. My head feels like a can of rocks – noisy, jarring, and moving unpredictably.
Rationale: These two punctuation marks, the semi-colon ‘;’, and em dash ‘-‘ (vs. the figure or en dash), can be used to connect two related statements, and even can facilitate the use of an indistinct subject. The em dash can also be used as a stronger form of parenthesis “()” to add clarity or description. The semi-colon can also be used in place of a comma in a list of items, where the item description is longer. However, the semi-colon should never be used with a conjunction, such as “and” or “but.”
Exceptions: Neither the semi-colon or em dash should be used to connect unrelated ideas, and care must be taken that the resulting sentence is not too long.
Rule: Oxford Comma
Adding commas to a list
Example: I had an interesting meal of beer, pizza and eggs. I had an interesting meal of beer, pizza, and eggs.
Rationale: Always put a comma after the second to last item in a list, before the conjunction. Without the “Oxford” comma, as it is called, then the use of the conjunction is indistinct. In the first example, it is not clear whether my pizza had eggs on it, or they were two separate dishes. In the second example, there is no confusion.
Exceptions: None. Period.
Rule: Paragraph Structure
One idea per paragraph
Example: The first sentence of a paragraph should introduce the main idea of the paragraph. The following sentences should support the main idea introduced in the first sentence. No new ideas should be presented in the supporting sentences, but instead be made into discrete paragraphs. The final sentence should summarize and/or conclude the idea introduced in the first sentence – and should *never* lead into the next paragraph.
Rationale: Mentally, readers expect a paragraph to convey one idea. When multiple ideas are introduced in a single paragraph, or the end of a paragraph attempts to introduce the following paragraph, the intent of the paragraph is muddled, and the author is not showing well-organized thoughts. Paragraphs can be a single sentence, or several. However, paragraphs longer than 4-5 sentences need to be examined for a logical break in ideas that can be presented separately.
Exceptions: None really; well-organized writing follows this pattern.
Rule: Structure
Primacy and Recency
Rationale: Human beings tend to only remember the first and last information they receive. Most likely our readers will only leave your entry with whatever idea you started with, and whatever take away you provided at the end. The text in the middle will serve to reinforce both points, but the strongest ideas should be in the beginning or the end.
Exceptions: Hard breaks with horizontal lines, quotes, pictures, numbering, bullets, etc. can help the reader pick up on more than the two ideas, but still the most important should lead or end.
Rule: Length
Each Blog of Manly Entry should be 600-800 words, maximum of 1000.
Rationale: Our readers are reading our work in an electronic format. As such, they are prone to interruptions and distractions. It is our duty, as the authors of Blog of Manly, to provide tightly written, well-organized, coherent work. Numerous studies have shown that the attention span of readers on blogs tends to wane dramatically after the 600-word mark. Taken with the above guidelines, each author needs to spend some quality time on the editing phase of every entry, taking care in conveying the message completely, but concisely. In addition, no author should fear breaking their entry into two parts, rather than one long winding entry.
Exceptions: Length should be carefully watched, but is secondary to completeness and clarity.
Rule: Tone
How a Blog of Manly Entry should be Presented
Rationale: Blog of Manly has no purpose if we are not able to engage our audience. One of the strongest ways to engage with people is to speak to them on a personal level. Blog of Manly is not a technical or scholarly publication. Always use a conversational tone – every entry should be written as a conversation with the reader. First (I) and second (you) person subjects are acceptable. Contractions, while generally not appropriate, are acceptable on occasion. Telling personal anecdotes is encouraged. Ask questions. Make it personal.
Exceptions: None.
