Trustworthy Writing Standards
By Andrea Merrell The woman’s shelves were filled with books on the craft of writing. And knowing her, she had surely read each and every one of them. But even with all the resources at her fingertips, she questioned the validity of the information. “They don’t seem to agree on many things,” she said. "One author says this while another touts the opposite approach. Sometimes a Google search and conferring with trusted writer-friends sometimes leaves me confused. Even agents, editors, and publishers offer differing thoughts and opinions. What should I do?” For writers, both new and seasoned, this is a valid and important question. Where should we go to get the right information? Most of us who have been in the writing and editing world for a while know where to turn. Our go-to standards include The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS), The Christian Writer’s Manual of Style (CWMS), and Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary . When all else fails and...
