Patent pending…
Here is a quick summary of the Miranda Style:
·
Apostrophes: Always use ’s with
singular possessive cases (i.e., Elvis’s song).
·
Colons: Use colons to introduce written
texts, lists, and for multiple simultaneous conversations.
·
Commas: Minimal commas. Always use Oxford
commas.
·
Dashes: Use em dashes for emphasis,
interruptions, nonessential information, and readability of writing in both
dialogue and narrative. Avoid en dashes by replacing it with a hyphen instead.
·
Ellipses: Use three-dot ellipses only in
dialogue to show speakers pausing, gasping, or trailing off. Avoid four-dot
ellipses and extra punctuation.
·
Hyphens: Use with compound adjectives and
numbers (don’t hyphenate adverbs).
·
Parentheses: Avoid parentheses. Always.
·
Semicolons: Use semicolons to separate
categories in extended lists.
Of course, punctuation is a small part
of an author’s style of writing, but it is the foundation of writing. To be a
good writer, you need to create your own style. How do you do this? Simple.
Read. A lot.
A good writer has to be a good reader
because reading allows you to figure out what you like and what you don’t like
in stories. For example, we really enjoyed Stephen King’s It and J.K.
Rowling’s Harry Potter series, but we weren’t a fan of either of their
style of punctuation. Instead, we find ourselves really enjoying Brandon
Sanderson’s style in Stormlight Archive.
While many people will tell you that you
need to read the latest and greatest books that are selling out on the shelves,
we won’t. Great authors don’t get audiences by chasing them—great authors create
their audience by being authentic and having their own style.
Frankly, just read what interests you.
In nonfiction, we read history books—anything from warfare to how the native
settlers lived on the land. For fiction, we read fantasy the most. Because we
enjoy reading fantasy so much, we tend to write fantasy. The most important
thing about writing is enjoying the story you’re telling. If you don’t
enjoy what you write—don’t write it.
If you are looking for useful guides on
punctuation and grammar, here are our three suggestions:
·
William Strunk Jr. & E.B. White’s The
Elements of Style
o
A very small, highly concentrated guide for punctuation
and spelling in addition to advice on crafting your own style as an author. By
far, the best book on style that an author can buy.
·
Tom Heehler’s The Well-Spoken Thesaurus
o
While the thesaurus-part of the book is
underwhelming, the seventeen lessons on the rhetorical form and design alone
are worth purchasing this book. Our favorite lessons are number 1 and 6, which
discuss the omission of certain words to change the flow of certain sentences.
·
The Chicago Manual of Style
o
We wouldn’t encourage you to read this at your
leisure, but to use this book as a resource when you have questions. Being a detailed
manual, this guide has far more information than you would need or probably
even want to know. Part II is on Style and Usage (e.g., grammar, punctuation,
and spelling). This section is what we most use the CMOS for and why we
keep it on our desks as we write. Keep in mind that CMOS is a great
guide but should not necessarily dictate your personal writing style.
And no, we don’t have affiliate links
for these books. We genuinely just think they are helpful, specifically The
Elements of Style and The Well-Spoken Thesaurus. Enjoy crafting your
own writing style!
