Toss Out Your Chicago Manual of Style

Down with All The Rules

If you’re writing a story for Medium, or a blog post, or anything that isn’t academic, you can skip a lot of rules you may have learned . . . as long as your reading is readable.

So What is The Chicago Manual of Style and Who Cares?

Years ago I owned three copies of The Chicago Manual of Style. New editions came out frequently. I’d throw out the old and buy three new editions.

I had a copy at home, a copy in my editor office, and one in my faculty office in case I wanted to stop grading papers and do editor work.

My faculty office was far from the office where I was Editor of the NWSA Journal. To go back and forth, I’d have to take the campus bus or drive my car and lose my parking spot. (I was at Ohio State University, one of the largest university campuses in the country.)

The Chicago Manual of Style is the venerable, time-tested guide to style, usage, and grammar. It is the indispensable reference for writers, editors, proofreaders, indexers, copywriters, designers, and publishers, informing the editorial canon with sound, definitive advice chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html

I no longer own even one copy of the Chicago Manual of Style. Yes, it’s online and in an easy-to-use format so no need to own it. But I haven’t looked at it in years, even when getting paid to write for other people. (The first time I saw it online was for this story.)

The Chicago Manual of Style caused me to burn my Master’s Thesis when my advisor asked that I redo all the footnotes. I had painstakingly typed them on a manual typewriter at the bottom of each page. A new edition of the CMS that included minor changes to footnote style had come out since I had begun working on the thesis. (No computers to insert footnotes in 1966.)

Despite having sold 1.5 million copies and boasting its 17th edition, The Chicago Manual of Style with its gazillion rules is no longer relevant for many writers. Even though the editor brags that the manual is “indispensable” and offers “definitive advice.”

Good, engaging, readable writing doesn’t have to follow rules. In fact, it’s often better when a writer doesn’t follow all the rules all the time.

Break Rule Number 1: Always Write in Complete Sentences (Examples of rule breakers are in italics.)

No, you don’t always have to write in complete sentences. Most of the time, yes. But sometimes a story will read well with just a phrase followed by a period. Sometimes, it reads even better with a phrase instead of a complete sentence.

Read it out loud to see if what you just wrote flows easily.

Break Rule Number 2: Never start a sentence with “and” or “but”

I get that your teacher put a big red mark on your “What I Did Over Summer Vacation” essay because you started a sentence with “but.” And she gave you a B instead of the A you deserved.

The first sentence is already two lines long. Give your reader a pause. Start the “rest” of the sentence with “And.” You could start the sentence with “She.” I chose “And” to connect both sentences because your teacher did two things.

Break Rule Number 3: Always use a semi-colon to connect two sentences when the second sentence further explains the first sentence.

Here’s an example: Some people read new stories on Medium first; others read new stories after checking statistics to see who likes the story, how many claps, and what readers commented.

Semi-colons are a bit pedantic, not often used in casual writing, and I think don’t read well. (I have dear and cherished friends who disagree! But they are academics.)

You could make two sentences or use a dash. Some people read new stories on Medium first — others read new stories after checking statistics to see who likes them, how many claps, and what readers commented.

(At the risk of being redundant, I recommend my story about reading out loud. Often we don’t pause enough after a semi-colon which affects the readability.)

Break Rule Number 4: Paragraphs should be 7 lines long

Years ago teachers drummed 7-line paragraphs into our heads. But they weren’t reading on a phone.

It’s not so much that writing style or rules have changed as it is that our reading habits have changed. We read on phones, tablets, and e-readers where long paragraphs are hard to read.

I love Bach. Not surprisingly, I have lots of Bach on play lists, old CDs, and choose Bach on YouTube. Of course, I have Cristof Wolff’s biography of Bach, Wolff being the Bach expert.

However, I’ve never read Wolff’s biography because of the small type and excessively long paragraphs. It’s too hard to read even though the writing style is quite readable.

I was happily surprised when it arrived as I was expecting some heavy, academic tome translated from German. But I still can’t read it.

Check what you’ve written on your phone or tablet. Is it easy to read? Are paragraphs short enough? Is the font (that’s the size of the type) large enough?

This is especially important for those of us of an age to have spent years writing before phones and tablets came along. We’ve got that old long-paragraph habit to break.

The Oxford Comma: No Rule to Break . . . or Follow

The Oxford comma rule states that you must use commas in a series of three or more. People who don’t like the Oxford comma believe you don’t need the third comma. Writers and editors have discussed the Oxford comma since 1905 when editors at Oxford University Press first argued for it.

I love the Oxford comma. Here’s why:

“Amanda found herself in the Winnebago with her ex-boyfriend, an herbalist and a pet detective.” theatlantic.com/author/zach-schonfeld/

How many people is Amanda with? Is the herbalist also a pet detective? Is the ex-boyfriend an herbalist and if he is both, then no comma. If he isn’t, then a comma is needed between “herbalist” and “pet detective.” Perhaps Amanda is alone and hallucinating.

Make a decision: two commas or three. You don’t even have to be consistent. Use the Oxford comma on Tuesday. Skip it on Wednesday. Nobody will know the difference or care. However, it is important to be consistent within one piece of writing.

I would suggest that you avoid arguments with folks who think the Oxford comma matters. Odd as it may seem, lots of folks love to argue about the Oxford comma and have strong opinions about commas.

Think I’m exaggerating? Check out the Oxford comma’s Facebook page. Yes, the Oxford comma has its own Facebook page. The first post that popped up just now and in red said: “Snooty and Unnecessary.” Oh dear, I never thought of myself as “snooty.”

I once got into a fuss about the Oxford comma on my own Facebook page. Before it was over, 23 people had responded. Those who liked the Oxford comma won. I guess I know a lot of “snooty” people.

Don’t worry as Oxford comma winners are in the minority. By the way, nobody argues about semi-colons. There is no semi-colon Facebook page.

I repeat, as I’ve written elsewhere: readability is more important than rules, many of which are outdated anyway.

Read how the Chicago Manual of Style caused me to burn my Master’s Thesis:

In addition to suggestions for improving your writing, you’ll discover the benefits of reading a loud in this story: