[RN2W] 2: Style Guides for Nurse Writers

Episode title: Style Guides for Nurse Writers

Many nurses tell me they don’t feel they’re good enough with grammar to become a professional writer. Well, on this episode I’m revealing the nurse writer’s secret weapon that relieves you of the burden of needing to be an expert grammarian to succeed in this industry.

Episode Summary

Let’s talk about style guides: What are they? What function do they serve? Where do you get them?

In this tutorial, I’m telling you everything you need to know about how to use this tool to guide all of the grammar, punctuation, and usage decisions you’ll need to make when writing for clients. Plus, get a bonus tip at the end to make grammatically correct writing a breeze.

Host Elizabeth Hanes BSN RN built a six-figure writing business in her spare time. Today, she coaches other nurses how to become freelance writers through the RN2writer project.

Topics discussed in this episode

Here’s a sampling of what you can learn in this episode:

• Pop Quiz! Which of these examples is punctuated correctly? [00:50]
• What is a style guide? [1:30]
• Why does written content need to be consistent in its voice and tone, anyway? [2:15]
• What the heck is an ‘Oxford comma’?? [3:28]
• Why is a style guide important to you, as a nurse writer? [4:01]
• The importance of checking your grammar prejudices at the door [4:20]
• Where to get style guides [5:02]

Quotable

“Some people seem to think that the grammar they learned in high school or college is the ‘one, true grammar’ and everything else is ‘wrong,’ but that’s just not true.” – Elizabeth Hanes

“Two sentences can be punctuated differently and still both be correct.” – Elizabeth Hanes

“You do not have to be an expert grammarian to succeed as a writer; you only have to be able to follow a style guide.” – Elizabeth Hanes

Resources mentioned in this episode  

Associated Press Stylebook: https://www.apstylebook.com/

Chicago Manual of Style: https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html

Styleguard plugin: https://styleguard.com/

RN2writer: https://rn2writer.com

Next steps

• Download and listen to the podcast of this episode at the RN2writer website (or find it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify): https://www.rn2writer.com/podcasts/the-rn2writer-show
• Start your journey from nursing to writing with the ebook Design Your Dream Career as a Nurse Writer: https://go.rn2writer.com/dydc
• Follow @RN2writer on social media: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter