name: style-guide-development description: Master style guide development with writing standards, terminology, voice and tone, and consistency guidelines.

Style Guide Development

Create comprehensive style guides that ensure consistency, clarity, and quality across all technical documentation.

When to Use This Skill

• Establishing writing standards
• Ensuring consistency
• Onboarding writers
• Maintaining quality
• Defining terminology
• Setting voice and tone
• Creating templates
• Scaling documentation

Core Concepts

1. Style Guide Structure

# Technical Writing Style Guide

## Voice and Tone

- **Voice**: Professional, helpful, clear
- **Tone**: Friendly but not casual, respectful
- **Perspective**: Second person ("you"), active voice

## Writing Principles

1. **Clarity**: Use simple, direct language
2. **Conciseness**: Eliminate unnecessary words
3. **Consistency**: Follow established patterns
4. **Accuracy**: Verify all technical information

## Grammar and Mechanics

- Use sentence case for headings
- Oxford comma in lists
- Avoid exclamation marks
- Use contractions sparingly

## Terminology

| Prefer | Avoid |
|--------|-------|
| click | click on |
| sign in | log in, login |
| username | user name |
| email | e-mail |

## Code Examples

- Use syntax highlighting
- Include complete, runnable examples
- Add comments for clarity
- Show expected output

2. Voice and Tone Guidelines

## Voice and Tone Examples

### ✅ Good Examples

"To create a new project, click the + button in the dashboard."

"Your API key is located in Settings → API. Keep it secure."

"Error 404: The requested resource wasn't found. Check the URL and try again."

### ❌ Avoid

"Simply click the + button!" (too casual, unnecessary adverb)

"Your API key can be found..." (passive voice)

"Oops! Something went wrong!!!" (unprofessional)

Best Practices

1. Consistent standards - Clear rules for all scenarios
2. Living document - Update as needed
3. Example-driven - Show don't tell
4. Team input - Collaborative development
5. Easy to find - Accessible location
6. Tool integration - Linters, spell checkers
7. Training materials - Onboarding resources
8. Version control - Track changes

Resources

• Google Developer Documentation Style Guide
• Microsoft Writing Style Guide
• Vale linter: Style guide enforcement