At Story Mountain Media, we believe in honoring the Oxford comma and the power of a well-structured sentence. If you have ever felt unsure about punctuation, grammar, or writing mechanics, you are not alone. Mistakes are part of the process, but there is no shame in wanting your draft to be as clean and polished as possible before you send it to an editor.

One of the best tools you can give yourself is a reliable checklist and a few trusted references.

What I Recommend (and Why)

Most grammar rules have stood the test of time. While style guides like APA and MLA may change slightly over the years, the fundamentals remain the same. If you are writing a book for publication and not using APA or MLA, then the go-to style guide is the Chicago Manual of Style.

For general grammar and mechanics, I often refer to the Harbrace Handbook. It may not follow Chicago formatting, but it teaches solid foundational English. Whether you are writing devotionals, memoirs, fiction, or instructional guides, you want to make your prose easy to read and free of distractions.

Here are some of my favorite grammar and writing tools, organized by purpose.

 

 

Quick Guides and Cheat Sheets

Proofread Like a Pro by Crippled Beagle Publishing

Crippled Beagle Publishing
 This downloadable resource includes checklists, cheat sheets, examples, space for personal notes, and even our submission guidelines. It is the perfect shortcut for authors who want to self-edit before hiring a professional.

Citation Machine
 https://www.citationmachine.net
 Use this free tool to format citations in APA, MLA, or Chicago style. Great for nonfiction writers and legacy authors who cite sources.

Purdue OWL
 https://owl.purdue.edu
 A trusted source for all things grammar, citation, and academic writing. Although designed for students, it remains useful for authors across all genres.

 

 

Reference Materials

The Chicago Manual of Style (17th Edition)
 The definitive guide for traditional book publishing. If you want your book to meet industry standards, this is the most widely accepted resource.

The Christian Writer’s Manual of Style by Robert Hudson
 This guide is especially helpful for faith-based authors, devotionals, and Christian publishers. It aligns with traditional grammar while providing biblical terminology guidance.

The Punctuation Guide
 https://www.thepunctuationguide.com
 Simple, visual, and easy to reference. This site helps clarify punctuation marks and how to use them correctly in your manuscript.

 

 

Editing Software

ProWritingAid
 https://prowritingaid.com
 A smart and customizable writing assistant that offers grammar checks, style suggestions, and in-depth editing reports. It runs more smoothly on most devices than Grammarly.

Grammarly
 https://www.grammarly.com
 An AI-powered grammar and writing assistant that can be used across platforms. Good for catching basic errors, but best when used as a supplement to human editing.

 

 

One Last Reminde

Your editor cannot do his oer her best work if you send in your roughest draft. The better your manuscript before editing begins, the stronger and more successful your final book will be. Remember, though, don’t self-edit until you have FINISHED the first draft!

Use the tools above to give yourself a head start, save time, and reduce the cost of professional editing.

If you need help figuring out where to begin with editing or preparing your manuscript for publication, schedule a free call with me today:
 https://calendly.com/jodydyer/free-first-consultation

Jody Dyer
Founder and CEO, Story Mountain Media