The Conscious Style Guide

‘Karen Yin is no language cop, ready to arrest us for our word crimes. Instead, in The Conscious Style Guide, she is the beloved school crossing guard, protecting us, guiding us, reminding us to look both ways.’

-- Roy Peter Clark, author of Tell It Like It Is

‘An essential resource for writers and editors who want to get up to speed on writing with empathy and care.’

-- Mignon Fogarty, host of the Grammar Girl podcast

‘Karen Yin has crafted a generous, thoughtful toolkit for anyone seeking to communicate mindfully. Her insights offer a flexible pathway to practicing conscious language that avoids prescriptivism and instead invites deep reflection. A must-have reference for any bookshelf!’

-- Emily Ladau, disability rights activist and author of Demystifying Disability

‘The Conscious Style Guide is the best tool book of all. In a time when clear, accurate communication is more essential — and more challenging — than ever, Karen Yin gives writers and editors a great gift: a flexible and detailed guide for thinking through the nuances of language and context, and making wise decisions in each situation. She calls on us to embrace the complexities both of language and of people — each person we write about, and each person who reads or hears what we write. With compassion and clarity, she points us toward training our minds rather than falling back on often problematic lists of dos and don’ts. This book is a tremendous resource, affirming, and instructive at the same time. I absolutely love it.’

-- Paula Froke, editor of The Associated Press Stylebook

‘By encouraging us to consider the real impact of our words, Karen Yin’s intelligent and fair-minded book upends the conventional wisdom that writers alone, writing for some “ideal reader”, always know what’s best. To write consciously is to be aware of and compassionate toward the actual people who determine not only the success but also the meaning of any work. With its emphasis on critical thinking and the fluid interplay between content and context, The Conscious Style Guide will inspire writers and their editors to make choices that not only respect readers but, in the process, bring us all a little closer to the truth.’

-- Russell Harper, principal reviser of The Chicago Manual of Style

‘The Conscious Style Guide is far more than style guide. It’s a holistic and generous resource for anyone interested in the real guts of language: tender, messy, hurtful, complex human interaction. It navigates the sometimes maddening flexibility of English by grounding the reader in an awareness of self, society, and others based on kindness and curiosity. The Conscious Style Guide captures the nuance inherent in a living language while providing both micro- and macro-level advice on best practices for writers, editors, and readers. No list of dos and don’ts can replace the thoughtful guidance offered by Yin. The Conscious Style Guide is a must-have reference for anyone who wants to communicate well, compassionately, and clearly.’

-- Kory Stamper, author of Word by Word

‘In a world where perception consistently trumps reality, fighting — let alone undoing — systemic inequity often feels laughable. What can one person do, anyway? Enter the brilliant Karen Yin. By asking one simple, yet incredibly revealing question: Why do I believe this? Yin, with insight, empathy, and unflinching honesty, deftly guides the reader through finding, and unleashing, the most potent power we have: our conscious choice of words.’

-- Lisa Cron, author of Story Genius

‘A book for our times … This is not a rule book. It is a book asking you to think and make informed judgments.’

-- John McIntyre, author of You Don't Say