Using style sheets

A style sheet is something copyeditors often use to help record information about a manuscript as well as any decisions they’ve made as editors. Note: a style sheet is not the same as a style guide. The Chicago Manual of Style is a style guide. A style sheet is a document specific to a manuscript.

When I work on a project, I always create a style sheet to go along with that project. I send this style sheet along with the edited manuscript back to the author. That way if the author uses a proofreader, the proofreader can check the style sheet so the final proofreading check can remain consistent with the editorial decisions made previously. (Sometimes formatters also use the style sheet for help with formatting questions.)

Although not everyone uses a style sheet, if you are considering hiring an editor or proofreader and they have no clue what you’re talking about when you mention a style sheet (or if they get it confused with a style guide), that’s a clue that the editor or proofreader does not have adequate training/experience. I’d hesitate to hire an editor unfamiliar with using style sheets.

But what exactly is a style sheet?

A style sheets records quite a few categories from spelling to punctuation and other grammar issues. For fiction, it also records items that need tracking. Here are some examples of the categories my style sheet includes.

Style guide and dictionary used: I usually use the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) and the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Collegiate (M-W) dictionary. Because not every style guide or every dictionary agrees, it’s important to keep track of which of those resources are used for a manuscript.

Spelling: Sometimes M-W offers alternate spellings for a word. According to CMOS, the first listed spelling should be used; however, sometimes an author prefers a secondary spelling. For example, do you prefer gray or grey? That preference will be noted on the style sheet so the spelling stays consistent throughout.

Capitalization: Which words are capitalized in your manuscript? Once those decisions have been made, listing the capitalized words on the style sheet allows for consistency throughout the manuscript. You don’t want to confuse your readers into wondering whether Knights of the Cross is the same as knights of the cross.

Use of numbers, dates, and time: Although there are standards (e.g., numbers are almost always written out in dialogue), those standards are listed on the style sheet as well as any variations. Do you want to write 11:00 or 11 o’clock or eleven o’clock? Whichever way you choose, it needs to be consistent throughout.

Abbreviations: Does your main character work for the YCN? What does that stand for? Listing out abbreviations is helpful to make sure the abbreviation is consistent and also that it’s clear to the readers what it means. (If the editor can’t figure it out to be able to add it to the style sheet, that’s a clue that the reader won’t be able to figure it out either.)

Hyphenation: Should it be criss-cross or crisscross or criss cross? According to M-W, it’s crisscross. Adding it to the style sheet means when I come across the word again, I can just glance at the style sheet for the right form rather than have to look it up again. And you’ll know what it is for your next book so you can stay consistent.

Punctuation: Do you use a serial comma? That goes on the style sheet. Do you use an em dash with no spaces or an en dash with a space on either side? That goes on the style sheet. How do you handle ellipses? (spaces on either side? non-breaking spaces between?) That goes on the style sheet. It’s all about consistency.

Dialogue/thoughts formatting: Typically, dialogue is indicated with quotation marks (“double quotes”) and thoughts with italics. Sometimes an author uses single quotes instead. Typical or not, it gets recorded for consistency. And how about text messages—how are they formatted? That all goes here.

Other formatting: How are the chapters formatted? Do you use the word Chapter? Write the number out or use the numeral? Are there chapter titles? Is the chapter name/number centered? Does it start on a new page? How are section breaks marked? Is the first paragraph of a new chapter/section not indented (while the rest are indented)? All of those formatting decisions are recorded on the style sheet.

Slang/jargon: Does your book contain any special words created for your world or used in a different way? Those get listed on the style sheet as well.

Fiction-specific style sheets

What else do I include on a style sheet for fiction?

World-building rules: Especially since I edit fantasy and speculative fiction, the world of the book often has specialized rules, which I list in this section. For example, if your magic system is built so that a spell always contains exactly seven words and I come across a spell with nine words, I can check the style sheet and realize there’s something wrong with the nine-word spell.

Primary narrative tense and point of view structure: Are you using first person or third person? Past or present? Do you have just one point of view character or does each chapter or each scene have a different point of view character?

List of all character names: I set up an alphabetical list with all character names, first names and surnames separated. That way I can see at a glance if Caitlyn is spelled Katelyn and realize one of those is wrong (assuming they are the same character). This can also be a helpful way for authors to see if all of their side characters have names starting with the same letter. (Perhaps renaming some of those would be helpful for readers to avoid confusion.) Every name that gets mentioned goes on this list.

List of main characters with key features: Any major character gets added to this list. Any time a physical description is mentioned, that gets added by the character’s name. That’s how I can catch if Jane’s eyes change from blue to brown halfway through the book. Personality and other major attributes are also added to this list.

Places and buildings: Names of cities, countries, specific buildings, lakes, etc. get added to this list along with a brief description of what it is. Again, it’s all about consistency.

Timeline: This can be a pretty big one. Maybe your story takes place within a period of two weeks. I’ll list out each day of those two weeks and keep track of what happens on each day. That way if a character says something happened “three days ago” I can check to make sure that’s actually true. Or if years pass in your story, keeping track of the time allows things like a character’s age to be tracked. Have only three years passed but the character who was a baby at the beginning is now a teenager? Unless time moves differently in your world, that’s a big inconsistency that timeline tracking can catch.

Building a style sheet is an important part of my job as a copy editor. It helps me remain consistent in my own work but also can help authors see any potential issues that should be addressed. It also helps authors as they continue to write more books in their series so that books 5 and 1 both use the same minor character name and spell grey the same way. It may seem small, but readers pick up on these inconsistencies, and it takes them out of the experience of being in the world you’ve created. If you use a copy editor who uses a style sheet, those types of inconsistencies are far less likely to be in your book, which makes for a much better reading experience for your readers.