Category: Writing tips

You will find, if you haven’t already, that publishing professionals like to talk about style sheets. But what are they, and why are they important?

Rules, conventions and preferences

You may think – perhaps because that is how it appears – that spelling, punctuation and the like have rules that must be followed: either they are right, or they are wrong. In some cases this is true, but the English language is, as I have heard it said, gloriously chaotic. In many cases, there are simply style preferences and conventions. And for fiction, there is much more flexibility. Making a note of the styles you have chosen is important for consistency, and the style sheet provides that record.

What sort of style choices are recorded on the sheet?

As with all things, this can vary. The main headings that are likely to be covered, however, are:

• • Language preferences, such as:
    • British English, US English or another preferred form: this will help to guide choices for spelling, punctuation, grammar and word selection.
    • Slang or made-up words: recording these within the style sheet is important to ensure consistency in usage and spelling because they may not be capable of being checked elsewhere.
    • Preferred form of words where there is a choice: e.g. among/amongst, toward/towards, spelled/spelt, -is/-iz
  • Formatting and layout choices. These can cover a wide range of issues, including:
    • How to present abbreviations
    • How to present numbers, times and dates
    • How to format ellipses (e.g. with a space either side)
    • How to indicate sentence interruption or trailing off
    • How to present dialogue and thoughts
    • How to present chapters and scene breaks
    • Paragraph indentation
    • Hyphenation
    • Capitalisation
    • Whether or not to use the Oxford/serial comma.
  • The bigger picture, which may include:
    • Primary narrative structure (e.g. third-person past)
    • Point-of-view structure (e.g. one character’s point of view throughout the whole book)
    • Any world-building rules: these are of particular importance where there are fantasy elements in the story, so as to make the world you have imagined real for your reader.
  • A separate list of spellings is often included and is helpful to ensure consistency throughout the book, particularly if you have used regional slang, or have made up some words or expressions (neologisms).

Beyond the choice of words and formatting, an extended style sheet may also include notes on the following:

• • Timeline: noting when key events occur can highlight inadvertent inconsistencies, which can happen easily, particularly with narrative structures that purposely dart around. Being able to see key events set out in chronological order can help you to see where you intended them to fit and enable dates and times to be juggled accordingly.
  • Synopsis by chapter: this can be helpful for reviewing the structure of the book (e.g. to ensure that there is enough in each chapter to keep your reader engaged) as well as providing a good overview for navigation purposes and to keep an eye on the plot, subplots and movement of characters.
  • Characters: summarising the main characteristics and relationships of the characters (even minor ones) mentioned in the book is useful for identifying whether you have inadvertently given two or more of them the same or similar names, or whether you have an overabundance of incidental characters. Keeping this record also helps to maintain consistency of the appearance, relationships, likes, dislikes and verbal traits of your characters so that they feel authentic and your reader can easily recognise them.
  • Geography: useful for keeping track of where the locations referred to in your story are in relation to each other and how they are described, which will make the world you have imagined feel real to your reader. Sometimes, this may also include a sketch/plan/map in order to better visualise a location and maintain consistency.

Who decides?

Essentially, the choices are yours; you are, after all, the author.

Your publisher may have some style and formatting preferences in order to achieve brand consistency, and some decisions may be dictated by your intended audience (e.g. if you intend to publish in the US, then the spelling, punctuation and grammar conventions of US English would be a good choice).

Your editor may also make some suggestions based upon their experience of the conventions for your chosen audience or genre; whether you accept those suggestions is up to you.

Who prepares the style sheet?

If you are using a publisher who has their own style sheet, then they will have prepared this, but it will likely only cover matters of formatting and layout, and possibly language preferences.

Otherwise, it will depend upon how you write:

• • You may be a planner, setting things out in a story bible or wiki (or whatever you call your extended style sheet) either before or while you write. If this is you (and it needn’t be), then providing a copy of that document to your editor will save time for both of you (and may therefore save you money). Your editor may then add to what you already have in order to more fully record your stylistic choices.
  • You may write more organically, feeling your way through the story as you go (and as your characters may take you). If this is you, then your editor will likely prepare the style sheet based upon what they note as they work through the manuscript and as a result of discussions with you.

Why is a style sheet important?

The recording of your language, formatting and style choices will help your editor to suggest changes to improve your manuscript while retaining your voice, and will make life easier for those who prepare and check your book ready for printing (including the designer and proofreader). It will also save the time, expense and potential aggravation of having to answer the same questions repeatedly.

The details recorded on the extended style sheet will help maintain consistency within the story, making your fictional world feel authentic and keeping your reader’s attention. And the sheet will really come into its own if you decide to create a series. If you’ve ever tutted at a scene in a film where a character finishes their drink in one shot only for it to appear full again in the next, or at a TV series where a character is introduced as a dentist but then, two seasons later, is – without explanation – a doctor, then you’ll recognise the value of this aspect of the style sheet.

In short, style sheets provide an important record of the choices made in the writing and formatting of a book, and act as continuity guides that can save you from a poor review because your reader got distracted by a small inconsistency.

 

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