Editing Standards: More What You’d Call Guidelines than Actual Rules

Editing is my Achilles heel of writing. Sure, I can follow rules, but which rules?

Let me first clarify for the rebellious among us (including me), editing standards are more what you’d call guidelines than actual rules. 

For fiction writing, let’s explore three different standards, or styles. And then we’ll talk about House styles.

Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS): This editing standard is like the Beyoncé of the editing world – it’s a superstar that everyone knows and loves. Chicago style covers everything from grammar and punctuation to citation formats. It’s commonly used in the publishing industry and can give your novel that professional touch.

AP Style: If you’ve got a journalistic flair or you want your novel to have that newsy vibe, AP style is your go-to. It’s all about brevity, clarity, and consistent grammar and punctuation. AP style can make your writing snappy and engaging, like a headline that grabs readers’ attention.

Oxford Style: If you fancy yourself a literary genius, Oxford style is worth checking out. It’s popular in the UK publishing industry and covers punctuation, capitalization, and other aspects of writing. Oxford style can add a touch of sophistication to your prose, making it shine like a diamond.

Need examples? 

Let’s take italicization for instance. 

Chicago Style (CMOS) recommends italicizing titles of books, newspapers, films, plays, and other major works. For example, “The Great Gatsby” or “The New York Times.”

CMOS recommends italicizing foreign words or phrases that are not commonly used in English. For instance, “bon appétit” or “ad hoc.”

Chicago Style also permits/encourages the use of italics for emphasis in certain cases, such as when highlighting key terms or providing emphasis within a quotation.

AP Style takes a more minimalist approach to italics, aiming for brevity and simplicity in journalistic writing. Here’s how it differs:

Titles of major works: AP Style suggests using quotation marks instead of italics for titles of books, films, plays, and similar works. For example, “To Kill a Mockingbird” or “Casablanca.”

Foreign words and phrases: AP Style generally avoids italicizing foreign words and phrases unless they are particularly unfamiliar to the intended audience. Instead, they are often presented in regular font.

Emphasis: AP Style discourages the use of italics for emphasis in news writing. Instead, they recommend using strong, precise language to convey the intended emphasis.

Oxford Style, also known as Oxford University Press (OUP) style, has its own distinctive guidelines for italics.  Similar to Chicago Style, Oxford Style recommends italicizing titles of major works like books, films, and plays. For example, “Pride and Prejudice” or “Citizen Kane.”

Oxford Style tends to italicize foreign words and phrases to distinguish them from English text. This helps provide clarity and aids in the reader’s understanding.

While Oxford Style allows for the use of italics sparingly for emphasis, particularly in highlighting key terms or words within a sentence, excessive use of italics for emphasis is generally discouraged.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Which one should I choose?” Well, my friend, it ultimately depends on your personal preference and the style that best fits your novel. 

You can mix and match elements from different styles to create your own unique editing style. This is called House Style where the publisher (if you’re indie, then the publisher is you), bends and breaks the guidelines to your heart’s content. 

What is the one thing you ‘should’ do? I don’t _should_ on authors much, but I’m going to do it this time. 

You should be consistent. Whichever editing rules you chose should read like you’ve chosen them on purpose. (Notice how I haven’t been consistent on the word should. I was going to edit it to fix it, but decided to leave it in as an illustration instead.)

Our readers are flexible enough to accept whatever standards you come up with. But changing those standards can throw them out of the story as they try to determine why lagniappe is italicized the first two times, but not the third. They will try to ascertain if there is a hidden meaning behind this ‘code’. If it’s just a common inconsistency, you’ve set them up to be disappointed.

So, yes, make up your own rules! And then follow those rules. You will be rewarded by your reader following your stories from beginning to end and from book to book.