Style sheets are just one step in a multi-part process we call editing. Writers may know this as “editing hell” due to the length and tediousness of this task!

A style sheet is used as a communication tool between editors, primarily created in the copyediting phase, that is used as a guide for correctness and for what we determine is the favorable way to maintain consistency among pieces. However, we must be mindful of each story and its stylistic choices through the author’s eyes.

For instance, there are many ways one can use “T-shirt” in a sentence, such as “T-shirt,” “t-shirt,” and “tee shirt.” It’s important to keep the version consistent within each piece and among all the pieces. A style sheet isn’t just for stylistic choices though; it’s also very commonly used for us to simply tell our editor comrades, “Hey, this word is properly spelled; leave it!” A lot of a style sheet will include names of places with odd spellings, names of things from other cultures and/or languages, or things the copyeditors may have had to research to see if they’re even correct.

These sheets are collaborative and discussed between the whole editorial division of our literary magazine and then carefully bundled into a master sheet that is based on the Chicago Manual of Style and our own classifications of “global rules.”

—Alana H.