Is consistency more important than correctness?
As a copyeditor, a big part of my job is helping writers to write correctly. But this is only part of the equation.
Correctness isn’t black and white. It’s more of a spectrum.
I’m constantly making decisions about whether something an author wrote is incorrect enough that I should suggest changing it. If it’s incorrect, it could get in the way of the reader’s experience.
When you’re writing fiction, you have to take that vision for your story that you see in your mind and convey that into the mind of your readers. And this means clear, effective, engaging communication.
Errors trip the reader up and get in the way of your ability to convey your story to readers.
The value of consistency
Incorrectness isn’t the only thing that can trip readers up.
For example, some words have multiple correct spellings. Both may be correct, but if you use one spelling on one page and a different spelling on the next page, readers may notice the inconsistency.
This is distracting and can pull them out of the story—exactly what you want to avoid.
It can also make them think you don’t know what you’re doing and are using incorrect spellings. Many people aren’t aware how many words have multiple accepted spellings. But even if they are, inconsistency shows a lack of attention to detail, which won’t give a good impression of your writing skill.
And you want to impress readers so that they stay absorbed in the story and, once they finish it, can’t wait to get their hands on your next book.
Example: gray vs. grey
One thing I see regularly is inconsistent spelling of the word gray/grey.
“Gray” is the standard spelling for American English, while “grey” is the British spelling.
Don’t alternate between “gray” and “grey.” Readers may be confused and spend time wondering why you are using both instead of staying focused on the story.
If you are American and you’re writing for an American audience, “gray” is the correct form and “grey” is a misspelling. If you are British, writing for British readers, “grey” is the correct spelling and “gray” is incorrect.
The British and American spellings are both equally correct. But each will either be more correct or less correct for your specific situation based on where you live and where your readers live.
It’s always best to consistently use the correct spellings for the type of English you speak.
But whether you are British or American, using both forms means that half are spelled wrong.
Wherever you live, and wherever your readers live, either spelling is better than both. If you use the wrong spelling but use it consistently, some people may be annoyed by it, but many won’t even notice.
Inconsistency looks less professional
When your writing is inconsistent, it can seem like you don’t know what you’re doing.
If it looks like you can’t decide which style rules to use, readers may assume you don’t have a good understanding of spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
If you make an informed decision of what rules to use and then stick to them confidently, readers will have a positive impression of your writing skill and be more likely to listen to you.
Consistency looks polished
An important part of the editing process is ensuring that your novel follows the requisite style rules. When it adheres to its style rules consistently, it looks more polished and professional.
A consistent writing style shows readers that you have invested in your story because you care about their experience. This shows that you take yourself seriously as an author and know what you’re doing.
Showing this type of attention to detail and commitment to your readers will help them love your stories even more.
Style sheets as a consistency tool
When an author sends me their manuscript for copyediting, I return it with a style sheet that tracks spelling, capitalization, and other style choices. This helps me ensure consistency throughout the manuscript.
The purpose of a style sheet is to define areas of ambiguity so that whatever rules are being used can be followed with consistency.
For example, if you used one spelling of a word on page 33 and a different one on page 57, I’ll figure out which option will best serve your readers and check that it’s used consistently throughout the novel.
It’s always important to follow the universal rules consistently. Some words do have one correct spelling.
But writers have a variety of preferences when it comes to spelling, grammar, and punctuation. And this is completely fine.
Those preferences go on the style sheet too.
It’s just as important to follow them consistently as it is for things that have one objectively correct answer.
There are many gray areas in writing where even the leading style guides disagree with one another.
So if you only focus on correctness and decide that everything is fine as long as it is attested somewhere, you will end up with inconsistencies. And as I said before, these can distract readers and prevent them from connecting with the story the way you want them to.
The example of the serial comma
The serial comma, also called the Oxford comma is one of these gray areas.
The Chicago Manual of Style, the most common style guide used in publishing, advocates the use of a comma between all items in a series. For example, “They used pens, pencils, and markers.”
The Associated Press Stylebook, which is the leading style guide in journalism, prefers to leave out the final comma when the last two items are separated by a conjunction, namely “and” or “but.” AP style only recommends using this comma when its omission makes the meaning unclear. (The Associated Press Stylebook, 55th ed., 336)
Someone following AP style would write “They used pens, pencils and markers.” As you can see, there is no comma between the “pencils” and the “markers.”
That same adherent to AP style would, however, use an additional comma for a sentence like “They found writing utensils, brushes, and paint.” Leaving out the comma here would make it sound like paintbrushes are being used as writing utensils. Inserting the comma makes it clear that there were writing utensils in addition to the brushes and paint.
The fact that these two style manuals disagree does not make either incorrect, and they are both highly regarded reference books.
The type of writing matters
For a particular field, one way may be better than the other.
An author publishing a novel will generally want to use the serial comma the way that Chicago style dictates. A journalist, on the other hand, would do well to follow what is common practice in their field, which means following AP style.
In both situations it is advantageous to use the option readers are more likely to expect. A style choice that they don’t expect may come across as an error or an inconsistency and disrupt their reading experience.
But neither way is fundamentally more correct than the other. The most important thing, whatever field of writing you are in, is to pick one way and stick with it consistently.
Like what I do when I’m using a style sheet, though I’m mostly picking from the discretionary rules based on the author’s preferences rather than my own.
Grammar is full of gray areas
The serial comma is just one example of the many gray areas in writing.
Some of these gray areas are addressed by style manuals that pick one side or another. In other areas the leading style guides don’t have clear guidance, so even someone who follows Chicago style religiously will sometimes have to make their own decisions.
For example, while Chicago’s style manual is the gold standard for US book publishing, it wasn’t written specifically for fiction. This means that people who work in the fiction publishing industry need to make style choices to supplement Chicago’s guidelines, recording those on their style sheets.
When The Chicago Guide to Copyediting Fiction by Amy Schneider came out in 2023, I was thrilled and couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. It fills in the gaps where The Chicago Manual of Style either doesn’t provide information that fiction writers and editors need, or where the guidelines just don’t fit with fiction writing.
But it’s impossible for one book, or two books, to cover everything, so I make editorial decisions all the time as I’m editing.
Because even if there are two correct options, that doesn’t mean you can go back and forth between them.
How do you ensure consistency?
Pick a style guide.
Style guides exist to help you be consistent, both with yourself and with other people who write in the same field.
These reference manuals provide a cohesive body of rules that you should be following and ensures that your writing will match the style that readers are familiar with.
Many publishing houses have their own house style that they will want your book to follow if you get published through them. Though you will still have some amount of freedom to make your own choices.
If you self-publish and you’re writing fiction, you’ll want to choose a copyeditor who has training in The Chicago Manual of Style and uses its latest edition, the 18th as of fall 2024. This will ensure that your manuscript not only has style rules consistently applied, but that they will be in line with other novels that are being published and therefore look familiar and correct to your readers.
Know which rules must be followed
Some rules are black and white, and ignoring these will make your writing difficult to read and make you look less capable as a writer.
It’s important to gain a solid understanding of the English language and its grammar and then carefully identify the gray areas where there are multiple options. Or work with a copyeditor who can show you what to do.
Before you decide to do things a certain way, it’s good to make sure your choices are attested in one of the leading reference books.
Make educated decisions on which rules to follow, and then follow them consistently.
Writing is an art
In many ways, writing is more of an art than a science. While you need to follow certain rules, there is often room for interpretation.
The art of writing lies in figuring out how to best convey your intended meaning. Different styles of writing work well for different topics and in different contexts.
In very technical writing, for example, it is more important to adhere to standard grammar rules.
In fiction, it’s common to see choices that are less standardized, especially in dialogue.
Correctness and consistency in your writing
When I’m copyediting, I always prioritize the author’s voice and the voices of each character.
Your voice as an author is a big part of why your readers enjoy your books, and a character’s unique voice adds depth and vibrancy to the story.
My job as an editor is to enhance that and help readers get fully absorbed in the story.
If a line of dialogue is “incorrect” by some standards but correct and consistent for your character, it will add to the reader’s experience rather than detracting from it.
Correctness and consistency are both essential for clear and engaging prose, but they need to be considered in the context of your authorial voice and what best serves the reader’s experience.