CMOS Line Editing Checklist: 10 Style Elements for Fiction Authors
A practical editing checklist based on the Chicago Manual of Style to polish your sentences before submitting to formatting.
Julian Thorne
Senior Managing Editor
"Before your book goes to print, it must undergo professional line editing to polish syntax, flow, and formatting. The publishing industry relies on the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) for fiction and narrative nonfiction. These 10 checklist elements will help you clean up your draft."
Core Key Takeaways
- Dialogue Punctuation and Attributions
- Numbers and Time Conventions
- Formatting Em-Dashes and Ellipses
1. Dialogue Punctuation and Attributions
Dialogue formatting has strict rules. Commas and periods must reside inside the quotation marks. Attributions (like "he said") are kept lowercase if they follow dialogue, unless the dialogue ends in a question or exclamation mark.
- Correct: "I will edit the manuscript," Julian said.
- Incorrect: "I will edit the manuscript", Julian said.
- Correct: "Are you ready?" she asked.
2. Numbers and Time Conventions
CMOS recommends spelling out whole numbers from zero through one hundred in narrative text. For time, use figures for specific times, but spell them out in narrative dialogue (e.g., "half past four" vs. "4:30 p.m.").
- Correct: The author wrote seventy-five chapters.
- Incorrect: The author wrote 75 chapters.
3. Formatting Em-Dashes and Ellipses
An em-dash is used to denote sudden breaks in thought. CMOS rules dictate that em-dashes should have no surrounding spaces. Ellipses consist of three spaced periods and represent trailing thoughts or omitted words.
The Takeaway
Polishing your draft against industry standards ensures a faster and cheaper publishing process. Our managing editors at Golden Ivory Publishing provide comprehensive CMOS-compliant developmental and line edits. Let's consult today.
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