Share Your Writing Ideas Here!

[retardedchick]

Any aspiring writers? Anyone with writer's block? In desperate need of some good ideas for an essay, a report, or just plain blank? Share and ask for writing opinions here.

[Toxic-Avenger]

Manuscript Formatting and Other Tips.
This is the proper way to format a manuscript before sending off for hopeful publication.  This is for a multi-chapter story or novel.
==================================================

A NEW POST











            CHAPTER 1 -- MANUSCRIPT FORMATTING





    Won't let me do it. Okay assume there is a page number at the right hand corner even with the title page.  Also assume the title of manuscript is centered.  Then assume there is a half-inch indent at the beginning of each pargraph. This is what the first page should look like.  With a six-inch-wide margin, the title of story should be in all capitals with the page number at the upper right and on the same line as the title.  These should be one inch from the top of page.

   The next line on the chapter page should be ten single spaces or about four inches from top of page.  The chapter title should be in all capitals as illustrated with a -- Not a long dash but two short dashes, separating the chapter number from chapter title.  As you can see, there are about two paragraphs on the first page of a chapter.

    There should be an inch to an inch-and-a half margin all the way around.  Now to the second page in the chapter.


==================================================

               Manuscript Formatting -- Chapter 1


    This is the second page of chapter.  The title is in all capitals one inch from top of page. The text of the manuscript here should start one double-space from bottom of title.  There should be no more than three paragraphs per page the rest of the chapter.  The reason is, an editor seeing only three paragraphs knows that there are about 250 words per page.  Your writing software can count this but publishers don't do it that way.

    Yes, you already know that but some may not.  Always double-space after a period.  I'm assuming you have Microsoft Word.  But this should work with all word processing programs.

    Always number your pages, so that when an intern knocks your story off the editor's desk, they'll be able to put it all back together.  When sending the story to an agent, which you have to do first, always put the manuscript into a mailing box.  Do not put into a binder, staple or clip together.  The editor will throw it back on the slush pile.  You want to present your manuscript on 20 pound bond paper or thicker, as professionally as possible.  No streaks or dirt specks from the printer.

==================================================
End of model:
    This is what your pages should look like more or less.  I wish the formatting would allow me to more accurately show you.  I don't know whow they do it in other countries but I'll assume also that it's probably not that much different.  Make sure all pages are one sided with double spaced text.

    The font should be 12 point Times New Roman because of the serifs.  And there lies the first problem.  Writer's websites disagree on what font to use.  Some say to use Times because of the serifs make it easier to read, but other sites say you should use 12 point Courier because all the letter characters are the same size, and the lack of serifs make it easier to read.  Using courier will also increase the number of pages in your manuscript.

END PART ONE

[Toxic-Avenger]

MANUSCRIPT FORMATTING  PART II

Continued from above.


    The formatting I just gave you comes from Writer's Digest Manuscript Formats.  The problem is, it's own magazine tells you to write out the title numbers.  A magazine and it's own publication does not agree with each other.  Aaarghh! Now before you send that manuscript in, you should contact a potential publisher and ask for the editor's name.

    Then write via snail mail to the editor and ask them what they're looking for at the moment, and how do they want the manuscript presented, font style and all.  That said, you need to contact an agent, though I'm not sure with children's stories.  Then after your manuscript is sent to the publisher, it sits on the editor's desk and it'll take three months before your hear anything because you, me, and ten million others have hopes of seeing their work in print.  You want to stand out professionally.

    Turn off any auto formatting.  If a word has to be in italics, the word should be underlined.  The typesetter will see this and automatically know that what it's for.  When I end a story, I don't write, "The End" It looks funny.  Editors like it when you put a ### at the end.  This too is a signal for the typesetter that there is no more to the manuscript.  Some savvy writers use 30 30 but I don't know why.  <br>
   Now that you're done you have to save it.  The only way to do this is to save each chapter page individually and each chapter individually so that you're soon going to wind up with a few dozen files just for one story.  Then you have to make sure each page picks up numerically, where the last one left off.  So be carefull you don't have two pages of page 12's.

    This is actually a good thing to do, but a lot of work.  But will save you alot MORE work and grief.  MS Word has trouble with large files and it can destroy them.  I did the multiple chapters as described and it saved me alot of work.  Here's how and why.  For some reason, chapter 2 of a story I was working got corrupted.  But instead of retyping 180 or so pages, I only had to retype 5 pages.

    Save your stuff on floppy disks or even CD-RW's but save it a few times on separate disks and then print out a hard copy for yourself.  I'm saying this because what if a disk gets corrupted or wrecked, you may have to copy and retype your pages, but you'll still have your work.

    When all is said and done, your teacher and everyone else in the writing industry is gonna say, "Well, no, it's like this."  So I say, just write to an editor and find out what they look for.

    Another caution I'd like to pass along is, let only a very few close friends and family read your work.  Not your parents because they'll either say, "Oh this is wonderful honey!!!!!!" Or, because they want to "help" you, they'll rip it apart.  "Why is this period here?  Why did you pick that name?  If it's on a different planet, why do the people speak the same?"

    I'd also like to pass along another tip.  You have a few stories going, and you do a lot of editing and rewriting.  Your computer's hard drive starts to get cluttered with a lot of junk, file bits, and duplicate bits and fragments.  Too much of this causes problems such as slow boot-up or "The Blue Screen of Death," saying "Fatal Exception Error."

    What you need to do is, run a diskscan and disk defragmentaion utilities once a month.  This will fix any disk errors, keep your work sound, and smooth out any operating problems and speed up the boot-up and retreival times on your computer.  

[bright_angel]

Thats great tips! although i have great ideas for storys, telling them is more simple than writing them in a way  ;D

[Toxic-Avenger]

/\  So put them down on paper or computer and worry about formatting later.  Don't let that stop you, if you have an idea, write it out first.  If it's for your own pleasure, that's all the matters.  If so, do it any way you want.

[Toxic-Avenger]

A Word About Copywrite Protection

Y'all are going to love this.  I just found out recently that as soon as your thoughts hit the paper, that manuscript, poem or song is protected under United States copywrite laws.  Those of you in other countries should find out what your rights are.  You dont' get credit for what's in your head, but as soon as you put it down, you have certain protections.  <br>
Something else you can do is print a copy of your manuscript out, put it in a large envelope and send it to yourself.  Don't open the envelope when you get it back, put it somewhere safe.  You are now protected.

The best way though, is to go to this site:

www.loc.gov/copyright/

Print off a few copyrite forms and fill them out.  Each manuscript cost ten dollars to register.  But in a court case, it makes things much easier for you.