Questions tagged [formatting]
Questions about text appearance: styling, placement, fonts, indents, bullets.
318
questions
8
votes
2answers
543 views
How would you write do the dialogues of two characters talking in a chat room?
How would you write do the dialogues of two characters talking in a chat room? I am seriously wondering about the format. Should it look like regular dialogues, what about emoticons like OWO and ;) ...
6
votes
2answers
218 views
How should I present a resort brochure in my general fiction?
In my story the protagonist goes to live in a health resort. The receptionist presents her with a brochure of activities. At the moment I have written like this in a word document;
After patiently ...
3
votes
1answer
109 views
Are there stylistic overlaps between novels and comic books? [closed]
I am going to quote from a novel that in my opinion shows many stylistic overlaps of novels and comic books: The Rowan by Anne McCaffrey. I am holding that novel in my hand now.
The use of a lot of ...
2
votes
3answers
86 views
Can we dialoguify sounds?
Can we dialoguify sounds? By dialoguifying I mean turning something that shouldn't be put in quote when that something correspond to sounds into a dialogue by putting it between quotes and treating it ...
6
votes
1answer
449 views
How to plan the font size in a fiction?
I have planned my book to be around 250 pages. Because that is my target audience. In my country I can sell the book of that length for around 250-300 rupees. (*Its just my plan, I don't know yet how ...
1
vote
0answers
50 views
How to plan length of a chapter? [duplicate]
I have planned my book to be around 250 pages. Because that is my target audience. In my country I can sell the book of that length for around 250-300 rupees. (*Its just my plan, I don't know yet how ...
3
votes
2answers
60 views
What are the indentation rules for the paragraph introducing a bulleted list?
I'm writing a formal document for my company where it'll be shared and used by a number of teams. Unfortunately, we don't have any official standard style guide to follow, so I've attempted to be as ...
6
votes
2answers
93 views
Breaking dialogue with actions from another character
This can get... confusing, which is why I tend to avoid it, but sometimes, I really want it there.
“What?!” [said Character B.] I laughed, giving her a minute to process
my words. “You’re getting ...
3
votes
2answers
70 views
How do you transcribe a dialogue when abbreviations are used?
How do you transcribe a dialogue when abbreviations are used?
For example, when people uses acronyms like FBI or abbreviations like a.m., do we just write them as we write them when they're in a ...
5
votes
1answer
55 views
In the Windows version of Scrivener for Screenplay formatting, how do format for action/dialogue/shot?
There is a way to automatically change the indices to respect whether it is a line of dialogue or a description of the setting, but I can't find a way to bring the menu up consistently when hitting "...
1
vote
2answers
126 views
How to convert dialogue in to paragraph?
This is my first time writing a novel. In my novel, there is a part of the married life of my protagonist who is a woman. I don't have any experience of married life so I have taken inspiration from a ...
4
votes
4answers
123 views
What format should I use when beginning a chapter with the time and location of the events?
What format should I use when beginning a chapter with the time and location of the events?
I was thinking to use:
Nine pm. Sunday, in Los Angeles, CA, USA.
but I don't think it looks good, so I ...
3
votes
2answers
71 views
When writing an error prompt, how do we tell the user the error happens in a specific tab?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tab_(interface)
I have made a medical record application that allows someone to record data about someone, but the application also allows us to add the data of a ...
2
votes
1answer
30 views
Using indents and line breaks together
I am sorry if has been asked before. I was wondering if that both Indent and Line Break in the same text are allowed (I've seen it used in some old texts and I am wondering if it still an acceptable ...
9
votes
6answers
2k views
Are there any established rules for splitting books into parts, chapters, sections etc?
I am working with an author, whose approach is to write her text, approximately divided by indicators where she wants the breaks to be, with the idea that later she and I would improve the breaks and ...
7
votes
2answers
233 views
Page count conversion from single to double-space for submissions
When an agent/publisher limits manuscript submissions to your first 50 pages, and goes on to say it should be double-spaced as an attachment, does that mean your first 50 pages from your single-spaced ...
1
vote
4answers
447 views
Is there something “wrong” with my writing? How do I improve it? [closed]
So I usually use stackexchange as a last resort, but I'm completely stumped. If this question is inappropriate here, I will gladly delete it.
None of my teachers say that anything is wrong with my ...
4
votes
2answers
162 views
Modern Markup for lengthy novel suited for self-publishing
I wrote a lengthy novel using a program I wrote.
This produces a suitable LaTeX source I can use to generate a nice-looking PDF.
Markup, beside customary division in Part/Chapter/Scene, is used to ...
3
votes
2answers
97 views
About sound effects
I'm writing a script that shows a speaker interacting with their audience. The speaker finishes speaking and the audience reacts. I wrote it like this.
Loud CHEERS from the audience.
I'm wondering ...
3
votes
3answers
185 views
How to format quick flashes in a screenplay?
Question : In my screenplay, the main character occasionally suffers quick flashes, like visions. I have been unable to assert if I am formatting these correctly. Please also note the single and ...
2
votes
2answers
63 views
Can I include diagrams in essays for complex topics?
I know that it breaks the general format of essays and that you should generally not include diagrams in essays. I just find it hard to keep clarity for parts that can be misunderstood, if interpreted ...
4
votes
3answers
155 views
Scientific Reports - Significant Figures
I'm currently writing a report where I have a table stating certain parameter values and their errors. Obviously I want the report to look nice, but since the errors of certain parameters vary by ...
6
votes
2answers
1k views
Correct punctuation for showing a character's confusion
I'm trying to show that the narration (third person limited) is being interrupted by the character's thought process, and I'm not sure what punctuation is best for this situation.
So far, I've tried ...
5
votes
2answers
114 views
Why do most style guides miss out the 'degrees' when reporting temperature?
In the UK, the Guardian style guide and the BBC style guide say to report temperatures as "25C" or "90F", with no degree symbol.
The NYT style guide says to "Avoid the degree symbol and the ...
3
votes
1answer
36 views
Including letters and other documents in a memoir
Writing my memoirs. I would like an opinion on how best to include 4 pages of letters/fax/emails. How about a 20-page composition? as addendum/exhibit? Too long to include in manuscript? Thanks for ...
2
votes
2answers
101 views
Ellipses in the middle of a paragraph?
Words words words. ...Words words words words.
Would having an ellipses right after a period like this be correct? If not, how would I incorporate them in? Would it be more like this?:
Words words ...
3
votes
1answer
123 views
How to script two scenes happening simultaneously?
I am writing a movie where a character has an interview with a news reporter. The scenes segues into a character profile of the interviewee that features a voice over from the interviewer. How would I ...
1
vote
1answer
49 views
How to write out words for wordplay
Our church had to stay baroque and afloat not b-roke and awash.
baroque and broke wordplay here: not sure how to write out bahroke meaning broke
2
votes
1answer
55 views
News shot in screenwriting
I'm writing a screenplay that incorporates various news shots. I plan to use various news shots as expositions. My story takes place in the future, and I want various news shots that display the top ...
18
votes
7answers
2k views
Indicating multiple different modes of speech (fantasy language or telepathy)
All the viewpoint characters in my story are orcs and speak Orcish as their native tongue, but some are bilingual: they use English to talk to humans. Additionally, the main character has a magic ...
3
votes
1answer
53 views
Is it good formatting to bookend quotations with a comma when they occur in the middle of narration?
Consider the sample sentence below from a novel.
As he stared at it, Emma announced “Its blackberry cake! It’s the best cake you’ll ever taste. Honest!” And with that, she stuffed in another big ...
3
votes
1answer
66 views
How do I mix linear and non-linear “choices” in an interactive novel?
In my interactive novel, I'm trying to keep the word count between choice prompts fairly short and consistent, but that means sometimes breaking up longer text into a few sections….
I've been using ...
1
vote
4answers
113 views
Is it a bad idea to use footnotes to describe new technologies in a science-fiction novel?
I am wondering if we can use footnotes to describe technologies used in a science-fiction novel instead of describing it by switching from an omniscient POV, that describes everything in a poetic way, ...
5
votes
1answer
100 views
Distinguishing between unreliable frame narrator and narrator of framed story
I'm writing a work which is bookended by a frame story with an unreliable narrator.
How do I prevent confusion for the reader when the frame narrator interjects? In the framed story, the characters ...
1
vote
3answers
121 views
End-of-line hyphenation - how should it be used?
End-of-line hyphenation is the process of breaking words between lines to create more consistency across a text block. (source) A long word is broken across a line-break by means of a hyphen. It helps ...
0
votes
1answer
52 views
Quick punctuation request on a sentence containing a list with a colon per listed item
This is being used within a blog article, however, I want to primp it up for use in a more public and professional platform. My intrigue pertains to grammar and punctuation of the listed items in the ...
3
votes
2answers
75 views
Where best to insert images using Scrivener for ebook/kindle etc
My father wrote a book in Word and I have edited/formatted it so it looks clean in PDF, but now I know that was a bad idea because when we put the book on Kindle all the formatting was lost and the ...
3
votes
3answers
127 views
How may a book and movie be one?
How could a movie be paired to coincide with a book and come out at the same time?
I would like to know if a book and a movie can be written to complement each other? Many times I hear how a book or ...
4
votes
2answers
123 views
Spell out numbers before times, days, months?
The general rule I follow is to spell out numbers < 10. Also when use numbers before measurement I don't spell out.
For example:
I bought nine apples
We need 5 mL acid for this reaction
How ...
2
votes
2answers
100 views
What's the correct way to write 3 x 10^6 (three million)?
I am reviewing some research reports and found myself diving into the black hole of technical writing style.
My question is what is the best way to write numbers in millions? I am not writing a ...
1
vote
2answers
43 views
What are good guidelines and practices for word emphasis? [closed]
I struggle on what to highlight, and when to use quote marks. I also exaggerate specific words.
Example:
Please Sign-out and Click "Delete my sign-in info" before logging back in.
Please provide ...
8
votes
1answer
132 views
Show outline or table of content using presets in Scrivener?
Google Docs has this neat feature, where an outline is generated based on the text you've set to a specific style, such as title or heading:
Word has a similar feature. Is there a way to generate an ...
1
vote
2answers
92 views
Formatting for a visual medium: Screenplay or transcripts?
I have a specific way of writing when it comes to describing things in a visual medium, like video games, movies, or shows. I'm not a prose writer; I always wanted to write for visual media, not ...
10
votes
5answers
2k views
Should I start a new paragraph after a dialogue if the action is being taken by a new person?
I am currently editing an original work of fiction, and one of the things I'm having the most trouble with is dialogue and paragraphs after certain character's actions. I know it sounds a little ...
2
votes
2answers
73 views
Formating of table explanation in email to colleagues
Regularly I find myself writing emails to my colleagues which include some form of "column explanation". Which is the best way to format a HTML email for readability?
Example:
I send out a link to an ...
4
votes
4answers
396 views
Are paragraph spaces used for emphasis?
I am writing a story and I have these 3 sentences that elaborate on the ending of a first page. This way the reader will continue to read my story.
My question is, am I allowed to place paragraph ...
0
votes
1answer
118 views
Punctuating dialogue that is interrupted by thoughts/internal monologue rather than action?
So I've got a bit:
Alta blinked. She pushed on, smiling, “—the argument. When the argument succeeds, which I still don’t fully deem, even after that—it looks to me like you’ve still got to do all ...
3
votes
1answer
333 views
Standard Margins for 6x9 Size Book
I'm editing/formatting a book for a client and I've run into a bit of a technical issue--I've never formatted a book for print before and I can't seem to find the answer to the following question:
...
0
votes
2answers
73 views
Writing a Non Fiction: Need to Format a Continuous Side Bar
I am writing a novel with two stories simulatenously running alongside each other. That is, on each page there is a main story, taking the body of the page, and there is a 'side story' which runs ...
2
votes
1answer
34 views
How many pixels' margin to the right should my 5"-wide image be on a 300dpi KDP paperback to be centered?
How many pixels' margin to the right should a 5"-wide image be on a 300dpi cover, for a 6"x9" KDP paperback, to have the front cover centered on Amazon.com and print books?
I calculated based on a 6"-...
