Questions tagged [formatting]
Questions about text appearance: styling, placement, fonts, indents, bullets.
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
53 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
137 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
67 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
52 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
66 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 ...
1
vote
2answers
55 views
How to stylize notes/book-passages being read inside my story?
In course of joining a friend of mine during her NaNoWriMo escapades, I tried myself at actually writing a story set in a world I'm building.
I've found there are certain rules when writing a novel. ...
1
vote
6answers
228 views
Everything I write ends up being a rhyming poem, or lyrics maybe
I have been writing for awhile and decided to write a memoir, except I can’t seem to write anything but poetry. However, I don’t know for sure if poetry is the proper term. My work uses cuss words, &...
3
votes
1answer
47 views
Formatting a dream inside a flashback
I'm writing a first-person POV in which my MC has flashbacks/memories of previous lives. As these happen several times throughout the novel, I use italics for these scenes to help the reader ...
2
votes
2answers
64 views
equation referencing in parentheses
My PhD examiners have asked me to refer to equations using Eq. (6) rather than Eq. 6. This seems simple enough, but often I have sentences of the form:
"This is a fact related to an equation you ...
5
votes
5answers
778 views
Writing a song as the hook
I am at the free-writing stages of writing my high fantasy novel. I am looking at or experimenting with different methods for hooking the reader and driving their attention towards the rest of my ...
2
votes
1answer
83 views
How to get alternating page headers in Scrivener? [duplicate]
Can anyone please help me with a small issue that I am facing right now with the headers in my Scrivener project. I am trying to add alternate headers to my project - Every even page to have the name ...
3
votes
2answers
60 views
Can I include a short biography of the person to whom my book is dedicated?
I am writing a non-fiction, somewhat historic book and I want to dedicate it to a person who did pioneer work on Education in Science in Brazil. She has
passed away recently and was professionally ...
4
votes
3answers
107 views
How to write an online screen name in dialogue?
Might be a bit nitpicky - but I really want to get the formatting correct - especially because this is one of the first lines in the script. The screen name is: ArgyleMan29
Like this?
JACK:
Online I’...
9
votes
3answers
653 views
Should I use a series of shots for this scene?
Should I use a series of shots for this?
(context- Joe previously raged in his room - knocking things over)
INT. JOE’S ROOM
Joe stands up the nightstand. Plugs in the lamp. Takes the alarm clock, ...
9
votes
2answers
77 views
Is there a definition for formatting plain text documents like they are on TLDP.org?
Is there a formal specification for authoring plain text documents like they (mostly) are on http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/text/?
If so, what is it called? Where is it documented?
I'm looking for a ...
7
votes
1answer
115 views
What is the name of the technique where quotation marks are not closed but reopened to indicate a break in speech
The wizard slid the application over to the goblin. "I'm afraid, Mister Barnes, we cannot accept your letter of resignation at present. You are simply too ugly to qualify for an exit scheme, and you ...
1
vote
1answer
232 views
How many book pages would 891 words be?
I'm writing something and the font is Alegreya in 13 font size. So far I have 891 words and 4 pages. How many pages would that be in a book?
3
votes
0answers
50 views
How to link two sentences properly? [closed]
I have two sentences:
In general, the better the equipment, the higher quality of
production you will end up with.
We choose our equipment very carefully.
To link them together, I have to use the ...
7
votes
7answers
1k views
Do writers copy other writers?
Good artists copy; great artists steal.
This famous Picasso quote often reminds me that the best artworks are rather a mix of many other artworks instead of something completely new. Walt Disney ...
3
votes
3answers
100 views
Trying to figure out the correct type punctuation for dialogues
I'm currently writing a story so far is going well, but I reached I point on the story where I don't know how to proceed. when a character is talking I write their dialogue just like this: "I went ...
6
votes
3answers
1k views
How to write a telephone conversation in a novel?
If Closed Captioning on TV is any guide, then dialogue heard over a phone would be in italics, not in quotes. The same would apply to dialogue audible when the phone is on speaker and as over a walkie-...
3
votes
2answers
366 views
Multiple ways to emphasise words
tl;dr : I need a way to emphasise the names of special skills without it becoming annoying or it overlapping with the formatting already present in the story.
I'm writing a story in an RPG-like ...
2
votes
2answers
194 views
Is blending a largely illustrated book like James Gurney's “Dinotopia” and a dramatic and more serious plot a bad idea?
So, I don't know if any of you have heard of Dinotopia by James Gurney, but it's written in a format with large pages, and lots of illustrations:
While it is not exclusively a children's book, and ...
3
votes
1answer
70 views
Leaving out names/pronouns to speed up the flow of a script?
Example: Jane digs in the flowerbed for her ring. Moves to the yard.
I’ve seen this a bunch of times, but it still feels sort of wrong when I do it. I just want to know if this is “normal”.
...
3
votes
1answer
274 views
Epigraph placement
Me and my friend are arguing about the placement of an epigraph in our scientific report. I want the epigraph to be placed on the page before the table of contents, right above the middle of the page, ...
2
votes
2answers
73 views
Is it discouraged to format a list of items vertically?
In my writing, I tend to format lists of items:
The school has a vegetable garden in which the children grow cabbages, onions, potatoes, and carrots during their free time.
as actual vertical ...
1
vote
1answer
35 views
Question mark in use with colon
Do you use a question mark in hand when you use a colon, if yes how?
I Will Fix Any Error Or Bug is the title of the service.
Should I place the order in: I Will Fix Any Error Or Bug
Should ...
19
votes
7answers
3k views
How do you mix dialogue with actions of a character?
I'm not talking about if it's right to go like:
"See you later, Mom!" Sierra grabbed an apple and ran out of the front door.
I'm more concerned with something I remember seeing but can't remember how ...
6
votes
3answers
224 views
Formatting of Text in Technical Writing (Procedure Writing)
In a procedure, when describing a UI component, we use the bold font to represent UI components. We also match the text with the letter case of the UI component. But do we need to match the font style ...
4
votes
1answer
85 views
Is it okay to use “Off This—“ in a spec script?
I feel like it’s a great tool for transitioning scenes.
Off the Sargent’s grimacing face—
Off the dead cheerleader’s tramp stamp—
But is this considered camera direction?
Is this too specific for ...
11
votes
7answers
20 views
What are standard techniques that indicate to the documentation reader that they are to substitute their own appropriate text (e.g. username, domain)?
When reading manuals or guides, I can easily get confused between what is meant to be example text, and what is actually meant to be used.
For example, sometimes the username to login to use a ...
15
votes
3answers
22 views
How to make documentation accessible to vision-impaired audiences?
Nowadays, governments and corporations alike are putting an ever-increasing number of accessibility laws in place to ensure that disabled audiences are not put at a disadvantage. How can technical ...
2
votes
2answers
1k views
How to Paraphrase a narration which is written by a first person perspective
If teacher asks you to paraphrase a paragraph which is like "I went there etc" then how will we paraphrase it? Will it be like "The writer made his way to that place" or I'll be like it's me who is ...
4
votes
2answers
337 views
How do I remove Nikkud (vowel marks) from a Word 2016 document?
I am working on a commentary on Ethics of the Fathers and I want readers to be able to read sources I'm quoting in their original Hebrew. I am getting most of my sources from sefaria.org and ...
63
votes
8answers
12k views
The Good, the Bad, and the Semicolon
I completed my novel and an editor friend graciously offered to assist me with formatting. As a former scientist, I am more familiar with technical or academic writing, so formatting fiction can be a ...
3
votes
1answer
39 views
How to properly format a post update on a company blog?
I wrote a blog post about a certain feature(in testing) of our online product.
We finished the testing and changed a couple of things and added some improvements to this feature.
So, I was ...
1
vote
2answers
75 views
How do I cite/reference multiple lines of cuneiform translations in MLA?
I have a text from the Nebonidus Harran inscriptions that I want to specifically reference in my paper. The quote looks like this:
…(But) the sons of Babylon, Borsippa,
15. Nippur, Ur, Erech, ...
0
votes
2answers
32 views
Does it make sense to put a hyperlink into an answer within an interview?
Some media did an interview with me and published it - and I see a hyperlink inserted into my answer. I provided them the link separately but didn't expect to see it inside the quotation marks.
What ...
5
votes
1answer
86 views
Do self publishers need to support punctuation differences for different markets?
I am an Australian, first time author, intending to self publish. I have prepared the manuscript using the Australian English dictionary in MS Word. Many words are spelled differently in the two ...
2
votes
1answer
104 views
Typography for a book?
I know this must vary based on preference. I haven't gone to school for writing but regardless have started writing a book. I have a few chapters done, and need to start format and editing it.
Should ...
1
vote
1answer
37 views
Page numbering. Empty pages for notes include in page numbering?
I have a few questions about the page numbering of the last few pages of my book.
I have a section with further resources. It contains one page with information about a site and three more pages with ...
0
votes
1answer
27 views
What do you italicize when you create a compound word or worldplay?
For example, the mix of sup and herb: supherb.
I want to show that it's a made up word and a playword related to herbivores animals. What should I italicize? sup, herb, or the whole word?
1
vote
1answer
52 views
Other Forms of Partitioning a Novel [closed]
I'm asking this because I haven't yet come across a similar discussion on the internet or anywhere else.
My design scheme for my debut novel is to title major sections within the chapters. These are ...
4
votes
2answers
264 views
What font should I use to write alien language?
In my story, I'm using the font WingDings to represent the language for the alien race.
Should I be using something different or am I ok with using WingDings to represent a constructed language? Any ...
1
vote
1answer
108 views
How to sound confident but not cocky?
I am working on this slogan, and it comes out like this.
On the road to success.
What I mean by that is that I have positioned myself to accomplish something, but while I am not there yet, I have ...
1
vote
2answers
85 views
How to ask a question and define what I mean?
I am in the middle of the painful process of buying a car. I am trying to do much of my legwork online before going into a dealership. One of the things I hate the most about purchasing a car is ...
1
vote
1answer
623 views
On Scrivener, Hitting Return Key is Causing Double-Space when it shouldn't
At the end of a paragraph I hit return ONCE. (I check to make sure, using format - show invisibles, and yes, there is one return.) Yet, even though I my entire document is single spaced, Scrivener ...
4
votes
1answer
219 views
Should I use quotes or italics when using the expression “… as though to say”?
Example sentence:
"Sorry to bother." Kenji waved his hand as though to say, I'm up
here. "But I think I've really seen you before."
Should the bold section be double quotes or italics? And why?
3
votes
1answer
30 views
APA Citation for a undergrad-level book review
I'm writing a book review for sociology on the book Sidewalk by Mitchell Duneier.
This book is the ONLY source for my whole paper. It is the only citation that I am using and the only outside source ...
