Questions tagged [formatting]
Questions about text appearance: styling, placement, fonts, indents, bullets.
415
questions
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14 views
How do you indicate that an action is done after a character says something in a script?
How do you indicate that an action is done after a character says something in a script? The action is right after the scene heading, but what happens when an action is done after a character says ...
0
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0answers
12 views
How do you indicate two people or three people or more saying the same thing simultaneously in a movie script?
How do you indicate two people or three people or more saying the same thing simultaneously in a movie script? There's a place where you put the character name before a dialogue, but what happens when ...
0
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0answers
25 views
How do you describe a narrator in a movie script?
How do you describe a narrator in a movie script?
Do you describe his voice? Do you use a scene heading? Do you put the character name of the narrator or not? I am confused as to how to do this, and ...
0
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0answers
12 views
How do you describe a scene in a trailer made of several scenes?
How do you describe a scene in a trailer made of several scenes? Let's say you have a trailer and in a short span of 10 seconds you see 6 different scenes rapidly, how would you describe that in a ...
0
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1answer
51 views
How do you add a sung part of a movie trailer?
How do you add a sung part of a movie script? When the song is unknown and the lyrics are unknown, how do we mention there's a song playing in a movie script?
This image gives you a basic idea of ...
0
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1answer
20 views
How do I write a synopsis for a scientific article? publication?
I want to submit an article under the "Analysis" of a journal. Their website says that authors are required to submit a synopsis first.
I know that synopsis is like a summary of article, but ...
1
vote
1answer
72 views
Action between dialogue
I've noticed I've been putting lots of action between someone's dialogue and have many inconsistencies and wanted to know if there was a difference between different ways of punctuating it or if it ...
0
votes
1answer
84 views
Is there a standard way to introduce an emoticon in a novel?
Is there a standard way to introduce an emoticon in a novel? Let's say that the main character discuss with someone over text message, is it ok to use emoticons? If so how do you introduce it?
Here's ...
0
votes
1answer
18 views
Can section headings be questions for APA format?
I would want my first heading to be "What is Lyme disease '.' '?'" , Im not sure if it would be considered a question or a sentence . I want this paragraph to inform the reader what the ...
0
votes
1answer
27 views
Citation throughout my book rather than at the end as a bibliography
My book is a health/ wellness/ diet book/ metabolic issues etc. Throughout my book which I am 3/4 of the way through I have added in the website links after a piece of evidence. I have used 95% of my ...
4
votes
1answer
89 views
How to format those little blurbs at the start of chapters?
At the start of each chapter in Dune there are quotes from Maudib and Fremen or Bene Gesserit sayings. There are similar epistolary entries at the start of Mist born.
What is the proper term for them ...
0
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3answers
52 views
Dialogues inside a descriptive part
I am wondering if there are rules on how to format dialogues. Sometimes, you see a dialogue inside a descriptive part and sometimes they have their own lines, but sometimes it's not clear if you ...
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0answers
16 views
How do you introduce a song or a sung part right after a dialogue?
So I was thinking this would look really odd. Do you have to use the same format as you introduce a spoken part, or can you do this? And what might be the alternatives to this? I am asking, because ...
0
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0answers
22 views
Is there an encyclopedic book with all the various formatting styles found in novel since the beginning of history?
Is there an encyclopedic book with all the various formatting styles found in novel since the beginning of history? I would like to read one to see what are all the different formatting options you ...
1
vote
1answer
42 views
Is it possible to do a blend of ancient epic poems and modern novels?
Is it possible to do a blend of ancient epic poems and modern novels? I was thinking of considering writing a short novel, which is a mix of ancient epic poems such as Iliad and a modern novel like ...
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0answers
45 views
How do you format a song when it's part of a larger spoken piece?
I'm editing a children's book which includes songs. I usually format the songs as a block quote in a slightly smaller type size and centred on the longest line. However, I've just come to a song that ...
-1
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1answer
30 views
How do I do inline indentation from another book with open office?
I'm wanting to do something like the following, but am unsure how to do it:
As we become attached in the spirit two people developing a shared conscience (Deuteronomy 31:6) of what they may or may ...
0
votes
1answer
23 views
In Microsoft Word outlines, is it possible to set an outline level for topic sentences?
Can topic sentences be outlined in MS word after the full text has been written? I would like to use Word's outline feature to revise a paper. I need to work on the first sentences of the paragraphs....
0
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2answers
81 views
Is it acceptable for a published short story to serve later as the prologue of a novel?
If I was to publish an original short story to get feedback for a concept and characters, would publishers find it distasteful if I then wanted to include the same text later as the prologue part of a ...
1
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0answers
38 views
What is the preferred way of writing small numbers in academic writing?
I need to represent small numbers in multiple tables. I am wondering which is the preferred way:
1.235e-3, or 1.235x10^-3?
The issue is that the latter requires more width than the former. Hence, most ...
0
votes
2answers
49 views
Italicizing for emphasis
I've noticed that I have had a lot of dialogue between characters with words that need to be said with a noticeable amount of emphasis, and in order to get that emphasis I have had to italicize lots ...
0
votes
3answers
74 views
How do you format a dialogue when it is interrupted by an action verb or sound?
"I wanna be - pants the president."
How do you format a dialogue when it is interrupted by an action verb or sound? I don't think this is the proper way. I am looking for a better ...
0
votes
1answer
19 views
Comma after adverb
Should you include a comma after an adverb, just before the adverb or not include a comma at all in this example. The adverb in question being 'prematurely'.
1 On Tuesday, the EU’s attempt to reach a ...
0
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0answers
16 views
Does "mock-cried" require a hyphen?
I mock cried into his shoulder. vs
I mock-cried into his shoulder.
The old man smiled at me with his old man charm. vs
The old man smiled at me with his old man-charm.
Mock modifies the verb cry, so ...
0
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0answers
17 views
An alternative to quotation marks to improve readability in a sentence?
In general, you should use quotation marks for the titles of shorter pieces of work. But what if I'm listing several file names off a computer?
I went to his folder labeled “School Stuff.” I opened ...
1
vote
1answer
61 views
Should a password/username be written in quotes or italics?
In a creative writing context, how should computer passwords/usernames appear?
I opened Todd’s laptop and typed in his password: Battle_Ship76. I went to the settings and changed his password: ...
14
votes
3answers
3k views
How do you insert lyrics into a novel?
She suddenly began singing "Cruella De Vil Cruella De Vil If she
doesn't scare you No evil thing will To see her is to take a sudden
chill Cruella, Cruella She's like a spider waiting for the ...
0
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0answers
44 views
How do you introduce a sung part in a novel?
Let's say that the characters sing a song such as this one:
Cruella De Vil
Cruella De Vil
If she doesn't scare you
No evil thing will
To see her is to take a sudden chill
Cruella, Cruella
She's like ...
0
votes
2answers
63 views
Formatting new line options with actions and dialogue in fiction
I am getting confused about whether rules determine new paragraph positions or if it's sometimes arbitrary. Some choices seem clear cut, but in the sentence: 'I regarded...' it reads fine to me in ...
0
votes
1answer
41 views
Is there a way to include your Patreon page when the credit rolls after a movie?
Is there a way to include your Patreon page when the credit rolls after a movie?
Me and some friend are going to release a short movie and we want to add a Patreon page during the credits, is there a ...
2
votes
1answer
79 views
How do I fix this automatic indentation in listing?
I listed items but somehow it starts automatically indenting. I faced similar problems earlier and somehow they always start at number 10. How do I fix this?
3
votes
1answer
94 views
What is the proper format for filetype extensions in technical writing?
We are writing a collaborative paper that will include various examples of data types. When stating the data type file extension, how should it be presented?
For example,
"The platform will be ...
0
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0answers
33 views
How do you add information about the music, sounds, camera actions in a trailer script?
Format your script elements. There are several different parts of the
script that require specific formatting so that they conform to
industry standards:[10]
Scene Heading: This is also called a “...
1
vote
0answers
58 views
Microsoft Word Formatting issue with KDP (How to move titles in the middle of the page?)
I have my nicely formatted word file to upload to the KDP page for Kindle publishing. When I launch the preview the titles are too high up on the page. This is not a problem for chapter titles, since ...
2
votes
1answer
59 views
How can I add an hyphen to the chapter titles of my index without adding it to the titles of the actual chapters?
I'm going to give you an example, just for clarity (I'm using Word). Here is what I'd like my index titles to look like:
Chapter 1 - The Great Return
Chapter 2 - Lucy's Dinner
etc...
Whereas the ...
2
votes
4answers
203 views
How should I include foreign language into my story if the main character/s is/are multilingual
I am writing a story in English and my main character is bilingual and of a different culture. The characters and narrator uses common words in the familiar language (e.g. Spanish).
Do I need to ...
0
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0answers
12 views
Using em dash in a sentence spanning over multiple lines [duplicate]
When using em dash in a sentence which runs to multiple lines, especially in poetry, can it be the last word of the continuous sentence? For example, let us consider the following Wordsworth poetry.
...
0
votes
1answer
52 views
How do you write a YouTube description for a music clip?
How do you write a YouTube description for a music clip? Is there some kind of conventions? What are some of the conventions and are there templates out there that shows you how to properly credit ...
2
votes
2answers
132 views
Structure to follow while writing very short essays
I have to write essays in two examinations which will be conducted soon. Those exams need essays to be written in 250 words. The topics are given on the time of the exams and are usually anything ...
4
votes
3answers
87 views
Mixing prose and verse
I’m writing a novel and one of my characters speaks in poetic verse, should I format her dialogue differently to my characters who communicate in the traditional manner?
10
votes
8answers
2k views
Is italicizing parts of dialogue for emphasis ever appropriate?
Is it ever appropriate to use italics to emphasize parts of dialogue to show which words the speakers is putting emphasis on? I used to do this quite frequently, but I was told that this was a sign of ...
1
vote
0answers
33 views
Should I use a comma or a colon? [closed]
I am a bit confused as to whether I should use a comma or a colon for the following sentence:
Art quickly became a world where I could trust my abilities, a world where I can share my emotions and ...
6
votes
2answers
346 views
In story writing, can I switch between stating the character's thought in italics to indirectly narrating them?
For example, if I am stating my character's thoughts in this way:
That was scary! He thought.
Can I switch to saying something like the below further on in my story?
He thought it was scary.
Or should ...
2
votes
1answer
73 views
Consistency of text divider symbols
In one chapter I have written of my fiction book, I used the ✻ symbol to divide text. Because, in the chapter, I have to differentiate past vs present (in the specific chapter it switches from ...
2
votes
1answer
51 views
Correct typography for the name of an event [closed]
When you write the title of a book, you put it in italics. What about the title of an event, such as the Super Bowl or the World Cup? Of everything I looked at, this has the most information, but ...
0
votes
2answers
81 views
Presenting a Character's Thoughts
Is this an acceptable introductory paragraph to a fictional character's memoir? I'm not sure if the first sentence should be in quotations or have its own line and be italicized..
How often do you get ...
0
votes
2answers
34 views
How should I format chapters in my manuscript?
I'm in my final stages of editing before I send my manuscript to beta readers. I'm wondering how I should format chapter titles. Do I put them as a header, or as a slightly larger, bolder font?
(This ...
1
vote
1answer
57 views
Format for Historical Fiction Book
I am close to finishing my historical fiction book, and I need to know the following:
Should you indent at the beginning of every paragraph?
If you do indent, what size should the indent be?
Size of ...
8
votes
1answer
160 views
Should I capitalise a lower-case last name at the start of a sentence?
I have a fairly quick question. I am wondering if I should capitalize a last name when it comes at the start of a sentence if it starts with a lower-case letter.
Example: In my essay, I am citing ...
0
votes
1answer
46 views
Is there a format to use when referencing?
I am writing an introductory-level book about civil engineering and construction. I list the references at the very back. I show the title and name of the author at a minimum. Do I need something else?...
