Tips for Formatting a Manuscript: Part 3

Hi everyone, and welcome to the third and final part in the Tips for Formatting a Manuscript series.

Without further ado, here are another 5 tips to help you polish up your manuscript so that it has the best possible chance to succeed.

Full Stops (periods)
Only use a single space after a full stop (period). It used to be standard practice to use two spaces, and this was because it made it easier for typesetters to differentiate between the space between words which were short and the space between sentences which were longer. The practice was simply adopted when typewriters came about, but it’s not necessary anymore.

Chapters
Always begin a new chapter on a new page, placing either the chapter number, chapter name or both centred at the top of the page and then leave three lines before you begin the chapter’s main body of text. When you’ve written the end of one chapter, you can use the ‘insert page break’ function of your word processor, and it will insert a new, blank page. In Microsoft Word, it’s located under the ‘Insert’ tab.

Numbers
When you’re writing numbers, use digits for 1-10 and give all numbers larger than 10 in words.

Ellipses
If you need to use an ellipsis (…), then there should be no spaces between the word and the dots.

Pauses
An em dash (a horizontal line the width of the letter ‘m’) should be used with a space on either end to indicate a pause in speech or a break in a sentence. The em dash can be created in Microsoft Windows by enabling ‘NUMLOCK’ on the number keypad and holding the alt key and pressing 0151, e.g., alt+0151.

As always, thanks so much for reading my words, I really do appreciate it, and I hope you’ve found this series of articles useful.

Until next time,

George

© 2018 GLT

#Chapters #Edit #Editing #ellipses #format #formatting #George #manuscript #numbers #tips #writing

Tips for Formatting a Manuscript: Part 2

Hi everyone, and welcome to this, the second part in a three-part series of Tips for Formatting a Manuscript. You can find part one here and part three here.

Alignment
The main text of your manuscript should be ‘left-aligned’. Do not ‘justify’ the text as this will make it uniform and flush with the margins on either side. Jagged edges on the right are preferred.

Paragraphs
All paragraphs – except for the opening paragraphs of each chapter and scene – should be indented 0.5 inches. If you are using Microsoft Word, then this setting can be changed by clicking on the ‘Page Layout’/’Layout’ tab or in some instances, by clicking on the ‘Home’ tab and then ‘Paragraph’. Don’t use the tab key or the spacebar to indent because they can add hidden characters which can mess up your work if an editor or publisher decides to reformat the document later. Also, you don’t need to use a blank line to separate paragraphs; the indentation tells the reader that a new paragraph has begun.

Scene Breaks
For scene breaks, it’s best to use a ‘hash’ symbol (#), placed in the centre of a new double-spaced line. Some people choose to insert a blank line. However, blank lines can often be missed when the document is reformatted for publication.

Dialogue
For each new line of dialogue, indent the text 0.5 inches, this helps to show the reader that someone new has started speaking.

Emphasised Words
Emphasised words should be written in italics. It used to be the case that these words were underlined, but that is no longer necessary unless of course, an agent or publisher specifically requests it in their format guidelines.

As always, thanks for reading! Look out for the third and final part of this series, and have a smasher of a day!

Until next time,

George

© 2018 GLT

#Edit #Editing #format #formatting #George #manuscript #paragraphs #scene #tips #Writer #writing

GEORGE L THOMAS

2018-11-07 11:34:59

Tips for Formatting a Manuscript: Part 3

Hi everyone, and welcome to the third and final part in the Tips for Formatting a Manuscript series.

Without further ado, here are another 5 tips to help you polish up your manuscript so that it has the best possible chance to succeed.

Full Stops (periods)
Only use a single space after a full stop (period). It used to be standard practice to use two spaces, and this was because it made it easier for typesetters to differentiate between the space between words which were short and the space between sentences which were longer. The practice was simply adopted when typewriters came about, but it’s not necessary anymore.

Chapters
Always begin a new chapter on a new page, placing either the chapter number, chapter name or both centred at the top of the page and then leave three lines before you begin the chapter’s main body of text. When you’ve written the end of one chapter, you can use the ‘insert page break’ function of your word processor, and it will insert a new, blank page. In Microsoft Word, it’s located under the ‘Insert’ tab.

Numbers
When you’re writing numbers, use digits for 1-10 and give all numbers larger than 10 in words.

Ellipses
If you need to use an ellipsis (…), then there should be no spaces between the word and the dots.

Pauses
An em dash (a horizontal line the width of the letter ‘m’) should be used with a space on either end to indicate a pause in speech or a break in a sentence. The em dash can be created in Microsoft Windows by enabling ‘NUMLOCK’ on the number keypad and holding the alt key and pressing 0151, e.g., alt+0151.

As always, thanks so much for reading my words, I really do appreciate it, and I hope you’ve found this series of articles useful.

Until next time,

George

© 2018 GLT

#Chapters #Edit #Editing #ellipses #format #formatting #George #manuscript #numbers #tips #writing

Formatting a Manuscript – GEORGE L THOMAS

Here you'll find a series of articles full of tips for creating a polished and professional manuscript :-D

^{GEORGE L THOMAS}

Editing Your Work – The Basics

Editing can be a tricky process, especially when editing your own work. The problem is that you’ve spent an awful lot of time on this project and you’ve grown attached to every single sentence and every single word. It is your baby, and even though you know you must, the thought of changing anything about it fills you with dread.

It is a necessary part of the writing process though, and even if you plan to spend money on a professional editor, you should still self-edit your work first.

Once you have written your first draft, and after you’ve let it rest in a drawer, a cupboard or on a shelf for a week or so, it is time to grab a red pen and prepare to go through your manuscript one word at a time.

Personally, I begin with a proofread, so I take my project to a room in the house where I know I can sit in silence without distractions. This is essential because, for proofreading, your level of concentration needs to be as high as possible. Anything that can pull your focus away even for a second can cause you to miss something.

I read through the work, marking any grammatical errors I see at first glance. As I go, I keep an eye out for words and phrases that I know I use too much such as ‘suddenly’, ‘just then’ and ‘all of a sudden’. It may also help at the end if you use your word processor’s ‘find and replace’ function to search for these words and phrases if you want to make extra certain that you’ve found them all. I also try to watch out for overused exclamation points.

This may take a few sittings to complete depending on how long your manuscript is. If it’s a short story, then you can probably do it in one sitting, but novels will obviously take longer.

Next, I turn to the back page and begin to read backwards word by word. I do this to check for any misspelt words, and there’s usually a fair few since during the writing process I turn off the word processor’s spelling and grammar checker. I do use Grammarly at the very end of the editing process to make sure I haven’t missed anything. It’s a convenient tool, and I prefer to use it at the end because I feel as though I won’t learn anything if the computer corrects everything for me as I type.

Finally, I read the whole thing aloud to either my partner or another willing family member to make sure that the entire thing flows the way I want it to and that every sentence sounds correct. This is also very helpful in spotting any missing commas; if a sentence is too long with no commas to break it up, then you’ll be able to hear that when you’re reading.

Then I ask some trusted people whose honesty and opinions I value to read what I’ve written and to give me feedback. Once I’ve received all of their views and advice I prepare to perform the next job of the writing process – Revising my work.

Thank you very much for reading if you did, as always, I appreciate you spending your valuable time here.

If you’re reading in mobile view, check out the drop-down menu on the ‘Home’ button when you click on ‘Menu’ for specific categories.

Until next time,

George

© 2017 GLT

#Edit #Editing #Editor #grammar #Pen #Red #spelling #tips #words #Writer #writing

GEORGE L THOMAS

2018-09-14 21:45:25

Editing Tips

The process of editing your work can be challenging, but unfortunately, it is one of the necessary evils of writing. However, the good news is that the more you do it, the more proficient you become.
I don’t mean to imply that it’s ever a breeze, because it’s not; editing is hard work, but it’s worth persevering with and sharpening your skills.

Below you’ll find five tips to help make your self-editing sessions go as smoothly as possible!

1 – Take a Break
When you’ve finished your first draft or any draft for that matter, It’s a good idea to put it in a drawer or a folder somewhere and take a break from it; just let it sit and breathe for a bit while you go off and work on something else, or relax a little. When you come back, you will have fresh eyes, a refreshed perspective and you’ll be able to spot errors more easily because you’re no longer fully immersed in the project. It’s a bit like not being able to see the woods for the trees when you’re entrenched in your work.

2 – Prepare
When you’re ready to actually sit down and go over your project with a fine-toothed comb, make sure that you set aside a good chunk of time without distractions. Editing sessions are gruelling and long, and the last thing you want is to make it longer by having to check facebook or twitter every time your phone chirps. Make sure you allow yourself the time to do a thorough job and don’t rush it.

3 – Remember, Dictionaries are your Friend
Having a dictionary to hand is essential when you’re editing, especially if you’ve left your phone in another room to avoid distractions. These days, a phone is the go-to gadget for looking up words, but a good old fashioned dictionary is just as good, and while you’re at it, a thesaurus can be a lifesaver too.

4 – Read Backwards
You might scrunch your face up at this one and it does sound like an odd thing to do, however, reading backwards is an excellent way to spot spelling mistakes; since your brain won’t be busy absorbing and sorting information from full sentences, it will be free to detect even the smallest of spelling errors. Try it, and you’ll be surprised by how many mistakes you find.

5 – Read Aloud
Reading aloud is a great way to tell if your story, article or other writing projects read the way you want them to. It’s also good for seeing if dialogue sounds realistic and whether or not you’re missing any punctuation. Some word processors even have a text to speech function, but nothing beats reading your work to a carefully selected audience of cats and/or dogs, they make excellent listeners!

As always, thank you so much for reading my words, I really do appreciate your time.

Until next time,

George

© 2018 GLT

#Edit #Editing #editingTips #grammar #spelling #tips #words #Writer #writing

Editing Tips

The process of editing your work can be challenging, but unfortunately, it is one of the necessary evils of writing. However, the good news is that the more you do it, the more proficient you become.
I don’t mean to imply that it’s ever a breeze, because it’s not; editing is hard work, but it’s worth persevering with and sharpening your skills.

Below you’ll find five tips to help make your self-editing sessions go as smoothly as possible!

1 – Take a Break
When you’ve finished your first draft or any draft for that matter, It’s a good idea to put it in a drawer or a folder somewhere and take a break from it; just let it sit and breathe for a bit while you go off and work on something else, or relax a little. When you come back, you will have fresh eyes, a refreshed perspective and you’ll be able to spot errors more easily because you’re no longer fully immersed in the project. It’s a bit like not being able to see the woods for the trees when you’re entrenched in your work.

2 – Prepare
When you’re ready to actually sit down and go over your project with a fine-toothed comb, make sure that you set aside a good chunk of time without distractions. Editing sessions are gruelling and long, and the last thing you want is to make it longer by having to check facebook or twitter every time your phone chirps. Make sure you allow yourself the time to do a thorough job and don’t rush it.

3 – Remember, Dictionaries are your Friend
Having a dictionary to hand is essential when you’re editing, especially if you’ve left your phone in another room to avoid distractions. These days, a phone is the go-to gadget for looking up words, but a good old fashioned dictionary is just as good, and while you’re at it, a thesaurus can be a lifesaver too.

4 – Read Backwards
You might scrunch your face up at this one and it does sound like an odd thing to do, however, reading backwards is an excellent way to spot spelling mistakes; since your brain won’t be busy absorbing and sorting information from full sentences, it will be free to detect even the smallest of spelling errors. Try it, and you’ll be surprised by how many mistakes you find.

5 – Read Aloud
Reading aloud is a great way to tell if your story, article or other writing projects read the way you want them to. It’s also good for seeing if dialogue sounds realistic and whether or not you’re missing any punctuation. Some word processors even have a text to speech function, but nothing beats reading your work to a carefully selected audience of cats and/or dogs, they make excellent listeners!

As always, thank you so much for reading my words, I really do appreciate your time.

Until next time,

George

© 2018 GLT

#Edit #Editing #editingTips #grammar #spelling #tips #words #Writer #writing