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Can anyone tell me, please, when you format your manuscript in Microsoft Word, how much space you leave between the end of a chapter and the start of the next? Specifically that is how many lines space until the line that says Chapter [number] and then how much space do you leave between Chapter [number] and Chapter Heading.
In Word I use the Heading 1 for Chapter [number] and then I use Heading 2 for Chapter Heading and that allows me to use Table of Contents to format the listing of Chapters and the page numbers.
I have my line spacing set at 2, so ideally I'd like to know how many times to press the new line key (Enter) to create these spacings.
I have eighty six thousand words now and I feel the structure is complete and the plot threads are all consistent. I shall put the manuscript away again for a few weeks and I hope it won't need any more major revisions but you never know. I would like to have a consistent layout throughout the whole document but I'm not quite sure what the norms are.
Comments
Now stand back for ten TBers to give you ten variations on this.
I think it will be at least fourteen TBers/variations :D
New chapter = new page. I don't use chapter headings, so can't advise you there.
Double spacing is correct, and I tab twice to give a nice margin from the chapter to the text of the new chapter. I do the same at the end of transitions (one scene to another). Always indent every paragraph. Agents and publishers are extremely picky. Leave a margin of at least 1"minimum all round so they can make appropriate notes with your manuscript. Number your pages.
And now I shall move aside for the upteen variations...
Email, single space, make sure there are either chapter headings or *** breaks to indicate a change.
Paper (which I refuse to accept, BTW) double space, 1 inch margin all round, header or footer such as
mystory/davies/page number
indent all new paragraphs and dialogue five spaces by hitting the TAB key. Ensures continuity.
(I asked one author to do this, he hits the TAB key and then adds a further two spaces, just to be really, really annoying.)
If you use chapter headings, you only need a couple of spaces between the end of the chapter before and the new heading. Starting a new page for a new chapter is wasteful, adds to the bulk and postage and is not really necessary.
is the Table of Contents for you alone? I hope so. You don't need that. I had one author who argued with me about an Index, for a 40,000 word book. He said the reader needed to remember where they were. I said that's why bookmarks were invented.
Don 't add to your potential reader's problems. They read the covering letter, oh yes he can write. They read the synopsis, oh yes interesting., They do not need a Table of Contents unless it is an academic work and needs to be indexed.
I use that footer as a header mostly, but for current work, single spacing with page numbers is all I do. My editor has paper and an electronic version to work from.
edit: in case anyone is wondering, I am busy at work, printing 12 books individually. My computer and printer don't always speak to one another, in one 72 page novelette the computer told me 4 times it had failed to print and needed restarting... so I am not able to edit, can't give it the concentration it needs.
I always thought you had to start a new chapter on a new page - looks like I was wrong!