The Tool Box
The Toolbox contains useful articles and links for writers.
If you have an article for use on this page, please let us know. We'll consider any sound advice to make sure that Book Shed writers remain the ones to watch.
Current Articles
Formatting a Manuscript - a few basics
"... Most editors, agents and publishers ask for submissions in an easy to read font. They are not impressed by fancy fonts or strange colours. Using them may make your submission stand out, but not in the way you hope..."
"... above all else, you should be looking for an e-mail address for contact. This can be the biggest key to making sure your work ends up on the desks of the people who might give you a fair crack of the whip ..."
"... Punctuation for dialogue is something that beginner writers often get wrong..."
"... Readers like dialogue - the majority of them demand it - and it is the first thing they will criticize if it doesn't suit them... "
"... what is the difference between plot and story? Is there a difference? ... "
"... Three common areas for mistake are the use of commas, semi-colons and colons. So this document or provided as a refresher... "
"... writers often use more than three dots, but the correct punctuation is only three, no more and no less ..."
"... it's/its, you're/your. All the common tripwires debugged and explained..."
Formatting a Manuscript – a few basics
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This article is taken from The ABC Checklist for New Writers, co-written by Book Shed author Lorraine Mace. The guidebook is written with all budding writers in mind, to help them present works that end up in the shortlist, not the shredder. Information is presented in a concise A - Z format, and unfamiliar terms are explained, taking the novice through each step in the submission process. |
Fonts
Most editors, agents and publishers ask for submissions in an easy to read font. They are not impressed by fancy fonts or strange colours. Using them may make your submission stand out, but not in the way you hope.
Use 12 point Times New Roman, Arial, or Courier, as these are generally considered acceptable.
Line Spacing & Paragraphs
General submissions:
Most magazines, agents and publishers will ask for manuscripts to be double spaced. If this is the case, the first paragraph should be blocked to the left (no indent) and subsequent paragraphs indented.
Each new chapter, or change of scene, begins blocked to the left with subsequent paragraphs and dialogue indented.
Email submissions:
If the guidelines state email submissions are accepted, they will normally say whether to send the document as an attachment, in which case line space and indent as above. If the guidelines ask for work to be submitted in the body of the email, you should use single spacing and leave a line between paragraphs. Do remember that each new section of dialogue should be treated as a new paragraph and separated by a line of space.
Margins
For all submissions, other than those sent in the body of an email, you should have generous margins all round. Set your margins for one and a half inches (3.8cm) by going to the File menu and choosing Page Setup. This will open a new window where the margins can be changed.
The reason for the wide margins is a simple one, editors like to make notes and comments on manuscripts and it is easier for them to do so if there is plenty of white space around the document.
Numbering Pages
Unless told otherwise, all submissions (other than in the body of an email) should be numbered sequentially, either in the header in the top right-hand corner after your name and the title, or in the footer of each page.