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What else needs to be covered in the basics of formatting a fiction manuscript? We’ve covered:

Manuscript 101–the Book List
Manuscript 101–Introduction & Basic Manuscript Format
Manuscript 101–Comma, wherefore art thou?
Manuscript 101–The Apostrophe’s Dilemma
Manuscript 101–Where do I put the “quotation marks”? (which includes information on using ellipses and em dashes)

What other major technical formatting/grammatical issues are out there? ‘Cause I’m really wanting to start writing about something other than the stuff that I deal with at work every day.

(I’d like to start discussing characterization and point of view . . .)

Thanks Amy Jane for giving me the perfect segue from apostrophes into quotation marks. Where quotation marks come in relationship to other punctuation can be rather tricky, especially if you’re like me and you read not just American-published stuff, but British and Australian as well. If you’re outside of the U.S. reading this, please understand that the rules I will refer to apply to standards of American printing. Also, this will focus on the use of quotation marks in fiction writing. If you need information on how to format/cite quotations in academic or journalistic work, I suggest you refer to the MLA or AP manuals.

As 99.99% of fiction writers already know, spoken dialogue is enclosed in quotation marks. A change in speaker is indicated by a new paragraph:

“I’m sure they treat you like a celebrity down in Atlanta.”

“Hmm.” The author grimaced. “Yeah—and that’s one of the reasons I’m here now.”

A thrill of excitement rushed up Kirsten’s spine. “Are you here to research a new book?”

“No, but I’m sure this place and its history will give me some ideas. I’m moving here—to teach English and journalism at Boone College.”

“Oh—those lucky students! I’m sure you’ll be their favorite professor.”

“Thanks.” Ms. Hebert sipped the latte. “This is really good. How much do I owe you?”

Kirsten held her hands up in protest. “A visitor’s—or newcomer’s—first cup is always on the house.”

Periods vs. commas. A period is used when what comes after the closing quotation mark is a new sentence (all of the examples above). A comma is used when what follows is part of the same sentence—most often seen with “said/asked” dialogue tags or when an action beat comes in the middle of a line of dialogue:

“If you’ll just look at this,” she held the report out toward him, “I think you’ll understand.”

“I don’t want to look at it,” he said, turning away from her. “Just tell me what it says.”

Interrupted speech. An em dash is used to indicate an interruption:

“What in the—”

“Look out!” Jeremy tackled her just before the bus hit her.

or

“How could you possibly think—” she jumped to her feet—”this wouldn’t upset me?”

The em dash is also used for interjections/parenthetical elements in the middle of a sentence. These are often what they refer to in drama as “asides.” Like parentheses, you must remember to close your em dash:

“When we went to the Grand Canyon—remember, the family trip back in high school—we went through Santa Fe on the way back.”

The em dash, as you’ll notice, does not have spaces on either side of it. It is achieved in MS Word by typing two hyphens - - (with no space between them) after the word where you want it. The keyboard shortcut is [ctrl][alt][number-pad minus sign] in the PC version of Word and [option][apple][number-pad minus sign] in Word for Mac.

One formatting problem Word has when using an em dash is that at the end of a piece of dialogue, it turns the quotation mark around the wrong way. There are two ways to eliminate this problem. In the PC version of Word, after your em dash, hit [ctrl]['](apostrophe) then [shift]["]. This should turn the quotation mark the right way (this works for getting the apostrophe to face the correct direction at the beginning of a word, too). Or you can do it the cheap way: type your two hyphens followed by any random letter, followed by the quotation mark, then delete the random letter.

Faltering/Fading speech. An ellipsis* is used to indicate when someone’s thought trails off, or to indicate that they’ve gone on and on and on but you’ve saved the reader the tedium of reading something you’ve either already shown before, or that it’s not important (shown through the other character’s bored reaction):

She shrugged. “Well, you know what they say . . .” Her voice drifted off.

“No, what do they say?”

*The three dot method is simpler and probably more widely used. You just use the three spaced dots ( . . . ) whether it’s a complete sentence or not.

The three-or-four dot method this is what we use where I work, but is typically seen mostly in academic/technical writing. Three spaced dots are used when they follow an incomplete sentence. Four dots (period [space] dot [space] dot [space] dot) follow a complete sentence—even if it isn’t the complete quotation. . . .

Ellipses can be used at the beginning of a line of dialogue when a character has walked into a conversation in progress.

Quotations within quotations. When you are including a quote within a quote, it goes in single quotation marks:

“When he said, ‘by any means necessary,’ I don’t think he meant bribery.”

(Notice, the comma goes inside the single quotes.)

“I think I know what he meant when he said, ‘by any means necessary.’”

(Like the previous example, the period goes before the single quote mark—because a period won’t change the meaning of the quote.)

“What did he mean when he said, ‘by any means necessary’?”

(Now the punctuation comes after the single quote, because the quoted statement isn’t a question. If I’d put the question mark inside the single quote, it would have changed the meaning of the quote.)

All punctuation would come after an apostrophe at the end of a sentence:

“Good mornin’.”

“How’re you doin’?”

The general rule for closing quotation marks and other punctuation, according to CMS 6.8, is that periods and commas always come before the closing quote mark. In standard dialogue, a question mark, exclamation point or other punctuation all come before the closing quotation mark (not after the speaker attribution if you’re using a said/asked dialogue tag). When you’re not writing dialogue (for example, when writing your blog or nonfiction) and you’re using quoted materials, commas, periods, and ellipses would come inside the closing quotation mark. If the quote does not include a question mark or exclamation point as its own closing punctuation, question marks and exclamation points, along with colons and semicolons, come after the closing quotation mark:

Which of Shakespeare’s characters said, “To be, or not to be”?

I hope that clarifies things. What are some other questions about quotation marks that I’ve missed or that you’ve run into in your own writing?

There is a little punctuation mark that has a giant dilemma: the apostrophe. Little Apostrophe likes to hang around in contractions and possessives, but many times gets thrown into places where he doesn’t like to be—especially plurals. Little Apostrophe doesn’t understand why people insist on forcing him into places he doesn’t want to go. Let’s find out how to protect Little Apostrophe . . .

1. Contractions and abbreviations: Apostrophes are used when two words are joined together and/or when letters are omitted (contractions such as can’t, won’t, didn’t, ’tis and abbreviations such as ’em, ’07, or ’99). When the apostrophe comes at the beginning of the word (as in ’tis), the opening of the curve goes toward the letters that have been omitted. This differentiates it from a single quote mark. 

don’t—contraction of do not. The apostrophe replaces the letter (o). (Bedford 36c, CMS 7.31)

rock ’n’ roll—abbreviation of and. The apostrophes replace the (a) and the (d). (Bedford 36c, CMS 7.31)

’tis—the apostrophe would be pointing toward the omitted letter (i) to form the contraction for it is. (Bedford 36c, CMS 7.31)

’07—the apostrophe would be pointing toward the omitted numbers (20) to indicate the shortened form of the year 2007. (Bedford 36c, CMS 9.34)

2. Possessives: This is another area where I saw a lot of people struggle gramatically in the Genesis contest. According to the CMS “general rule” (7.17)– “The possessive of most singular nouns is formed by adding an apostrophe and an s, and the possessive of plural nouns (except for a few irregular plurals that do not end in s) by adding an apostrophe only.” Before adding an apostrophe or an –’s to the word, please examine the word to make sure it’s singular or plural first. (CMS 7.17–7.18.)

This is Jones’s dog / This is the Joneses’ dog (the first indicates there is only one Jones, the second that there are two or more Joneses who own the dog—the confusing thing is that both are pronounced the same when spoken).

This is the childrens’ first play date / This is the children’s first play date (the first is just completely wrong, because children is already plural, therefore, adding an –s before the apostrophe is incorrect)

It’s so easy, it’s child’s play.

(See CMS 7.19–7.22 for exceptions)

3. Plurals: Apostrophes are never, never, never, never, never, never used to create plurals*. Plurals are formed by adding an –s or –es (or –ies for words that end with y) to the end of the word (for the most part—there are those that completely change form when made plural, like women and children)—even when they are proper names or single capital letters. Don’t apologize for adding an –s to a word by feeling you have to put in an apostrophe. Be bold! Just add the –s! For example:

Keeping up with the Joneses

We’re taking the kids to the beach.

The Jacksons live here.

The three Rs: reading, ’riting, and ’rithmetic. (what educator ever came up with that?)

the 1990s, the 1800s, I Love the ’80s.

even abbreviations: vols. (for volumes), eds. (for editions)

no ifs, ands, or buts

The Dos and Don’ts of Networking

yesses and nos

*Exception: Okay, so there are two very rare instances when you would use an apostrophe to create a plural: with lowercase letters (dot your i’s and cross your t’s) and with abbreviations that have internal periods or use both captial and lowercase letters (M.A.’s, Ph.D’s—though the trend is toward omitting the periods, so in this case these would become MAs and PhD’s–with the apostrophe with the second due to the lowercase h). See CMS 7.14–7.16 for further examples and explanations.

Standard Accepted Guidelines for Comma Usage
Based on the Chicago Manual of Style, Bedford Handbook, Harbrace College Handbook, and Words into Type.

This is not a comprehensive list—just the most common usages you might run across. As a writer, you can choose whether or not to apply these rules to your writing. Just make sure whichever you choose to do, do it consistently. Don’t use a serial comma sometimes and not others. Either always use it or never use it. That way, when an editor sees your work, they will know you have made a deliberate choice instead of thinking you don’t know grammar well.

1. The Serial Comma. In a list of three or more items, a comma should precede the and:
          Please go to the store and get apples, bananas, and pears for the fruit salad.
          We came, we saw, and we conquered.
          She got up, got dressed, brushed her teeth, put on makeup, dropped the overdue books off at the library, went to the grocery store, got gas, and arrived home before her kids got out of the bed.

Exception 1: Do not use commas when all items in a series are joined by a conjunction:
          We are going to Bermuda or Jamaica or Barbados. 

Exception 2: No comma is used with an ampersand (&):
          He stepped into the offices of Folse, Bordelon & Guidry.

2. Independent Clauses. When two independent clauses (two complete thoughts that could stand alone as sentences) are joined by a conjunction (and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet, if, because*), a comma precedes the conjunction.
          The reporter turned in her story, but she missed the deadline.
          We didn’t get to go to the park, because* it was raining by the time Dad got home.
          Do you want to go swimming, or do you want to go horseback riding?

Exception 1: If the clauses are very short and very closely related, no comma is needed:
          She knelt down and she prayed.

Exception 2: If one or both of the clauses contain internal commas, use a semicolon before the conjunction:
          If you want to continue working here, Jim, we would like to keep you; but we can no longer put up with your greasy hair, ratty jeans, and Moses sandals that show off your nasty toe-jam.

*Because is a recent addition to this list and currently has the status of a style choice rather than a rule. The rule used to state that no comma came before because in a sentence, whether or not what followed it was an independent clause. However, by definition, because is a conjunction and most copy editors are beginning to treat it as such. Be careful, though, that you do not confuse it with because of, which is a preposition.

3. Introductory Phrases. Use a comma after an introductory phrase at the beginning of a sentence. These are typically adverbial (beginning with adverbs such as before, after, never, always, not, very, or –ly words) or participial (beginning with the participial form of a verb) phrases:
          At the stroke of midnight, the coach turned back into a pumpkin.
          Hoping to stop the horses, he jumped on the near one’s back and pulled the reins as hard as he could.

Exception 1: A single word or very short (2–3 words) phrase does not require a comma unless a pause is intended (when read aloud) or to avoid misreading.
         Before eating, the family always says grace. 
(not Before eating the family . . .)
          Before eating we always say grace.

Exception 2: A comma is not used after an adverbial or participial phrase that immediately precedes the verb it modifies (in other words, the phrase becomes the subject of the sentence):
          Out of the cave came the most horrific shriek.
          Growing in the median are some pretty wildflowers.<

4. Oh, Ah, Yes, No, Well, and Direct Address.  A comma follows the exclamatory oh or ah at the beginning of a sentence (before and after if it comes in the middle). A comma follows yes, no, well, or other such words at the beginning of a sentence. A comma follows a name/title used in direct address.
           It is, oh, such a wonderful thing!
          Well, I thought so.
          What is it, Lassie? Timmy fell down the well?
          I wonder, sir, if you would please refrain from stepping on my foot again.

Exception 1: No comma needed if it is a short phrase:
          Ah yes! Oh no! Oh well.

Exception 2: No comma is needed with the poetic O:
          O Lord, how wonderful are thy ways.

5. Restrictive and Nonrestrictive Phrases. This element includes Parenthetical Elements, Interjections, Dependent Clauses, Relative Clauses, Appositives, Not…But. If a phrase is Restrictive (i.e., necessary to the meaning of the sentence) it should not be enclosed in commas. If a phrase/clause is Nonrestrictive (i.e., supplemental information, can be left out without changing the meaning of the sentence), it is enclosed in commas.
          Brandilyn Collins, the best selling author, will be here for a book signing tomorrow. (nonrestrictive)
          Richard Armitage the British actor is young and good looking. Richard Armitage the former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State is older and not so good looking. (restrictive)
          Starbucks, which has really expensive coffee, is a national chain. (nonrestrictive)
          The book that I had to read for class is due back to the library today.(restrictive)
           (Which is typically nonrestrictive, That is usually restrictive)
          My sister, Michelle, is two years older than me. (nonrestrictive—I only have one sister)
          My mother’s sister Rinn lives in Florida. (restrictive—her sister Becky lives in North Carolina)
          It is, indeed, the most wonderful time of the year. (interjection)
          This, I think, is where we turn. (interjection)

6. Coordinate and Cumulative Adjectives. Remember these from the quiz? Coordinate adjectives are those whose order can be changed (or that can be joined by and) without changing the meaning of the phrase and they need a comma. If changing the order of the adjectives changes the meaning of the phrase, they are cumulative (or compounding) adjectives and do not need a comma.
          He was a mad, bad, dangerous-to-know man.
          He was mad, bad, and dangerous to know.
          We marveled at the enormous blue diamond necklace.

Repeated Adjectives also get a comma:
          You’re a bad, bad boy.

There are so many more rules and guidelines when it comes to commas usage (and don’t worry, we’ll get into where they go when there are quotation marks and other punctuation in a later post). This barely scratches the surface, but are most likely the most standard scenarios in which you’ll use commas in your writing. Is there a comma usage you struggle with that I haven’t listed? Something marked on your contest entry you don’t understand or disagree with? Let me know, and we’ll look into it.

Here are the rest of the answers (and explantions) for the pop quiz:

6. The Declaration of Independence, which was signed on July 4, 1776, served as the catalyst for the Revolutionary War.
    d. Comma needed after 1776.

Comma needed after 1776: While only one answer was correct on this question, there are two explanations for why the comma is needed. The first would be because the phrase which was signed on July 4, 1776 is an interjection, which is explained in the answer to question 1. It is also a rule that when a date is used in text, a comma comes before and after the year (Bedford 32i, CMS 6.48).

7. I went to the store and got asparagus and cauliflower and broccoli.
    d. No commas needed.

Items in a series joined by conjunctions: We saw a couple of examples (numbers 1 & 3) of the need for the serial comma before the and when we have a list of three or more items. However, when a series of items are all joined by conjunctions, no commas are needed (Bedford 33h, CMS 6.20). In this case, the and serves the same function as a comma in separating the items in the list, making the use of the comma unnecessary.

8. The spy betrayed not only his country but his comrades.
    d. No commas needed.

Antithetical elements: Not . . . but is one of the most difficult sentence constructions when it comes to figuring out if it needs a comma or not. The general rule of thumb goes back to the rule about restrictive and nonrestrictive phrases. If the meaning of the sentence is dependent upon the not . . . but phrases, no commas are needed. Conversely, if the not . . . but phrase is supplemental to the meaning of the sentence, two commas are needed, before the not and before the but (Bedford 32e, CMS 6.41):
    The spy’s crime was unforgivable, not only betraying his country, but also his comrades.

9. When she entered the room, she was dressed in black velvet, and she was wearing a huge, sparkling diamond necklace.
    d. Both (b) and (c).

Comma needed after room: This is the introductory phrase comma (see explanation on #2). Comma needed after velvet. This is the independent clause comma (see explanation on #2).No comma needed after sparkling. This is the cumulative adjective rule (see explanations for #s 4 & 5). The name of the object is “diamond necklace”: a diamond, huge, sparkling necklace doesn’t make sense, therefore, no comma is needed after sparkling.

Here are the answers (and explantions) for the pop quiz:

1. Football, which is called soccer in America, is very popular in South America, Europe, and Africa.
    d. Commas needed after America and Europe.

Comma needed after America: The phrase which is called soccer in America is what is called an “interjection” (CMS 6.30-31, 6.38)—basically, it’s an additional piece of information about the subject of the sentence (football). To determine whether or not a comma is needed, we first have to determine if the phrasal adjective is necessary (”restrictive”) or supplemental (”nonrestrictive“) to the sentence. If we drop the entire phrase, does it change the meaning of the sentence? Football is very popular in . . . No. So this is a nonrestrictive phrase. According to both CMS and Bedford, nonrestrictive phrases need to be enclosed in commas (or preceded by a comma if it comes at the end of the sentence). Therefore, a comma is needed after America, to enclose this nonrestrictive phrase.

Comma needed after Europe: This is a rule that is most controversial when it comes to commas: the serial comma. Many people probably did not think that a comma was needed here. If this sentence appeared in a newspaper or magazine, you would be right. It is journalistic style (AP Stylebook) to drop the serial comma. However in academic and fiction writing, 99% of the time, you will find the serial comma is expected (Bedford 32c, CMS 6.19). What is the definition of a serial comma? It is the comma that comes before the and in a list of three or more items: apples, bananas, and oranges. In an example below, we will see how the omission of the serial comma actually changes the meaning of the sentence!

2. After lunch, the jury was called back to the courtroom, and they heard testimony on behalf of the defendant.
    d. Commas needed after lunch and courtroom.

Comma needed after lunch: Introductory phrases are followed by commas (Bedford 32b, CMS 6.25). Why? To quote from Bedford: “A comma tells readers that the introductory clause or phrase has come to a close and that the main part of the sentence is about to begin” (pg. 427). To give another example:
    After she finished eating her dog got all the scraps.
She ate her dog???? Of course not! It should read:
    After she finished eating, her dog got all the scraps.
See how one little piece of punctuation makes all the difference?

Comma needed after courtroom: This is the “independent clause” comma. When two independent clauses (two clauses that could stand alone as complete sentences) are joined by a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet and because), a comma should precede the conjunction (Bedford 32a, CMS 6.32). The comma signals the end of one complete clause and the beginning of the next. Exception: if the sentences are very short and very closely related, the comma can be omitted. (e.g., We came and we saw him.)

3. We went to the store, ate, and got gas.
    b. Comma needed after ate.

Serial comma needed: Remember above when I said we’d see how a serial comma can change the meaning of a sentence? With no serial comma in this sentence, the and joins got gas only to ate-–it indicates that the we subject of the sentence only did two things (went to the store and ate) and that the last piece (got gas) is part of the second (ate). Hopefully whoever this “we” is carries some Beano around with them! I wonder if they had Mexican food.

4. It was a dark, stormy night.
    a. No changes needed; sentence is correct.

5. We saw an endangered black rhino.
    a. No changes needed; sentence is correct.

More than one adjective: Whether or not to put a comma between adjectives can be super-confusing . . . unless you learn the secret grammarians (and English majors) around the world learned long ago: switch the adjectives around. If you can change the order of the adjectives without changing the meaning of the phrase, then they are coordinate adjectives and need a comma. If changing the order of the adjectives changes the meaning of the phrase, they are cumulative (or compounding) adjectives and do not need a comma. (Bedford 32d, CMS 6.39)
     It was a dark, stormy night is the same as It was a stormy, dark night. Therefore, the comma is necessary.
     We saw an endangered black rhino is not the same as We saw a black, endangered rhino. “Black rhino” is the name of the animal, which is actually a brownish gray color, therefore, the second sentence changes the meaning.

Reading over these explanations, do you want to change any of your answers for numbers six through ten?

Commas seem to be one of the most daunting pieces of the grammar landscape that any writer deals with. And depending on whether you’re writing academic papers, novels, non-fiction, or newspaper/magazine articles, the rules can differ. However, using a “strict” method will never steer you wrong. For the discussion of punctuation, especially commas, I’ll be referring to rules in the Chicago Manual of Style 15th Edition and the Bedford Handbook 5th Edition and using examples inspired by the book Eats, Shoots & Leaves.

Let’s start out with a pop-quiz, just to see where everyone is. You can post a comment with your answers or you can keep them to yourself, if you’d like. Answers will be posted tomorrow.

1. Football, which is called soccer in America is very popular in South America, Europe and Africa.
    a. No changes needed; sentence is correct.
    b. Comma needed after Europe.
    c. Comma needed after America.
    d. Commas needed after America and Europe.

2. After lunch the jury was called back to the courtroom and they heard testimony on behalf of the defendant.
    a. No changes needed; sentence is correct.
    b. Comma needed after lunch.
    c. Comma needed after courtroom.
    d. Commas needed after lunch and courtroom.

3. We went to the store, ate and got gas.
    a. No changes needed; sentence is correct.
    b. Comma needed after ate.
    c. No comma needed after store.
    d. Comma needed after and.

4. It was a dark, stormy night.
    a. No changes needed; sentence is correct.
    b. Comma needed after stormy.
    c. Comma needed after was.
    d. No comma needed.

5. We saw an endangered black rhino.
    a. No changes needed; sentence is correct.
    b. Comma needed after saw.
    c. Comma needed after saw and endangered.
    d. Comma needed after endangered.

6. The Declaration of Independence, which was signed on July 4, 1776 served as the catalyst for the Revolutionary War.
    a. No changes needed; sentence is correct.
    b. No comma needed after Independence.
    c. Comma needed after signed.
    d. Comma needed after 1776.

7. I went to the store and got asparagus, and cauliflower, and broccoli.
    a. No changes needed; sentence is correct.
    b. No comma needed after asparagus.
    c. No comma needed after cauliflower.
    d. No commas needed.

8. The spy betrayed, not only his country, but his comrades.
    a. No changes needed; sentence is correct.
    b. No comma needed after betrayed.
    c. No comma needed after country.
    d. No commas needed.

9. When she entered the room she was dressed in black velvet and she was wearing a huge, sparkling, diamond necklace.
    a. No changes needed; sentence is correct.
    b. Commas needed after room and velvet.
    c. No comma needed after sparkling.
    d. Both (b) and (c).

10. The writer who was recently signed to a multi-book contract will be here for a book signing on August 28.
    a. No changes needed; sentence is correct.
    b. Commas needed after writer and contract.
    c. Commas needed after writer and signing.
    d. Commas needed after contract and August.

Who is this Kaye Dacus and why should I believe what she has to say on this topic?

Well, I’m glad you asked. Please check out my ABOUT page to find out why I’m so passionate about the subject of writing.

One caveat. Even though I work as a copy editor, I am not posting any of this material as a representative of the publishing house. This is completely on my own and is no reflection on the house where I work (which is why I am not mentioning the name). The house where I work publishes everything from children’s board and picture books, young adult fiction and nonfiction, educational materials, to adult fiction and nonfiction, and I work with it all. Occasionally I may refer to the “style” we prefer at my house—this will be in instances where the “rules” might be vague, and the place where I work has chosen to do it a specific way. Other publishers may do it differently.

Also, please understand that no one is ever an “expert” at any of this. It’s always a learning process, as our language is constantly in a state of flux, and what might have been a “rule” five years ago (such as “always put a comma before the word too at the end of a sentence”) is now no longer the accepted norm (most houses are starting to eliminate the comma before too).

For the most part, I will be speaking in general terms—especially when it come to formatting—as there really are no hard-and-fast rules, just accepted practices. That said, let’s get some of the most basic “accepted practices” out in the open . . .
(CMS=Chicago Manual of Style)

Basic Manuscript Format
For the most part, if you follow these guidelines, your manuscript will have an acceptable layout for submission:

• 8.5 x 11″ paper size, portrait layout
• 1″ to 1.25″ margins (top, bottom, right, left). Do not go wider than 1.25″ (this is what MS Word defaults to, unless you change it)
• 12 point font, Courier or Times New Roman. Choose one font and stick with it. Do not use any other fonts in the file–such as a scripty font for a letter a character writes (just italicize your chosen font). Let the publishing house decide how to format it.
• LEFT justify your document; do not full justify. This means the right margin will be jagged, not straight.
• Do not allow your word-processing software to automatically hyphenate your document. It’s okay if long words wrap to the next line. The reason is that sometimes, when the publisher imports a text file into the design software, it will read the hyphen as a character and keep it in the middle of the word, but now that word isn’t broken over a line, but in the middle of it. So you end up with something like news-paper or cli-mate in the middle of a line.
• In the header:
  LastName/Title of Novel–flush to the left margin
  Page number–flush to the right margin (you can set up a right-aligned tab)
  The LastName/Title can be in ALL CAPS or in Sentence Case (not in italics). All that is necessary for the page number is the numeral–you do not have to put “page” before it, or set it off with -1- hyphens or anything like that
• Double line spaced, with widow/orphan control turned off. (In MS Word, this is accomplished by clicking FORMAT–>PARAGRAPH and then in that dialogue box, clicking the LINE & PAGE BREAKS tab. Once on that screen, click off the checkmark beside Widow/Orphan control.) Turning off the widow/orphan control lets the text break naturally across the page breaks—it keeps the program from automatically forcing paragraphs to stay together at the end of a page, thus creating big gaps of space at the end of pages.
• Single spaces between sentences. (CMS 2.12) No extra space at the end of a paragraph. (This can become an issue once your manuscript is accepted for publication and is imported into Quark or other design programs.)
• Smart Quotes. I saw several entries in this year’s Genesis contest that had a mix of smart (curly) and straight quotation marks. There is an easy way to fix this in MS Word. Do a find and replace: Find ” and replace with ” (the same mark) and click Replace All. Then do the same with the single ‘ quote mark. This should change them all to the smart-quote format.
• Paragraph indentation. Two ways of doing this. Some people (like me) prefer the old-fashioned way of hitting the TAB key at the beginning of each paragraph, which tabs the line over 0.5″. (Do not use spaces, always use the TAB.) Others prefer to let the word processor do it for them, which is done either automatically, if this “auto correct” option has not been disabled, or by changing it in the FORMAT–>PARAGRAPHS menu. It should never be more than 0.5″, no matter which method you prefer to use.
• Italics vs. underlining. CMS 2.17: “Unless your publisher decrees otherwise, use italics, not underlining, for words that are to be italized in the printed version.”
• Space at the beginning of chapters. Chapters should begin 1/3 to 1/2 the way down the page. This means that the highest your chapter header (CHAPTER ONE) should be on the page is 3.63″. Watch the info bar at the bottom of your word processor’s window—it should show you where you’re located on the page. I start my chapters at 4.6″. No particular reason. I just like the way it looks when I print it out. The lowest you’d want to go is about 5.5″, which would be exactly in the middle of the page. Start each chapter at exactly the same measurement.
• Use hard page breaks at the end of your chapters if you have all of your chapters in one document. You can do this in MS Word by clicking on INSERT–>BREAK and selecting PAGE BREAK, or by using the keyboard shortcut of CTRL-ENTER. This ensures that no matter how much editing you do on individual chapters within the document, the chapters following will always start at the right place on the page.
• Where does the chapter header go? That’s a really good question. CMS says it should be flush left, but they really aren’t focused on FICTION manuscripts. The standard I have always seen and heard of as acceptable is CENTERED one double-spaced line above the text. They can be ALL CAPS (CHAPTER ONE) or Sentence Case (Chapter One) or you can use numerals (Chapter 1)–just make sure they’re all consistent. They should be set in roman (not italic) text, and regular (not bold) face. I’ve sent a couple of e-mails out to find out if this is still the correct, accepted format, so stay tuned.
• PLEASE run a spell check on your manuscript. You can add unique names so that they don’t come up every time you run it. Even though the red-squiggly line is there, we don’t always see it. While the grammar tool with the spell check can be helpful in pointing out run-on sentences and passive voice, DO NOT take everything it says as gospel truth. It’s wrong at least 50 percent of the time (at least from my experience with it).

I’m sure I’ve forgotten something very important. Does this cover basic formatting? Let me know what I’ve left out.

Here it is, as promised, the start of a new series: Manuscript 101: Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them. Before I get started listing them, though, there are a few books I recommend every serious writer should have on hand. You can buy all of these books used–see the “more buying choices” at Amazon (linked) or you can look them up on www.alibris.com

The absolute, #1, must have reference book all writers should OWN is the Chicago Manual of Style 15th Edition. This is the “bible” that nearly every single publishing house goes by when it comes to formatting manuscripts for publication. Each house will have its own unique, internal style, yes, but if you make sure your manuscript is in CMS format, you’ll be in good shape. You can also get an online subscription to the CMS—but I have not used it to know how helpful/useful it is. I like having my hard-cover book sitting on the shelf right beside me so that I can immediately go to the sections where I know certain topics are covered (such as numbers in chapter 9, capitalization in chapter 8, dialogue and quotations in chapter 11) and pages are marked for rules I have the most trouble remembering.

Another super-important reference book to have on hand is a grammar handbook. I recommend the Bedford Handbook of Style, which is what I used as an undergrad (and taught from as a T.A.). Don’t get anything older than the 5th edition (1998). This is the version I have at home, and as long as you’re not going to be writing research papers, the grammar info (which is what you’re getting it for) is all still accurate. Find the Instructor’s Annotated Edition if you can—it has the answers to the exercises listed in the student version, as well as additional notes. The Harbrace College Handbook is good, but isn’t as well laid-out as Bedford. (The most recent one I can find online is the 13th edition, which was published in 1998—it’s what I have on my desk at work, so it is still useful).

As a backup to the CMS, I also occasionally refer to Words into Type. It was published in 1974, but is still useful in that it explains the WHY of certain rules better than the CMS.

The reason I HIGHLY RECOMMEND a grammar handbook in addition to the CMS is that the CMS is not a grammar guide. It’s a formatting/style guide. Yes, it has rules about punctuation and usage, HOWEVER, it also says things like “a comma usually precedes” that don’t give absolute yes or no answers to the questions that will come up. If you did not major in English or take at least one senior-level grammar class in college, having a grammar handbook at your fingertips is going to be one of your best writing tools available.

You also need a good dictionary: American Heritage, Merriam-Webster, or Random House dictionary, preferably other than a collegiate edition—though it doesn’t have to be unabridged (The AHD dictionary is not unabridged, but I’ve never looked up anything not in it)—with usage notes and other peripheral information included. If you cannot afford the most recent edition of a full dictionary (to make sure you know the currently accepted forms of words like Internet and online or the appropriate conjugation of the verb blog), an acceptable alternative is www.dictionary.com, which accesses the AHD and RHD, and www.m-w.com which is the online version of Merriam-Webster—however, some of their content is subscriber-only. Update: In answer to Amy’s question in the comments below, collegiate dictionaries aren’t bad if that’s what you already have on hand, but they do have a limited focus. Further, I recommend purchasing a good dictionary because it frees you from having to write/edit at a computer connected to the internet.

A usage book like Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of American Usage or Right, Wrong, and Risky: A Dictionary of Today’s American English Usage can also be very helpful, especially if you’re using regional/colloquial dialogue you’re not quite sure about—or if you want to make sure you aren’t using it!

Now, I’m not saying you need to go out and buy all of these tonight or else you won’t be able to follow this series. But I will be referring to especially the CMS and Bedford handbooks quite a bit, and to keep from infringing on copyright issues, I will not be able to include more than just a couple of quotes here and there.

So—I know which errors I want to make sure to expose . . . I mean expound upon in this series, but I want to make sure that your needs are being met. What are some problems you have with grammar or formatting? Have you gotten some critiques or contest feedback that have left you scratching your head wondering why they took off points for grammar, layout, or formatting? Are you lost when it comes to commas—or even worse, semicolons, colons, and em dashes?

What can I help you with?