Is it necessary to type "THE END" at the end of a manuscript? I've searched all over the internet but can find a proper answer.
manuscript "THE END"
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When submitting (particularly via email) I have always put "END" at the end, just to signify that it really is the end and nothing got lost.
I don't know if it's necessary, but I figure it can't hurt anything.
I don't know if it's necessary, but I figure it can't hurt anything.
As Clair said, using "The End" signals that the story is, indeed, over. I don't really see a reason to not use it.
I also put a simple "END" at the end of my manuscripts. I'll occasionally use "THE END," but not always. For whatever reason it sound a bit archaic to me, and in a pompous way.
Completely idiotic, I know.
Completely idiotic, I know.
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Why deny yourself the sweet satisfaction of typing "The End"? I wouldn't. Plus, it lets readers know it's the end, instead of an incomplete manuscript.
-Derek
-Derek
It sure feels good to pound those letters at the end of a first draft, but I don't include it in any formal submissions. It's just a personal preference to submit without it. If the people who read the manuscript get to the last page and can't figure out if the story is over, I haven't done my job.
Added in edit: A very quick google search turned up two e-zines that wanted "END" at the end of a submission so they knew they received the entire file (I only looked on the first page of sites of the search). So, it may be different with short fiction or specifically with electronic submissions.
Added in edit: A very quick google search turned up two e-zines that wanted "END" at the end of a submission so they knew they received the entire file (I only looked on the first page of sites of the search). So, it may be different with short fiction or specifically with electronic submissions.
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Typing THE END is a writer's ritual.
p.s. some magazines or e-submissions prefer -30- which means the same as THE END. Some editors also like "EOT" -- end of transmission.
p.s. some magazines or e-submissions prefer -30- which means the same as THE END. Some editors also like "EOT" -- end of transmission.
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Thanks to all of your responses. I just don't like the fact of writing "The End" at the end of a story. It feels weird and silly. hmmm
I use -30-, the old telegraphic signal. But then, I date back practically to the days of telegraphs and my first job was on a telex machine. The import-export company I worked for then used it at the end of each message, as the connections weren't too reliable.
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Holy crap! Must every damn stage of mss. preparation and submission involve some senseless arcane ritual?!
-Derek
-Derek
If that bothers you, don't ask what to do with mis-printed pages. Let's just say the probability of receiving papercuts and the consequences of same go up astronomically.
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I always write -30-. I know it's a bit out of character for fiction, but I'm used to writing it in other work I do. Most editors will know its meaning. I've never once been corrected or asked what it meant. It's more journalism I believe...but I've even seen lit mags ask for it. It's what I write. And it's very symbolic. I smack that -30- down and then I dance.
In my own longhand drafts, I write "Fin," in big, cursive letters, no less. But that's just for me. So satisfying! 
--Q
--Q
mister_lister
Banned
To the original poster of this thread: The LORD Just told me that you, and only you, must put the word "ALTO" at the end of your novel or it won't be published. It must be two carriage returns below the last paragraph, centered justified, and in all capital letters.
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Or if you really, really need to type something for your own satisfaction (or if the story ends at the bottom of the page and you feel the need to), you can put ## centered. Some put # between breaks in the story, and ## at the end.
(Then you bow to KTC. )
(Then you bow to KTC.
)I've been on both the sending and receiving "end" of this conundrum. Personally, I prefer using it. You want to be absolutely sure the entire file came across, especially in submissions that have weird sorts of endings.
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OK, seriously, you should put END (or some such markers, -30-, FIN, End of Transmission, etc.). Why? Because without it, the editor/agent/reader would have no idea if there's anything more... especially if the pages got shuffled or the entire thing fell on the ground or something... They need to know if they've reached the last page (if they actually read the whole thing), that it's not somehow cut off.
So this is not done for the writer's benefit or to annoy the writer. It has a practical purpose for the prospective readers.
So this is not done for the writer's benefit or to annoy the writer. It has a practical purpose for the prospective readers.
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And I'm very perceptive of prospective readers. Therefore, I go with...
## (centered, of course)
## (centered, of course)
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