Stupid question, feel free to delete...

Allaboutwords13

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I should DEFINITELY know this, but am I supposed to put double spaces between lines when writing WIP or single? Feel free to slap me... I just had a total blank. And when I did double space, it all looked weird.
 
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CACTUSWENDY

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You should follow the directions that the agent gives on their site for submissions. Most all will want you to double space plus the margins, page numbers, name/title, etc. on each page. If you are asked to send in a MS be sure to send it as the agent wants. The double space allows them to write notes and such under/over areas as they read.

If it is just while you are writing your story....then you can use single space and reformat it later when you are all done with it. I believe we have some stickys here on the AW that goes into all this in detail.

Go to bottom of page and use the 'forum jump' and scroll down to find the places to find this info. Best wishes. (No such thing as a dumb question.)
 

Allaboutwords13

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Haha thanks. I had a mental block when it came to the specialties on spacing and whatnot. Actually, having double spacing has made it easier for me to read back. And weirdly enough has made me feel better about my story so far as it's taken it from 60 pages to something like 130. :) Little things make me happy.
 

cscarlet

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Double spacing helps your betas/potential agents "read" more easily. Tight single spacing can tire the eyes.

DS can also be useful for editing should you decide to print things out.

That being said, you can do whatever you want while you're writing. It doesn't matter. Whatever helps you *get the most writing done* is what you should do.

Most places will have specific submission requests. In this case, you will follow whatever the instructions are for said submission, individually.
 

Becca C.

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I always write in double-spaced. Easier on the eyes, plus page count goes up faster and that makes me happy for some reason.
 

Shady Lane

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I write my 1st draft single-spaced because I get paralyzed with fear if it looks too much like a real manuscript at first. Single spaced is fake and I can play around with it and screw up and not feel bad about it. After that I double.
 

Becca_H

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I used to write single-spaced, Arial size 12. I clung vehemently to this, like a frightened kitten.

Since January I took the plunge and wrote everything in manuscript format from the beginning. I have to say I actually prefer it, and never thought I would.
 

missesdash

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I write my 1st draft single-spaced because I get paralyzed with fear if it looks too much like a real manuscript at first. Single spaced is fake and I can play around with it and screw up and not feel bad about it. After that I double.

That's interesting because I wrote my first double-spaced before I'd actually seen a manuscript. But my second is single-spaced and I don't know why, but I definitely like it better that way, at least for now.
 

DrunkenLilacs

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I always write in double-spaced. Easier on the eyes, plus page count goes up faster and that makes me happy for some reason.

Really? I get scared when the pages go up really fast. For some reason I always wonder, "Oh, it's page 100. Hopefully a lot has already happened since the first page. What if it hasn't?! OMG!" *goes to see other books to see how much has happened in the first 100 pages*

I write my 1st draft single-spaced because I get paralyzed with fear if it looks too much like a real manuscript at first. Single spaced is fake and I can play around with it and screw up and not feel bad about it. After that I double.

I used to do this. But for some reason every time I used to do this, I couldn't finish a chapter and the story would just sit in my documents for a long time. I guess the single-spaced gives me the feeling of no urgency and that it's a first draft and I can take it easy and be all slow. But no! I really only have the summer to write. Once fall hits I'm back in school. So no can do, so now I do it double-spaced, 11-font, because I like the way it looks all small. Hehe.
 

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I should DEFINITELY know this, but am I supposed to put double spaces between lines when writing WIP or single? Feel free to slap me... I just had a total blank. And when I did double space, it all looked weird.

That's not a stupid question at all. Manuscript format is generally double spaced, one inch margins, and either in Times or Courier. Some guidelines say to use two spaces after sentences, other guidelines call for one space.
 

benbradley

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Is this the spacing between lines or the spaces after periods?




Ducks and runs from thread
 

Allaboutwords13

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@benbradley Spacing between lines.

Thanks for all your help!