Manuscript Formatting - Chapter Breaks

mhughes · Dec 29, 2005

Got a question that probably isn't that big of a deal. Been surfing through manuscript formatting discussions on the boards/net and I've got everything down except one thing - When submitting a manuscript, how do you handle chapter breaks?

At the moment, I have just done a Page Break and then started the next chapter with Chapter One, Chapter Two, etc. about one third of the way down the page. I've seen a few suggestions here where you just handle it like a scene break ( a center # and then the next chapter). Is there a preferable option?

Thanks much in advance.

matt

Jamesaritchie · Dec 29, 2005

Chapter

Always start a new chapter on a new page. No exceptions. You've been doing it properly.

mkcbunny · Dec 29, 2005

I have two related questions.

What if your chapter has a quotation before the main body of the text, something that would be printed [probably in italics] above the opening paragraph but under any chapter heading? What is the proper formatting for that?

Also, if your book has two parts, do you devote a full page to denote Part I and another to introduce Part II?

DamaNegra · Dec 29, 2005

I'm no expert, but I guess you center the quotations before the text and after the chapter marker.

As for your second question, I'm pretty sure that's what you have to do.

katiemac · Dec 29, 2005

mkc, I've asked about Part I and II in the past, and I was told to use a new page, like it was a new chapter, then drop down a couple lines and start from chapter one. So, not its own page, but as if you were just starting a new chapter.

Part II

Chapter One

It was a dark and stormy night...

mkcbunny · Dec 29, 2005

katiemac said:
mkc, I've asked about Part I and II in the past, and I was told to use a new page, like it was a new chapter, then drop down a couple lines and start from chapter one. So, not its own page, but as if you were just starting a new chapter.

Thanks. I was hoping not to have to give up a complete, separate page for each.

Manuscript Formatting - Chapter Breaks

mhughes

Profesionel Speelchecker

Jamesaritchie

mkcbunny

Bufflehead

DamaNegra

Mexican on the loose!

katiemac

Five by Five

mkcbunny

Bufflehead