Manuscript Formatting Lacuna

windyrdg · Nov 9, 2007

How do you designate a lacuna (the space to indicate a break in place or POV) in your manuscript?

I've been doing by centering <SPACE>

An agent who has a full, suggested some rewrites today. She enclosed a page on which she'd scribbled through them and wrote, "Eliminate." But she didn't suggest an alternative.

Any ideas?

batgirl · Nov 9, 2007

My understanding is that a scene break - which is what you mean here, I think - is done by centring a #. Some say a *, or *** or ###, but # is the simplest.

-Barbara

Kaytie · Nov 9, 2007

In this case, it won't hurt you to ask for clarification. Maybe she prefers nothing (as in, an actual space and not a marker) unless the space happens at the end or beginning of the page, where it isn't obvious.

NiennaC · Nov 9, 2007

I just usually tab down about twice. Or I use ***.

TheIT · Nov 9, 2007

Also see the "GENERAL MANUSCRIPT FORMATTING" link stickied at the top of the "Writing Novels" forum and look for the description of "Line Breaks" in Cathy C's link. Recommendation is "#".

NiennaC · Nov 9, 2007

TheIT said:
Recommendation is "#".

Really? I never knew that.

Maybe I should go read that sticky now.

ishtar'sgate · Nov 9, 2007

windyrdg said:
How do you designate a lacuna (the space to indicate a break in place or POV) in your manuscript?

I've been doing by centering <SPACE>

An agent who has a full, suggested some rewrites today. She enclosed a page on which she'd scribbled through them and wrote, "Eliminate." But she didn't suggest an alternative.

Any ideas?

All I did was leave enough white space - 4 lines or more - to indicate a break. Some people use a series of** or ## but they're really not necessary.
Linnea

blacbird · Nov 9, 2007

You need a centered symbol, the principal reason being if you just leave a blank line, and it falls at the beginning or end of a given page, it can easily be missed. The standard old typesetter's symbol is a centered hash-mark (#). Simple, easy, works.

caw

windyrdg · Nov 10, 2007

Thanks everyone.
I wanted to get an option before I approached the agent for clarification. Just leaving a space is dangerous since the typesetter can't know if it was accidental or intentional.

Manuscript Formatting Lacuna

windyrdg

New kid, be gentle!

batgirl

Writting broad

Kaytie

NiennaC

TheIT

Infuriatingly Theoretical

NiennaC

ishtar'sgate

living in the past

blacbird

windyrdg

New kid, be gentle!