Hatrack River Writers Workshop: Additional Formatting Questions

This is topic Additional Formatting Questions in forum Open Discussions About Writing at Hatrack River Writers Workshop.

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Posted by ChrisOwens (Member # 1955) on :

This is in follow up to Courier vs Courier New...

For some reason, I have the audacity to send out one of my stories to WOTF. I found I good downloaded PDF on the SFWA site that explained formatting beautifully, but I've some questions.

(1) Universally, at the end of the story, is it END, THE END, The End, or End?

(2) For WOTF, I would have a cover page with the title and name centered midpage?

(3) For WOTF, on the next page, where the story begins, would the story begin midpage? Or would it begin on the first line?

(4) If I just give a valid email address, do I need to bother with a #10 business SASE to recieve judging results? Would it hurt with just having an email?

Posted by Beth (Member # 2192) on :

Here is an article that I believe answers 1, 2, and 3:
http://www.shunn.net/format/story.html

As for #4, if the guidelines specify that you should send an SASE for their reply, then you'd better send one, regardless of how much more convenient it would be for you to save a stamp.

Remember that your story will be one of hundreds; you are not in the power position here.

Posted by EricJamesStone (Member # 1681) on :

> (1) Universally, at the end of the story,
> is it END, THE END, The End, or End?

Unless the story ends near the bottom of the page, so the reader might believe the story continues on another page, you do not need to put "The End" in any form. The mere fact that your story stops and there's a bunch of blank space after it is sufficient. However, I've used "THE END" in the past without any ill effects.

> (2) For WOTF, I would have a cover page
> with the title and name centered midpage?

That's what I did.

> (3) For WOTF, on the next page, where the
> story begins, would the story begin
> midpage? Or would it begin on the first
> line?

I always began with thirteen lines of story on the page. Also, be sure to number your pages with the first page of the story as 1, rather than the cover page.

> (4) If I just give a valid email address,
> do I need to bother with a #10 business
> SASE to recieve judging results? Would it
> hurt with just having an email?

Well, if it's your plan to either get rejected without making it to the semifinals or else to skip straight ahead to winning, I suppose you might be OK with email only. But I believe K.D. Wentworth comments on the semifinalists, and the quarterly judges may comment on the unpublished finalists, so you might want to spring for an envelope and stamp just in case.

Posted by EricJamesStone (Member # 1681) on :

Beth,

While Shunn's format guide is very good, it doesn't answer 2 & 3 because WOTF is a blind-judged contest. There needs to be a cover page with the author's identifying information, but the story itself must have all identifying information stripped.

Posted by Beth (Member # 2192) on :

Oh, I see. Sorry for offering potentially misleading info!

Posted by ChrisOwens (Member # 1955) on :

<I always began with thirteen lines of story on the page.>

Thanks.

I hate to be so dense, but does this mean I begin page 1 midpage, where I only have 13 lines showing?

And I am assuming that the title page number would appear in the header along with the page number as in the case of: TITLE OF STORY/1. Or on page 1, does the title have to also appear centered midpage sans the byline?

Posted by EricJamesStone (Member # 1681) on :

Begin the first page of the story exactly as you would for normal submission, minus the identifying information. So, looking at Shunn's first page, you would leave off all the stuff in the top left corner, and remove the byline (either moving the title down or the story up one double-spaced line to compensate).

Posted by ChrisOwens (Member # 1955) on :

Ah...

On the first page, should the title appear also with the page number in the upper right hand corner, as it should on subsequent pages, or is that bad form?

Rough example:

Panning For Bigfoot/1

[c]Panning For Bigfoot[/c]

Story begins after tab.... blah, blah....

Posted by ChrisOwens (Member # 1955) on :

There seems to be a conflict between advice from Shunn, who centers # for scene breaks, and the SWFA one, where Vonda Mcintyre, just tabbed it, but left it left justified.

Posted by dpatridge (Member # 2208) on :

It seems to me that Shunn just happened to center it in his example, and does so himself, but he said that you could do it either way?

Personally, I think it can be done either way, but feel it looks cleaner centered.

[This message has been edited by dpatridge (edited July 18, 2005).]

Posted by ChrisOwens (Member # 1955) on :

I didn't see him say it was optional, but that it should be centered.

Posted by Robyn_Hood (Member # 2083) on :

Chris, Word (and I think WordPerfect, too) allows you to create a different first page header.

Open up the "Page Setup" dialogue box (under the "File" Menu) and select the "Layout" tab.

In the "Headers and footers" section, there are two boxes you can select. One says, "Different odd and even", the other says, "Different first page". Make sure to put a check-mark in the box next to, "Different first page".

Leave the header on the first page blank. When you open the header on page two (which is page one of your story) the "Header/Footer" toolbar automatically opens. Click on the "Format page number" icon (# with hand). A dialogue box will open. At the very bottom in the "Page numbering" section, Select "Start On:" and enter a "0".

This will make your title page, page #0 (which won't show up), and the start of your story, page #1.

Clear as mud?

Posted by EricJamesStone (Member # 1681) on :

I've gotten lazy enough to just do the # tabbed, rather than centering it.

Posted by Robyn_Hood (Member # 2083) on :

I just re-read your other posts and realized you probably weren't asking for all that other info.

oops.

Posted by ChrisOwens (Member # 1955) on :

Thanks for the topnotch effort, its useful info anyway...

I guess the question boils down to, should the upper right hand header of page 1 say, "Panning For Bigfoot/1" OR "1"?

[This message has been edited by ChrisOwens (edited July 18, 2005).]

Posted by Robyn_Hood (Member # 2083) on :

I always include the Story title. The reason? If the papers on the editor's desk accidently fall on the floor or otherwise get mixed up, if your pages only have the number, there is no way to identify what story it belongs to. By including the story title and page number, you ensure that the editor can get it all back together.

This was a practice I got into when in school. For some reason teachers have a way of mixing up papers that end up on their desks, I assume editors face the same plight.

Posted by EricJamesStone (Member # 1681) on :

You needn't include the whole story title in the running header, although with one only three words long, you're fine with either "Panning for Bigfoot/1" or "Panning/1".