Do You Add a Period After an Ellipsis?
When an ellipsis is used at the end of a sentence, then a period is placed before the ellipsis. In those cases, the sentence ends with four periods. For example: “My brother lives in Florida. I talk to him every.…” His voice drifted off. "Well, it's...
How to Write Times (a.m. and p.m.) in a Manuscript?
When writing times using abbreviations in a book manuscript, use a.m. for mornings and p.m. for any times after noon. Be sure to leave a space before the abbreviations. Examples: Mary set her alarm for 8 a.m. On September 11, 2001 at 8:46 a.m.,...
Do Thoughts Need Quotation Marks?
Quick Answer: It depends. A character's inner thoughts are generally written in italics without quotation marks. A few examples: Max crept down the hallway and into the bathroom. He checked the drawers in the vanity. Where did she keep her pain...
Do You Indent Dialogue?
When writing dialogue, you start a new paragraph every time a different character speaks. In a manuscript, every paragraph is indented. So yes, dialogue is indented. Dialogue has many other formatting rules. Be sure to check our article How to Format...
What Are Emotion Beats?
Emotion beats are phrases or sentences that accompany dialogue that describe what the speaker is feeling, smelling, tasting, or thinking. Like dialogue tags, they may be placed before, in between, or after dialogue. In a similar fashion, phrases that communicate the...
Should a Book Manuscript Be Double Spaced?
In a manuscript for a book, every line should be double spaced. However, do not add extra lines between paragraphs. Double-spacing makes it easier to read and provides room for editors to mark up the document. For a complete set of book manuscript formatting tips, see...
What Are Dialogue Tags?
Dialogue tags are phrases placed before, in the middle of, or after dialogue. The purpose of dialogue tags is to attribute spoken words to a character. Some examples: "Come a little closer," she said. The little boy asked, "Can I have some?" “Don’t be a sissy,”...
What Are Action Beats?
Action beats are phrases or sentences that accompany dialogue that describe the speaker's movement or facial expressions. Like dialogue tags, they may precede, be interspersed with, or follow dialogue. In a similar fashion, phrases that communicate what the speaker is...
