Is Formatting Different if Your SS is from a Journal?

LauraAnnSwanson · Aug 11, 2011

I wrote a short story today, which is 90% the journal entries of my MC. Obviously people, especially in her circumstances of the story, don't worry about indenting paragraphs and whatnot, but should I?

The way that I wrote it, I only indented the first paragraph, and since she didn't notate days, put a ... break between paragraphs that notated a new entry.

I have no idea how this is done, I can't find any information on proper formatting for something like that.

Any help?

(also, it's less than 2k long, if anyone would help me and beta)

soullesshuman · Aug 11, 2011

I write it in journal/letter form?

Dear Diary,

Today is August 50th, 2040, 9000 pm. I've pet my space cat and she's floating around me now, I kind of find her annoying.

Regards,
Writer

Then, come a new journal entry, same format, just with some spacing in between.

EDIT: If I get a summary as to what's it about, I'd be happy to beta.

LauraAnnSwanson · Aug 11, 2011

It's a sci fi ss, about 1700 words.
A mother and her two children have been caged and taken aboard what we presume to be an alien spacecraft. She must have had her journal on her, and through her sporadic and deteriorating entries we learn how they came to be there, and ultimately to guess what happens after her entries end.

I would love for someone to do a quick beta for me, so if you are up to it, I'll send it to you.

Polenth · Aug 11, 2011

The space between journal entries is often marked as a scene break, so would be a # in standard manuscript formatting. If you're self-publishing rather than submitting, you can mark the break any way you want. But for submitting, it should be #.

As for the rest, there's no standard way to be non-standard. You just have to make your best guess. The trick is probably making sure you have enough at the start properly formatted, to make it clear the deterioration is part of the story, not a mistake.

LauraAnnSwanson · Aug 11, 2011

That sounds reasonable, and thanks for the # information. I might submit it somewhere if I can get someone to crit it other than my husband.

Shadow_Ferret · Aug 11, 2011

Um. I indent my paragraphs in my journal. How else would I tell them apart?

LauraAnnSwanson · Aug 11, 2011

And see, I don't. I hand write my journals, and I just skip a line or two and notate the date. I don't indent, because it is just for me.

Indents, to me, say "I am doing this so someone else will read it."
However, it could also just say "I am too lazy in my personal life to indent."

Probably the second thing.

soullesshuman · Aug 11, 2011

I always wrote my diary like letters...

LauraAnnSwanson · Aug 11, 2011

I guess mine are more stream of consciousness.

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