Prose Writing
The following criteria are those specified as the standard professional layouts for prose writing:
· Text should be double line spaced
· Margins of at least 3cm at either side of the page should be used
· A 12 point standard font (Times New Roman, New Courier, Arial) should be adopted
· The first line of every paragraph should be indented, with the exception of the first line in each chapter or section
· There should usually be no space between paragraphs. A line space between paragraphs indicates a section break – a change of scene, or viewpoint or to indicate that some time has passed
· Asterisks can be used to draw attention to a section break that falls at the end of a page, that otherwise might be missed by the reader
· Dialogue – each person’s speech should begin a new paragraph (indented). Single quotation marks should be used for speech and quoted words within the text. Double quotation marks should only be used when they occur within another pair e.g.
‘I can’t explain it,’ he said. ‘It’s a complete mystery.
‘He couldn’t explain it,’ William said. ‘Just that it was a “complete mystery” to him.’
This is the modern standard for writing dialogue, which is widely specified by today’s publishers and editors.
· Alternatively, if preferred, the more traditional approach of using double quotation marks can be used instead for speech. In this instance further quoted words within the text should be enclosed using single quotation marks i.e.
“I can’t explain it,” he said. “It’s a complete mystery.”
“He couldn’t explain it,” William said. “Just that it was a ‘complete mystery’ to him.”
Poetry
· Stanza breaks and the gap between the title and the first line of the poem should be indicated by an extra line space, otherwise, poems should be single-spaced within stanzas
· Margins should be positioned to the left of the page (poems should not be centred). This requirement does not prevent the writer from indenting lines as part of the poem
· The title of the poem should be in bold type
