What Word format would you use for a manuscript?

[mac]

I'm writing a book using Word in MS Office standard '03. What format should I
set the document to so that it most closely resembles the way manuscriopts
should appear?

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Your best bet is to create your own format to suit your specific
requirements (it helps to consult a reference book such as the one published
by Writer's Digest--I can't give you the exact title since I seem to have
lent my copy to someone who has not returned it <g>). Here's how I set up a
manuscript:

1. Use Body Text First Indent as the primary style. I modify the built-in
style to have a half-inch first-line indent, no Space Before/After, and line
spacing of Exactly 24 pts (which is the equivalent of typewriter double
spacing), using the default 12 pt TNR.

2. I use Heading 1 for chapter titles or numbers. Font formatting is up to
you, but I usually center them and define Body Text First Indent as the
"Style for following paragraph." I also include "Page break before" in the
style definition. If the chapters are just numbered, I add numbering to the
style.

3. I use a running head (header) with the author's name and shortened book
title, a StyleRef field to pick up the chapter number/title, and the page
number. Some of this information can be placed in the footer instead.

4. The cover page (contact info, number of words [a NumWords field], title,
author, etc.) can be set up in direct-formatted Normal style, though I
usually use the Title style for the title. Use the "Different first page"
setting in Page Setup so that the header doesn't appear on this page.

That's for a simple manuscript, such as would be suitable for a novel. If
the ms is for a nonfiction book, then it will doubtless have many other
requirements, none of which, however, will be met by any of the templates
that ship with Word. For a template that is appropriate for a technical
manual, see http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/Customization/CreateATemplatePart2.htm

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
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