I couldn't find this in Cathy's formatting FAQ. Basically, in my manuscript, there is one scene in one of the chapters where my character is reading a letter. The letter is written like a regular letter. Here's an example of what I am talking about from Harry Potter the 1st book: Dear Mr Potter, We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July. Yours sincerely, Minerva McGonagall Deputy Headmistress Now, my question is, how do I indicate the spacing between the lines/paragraphs in the manuscript for the agent/editor? Do I use "#" or do I just space them like I was writing a normal letter?
I'm nor sure what you mean by "spacing between the lines/paragraphs in the manuscript for the agent/editor"? Do you mean how do you put spacing within the letter which is being read? My understanding of writing letters within a piece of written work looks something like this: I sat down at my desk. Among the piles of bills I found the latest letter from my Pen Pal in California. After opening it and reading it eagerly, I pulled out my own pencil and paper and constructed my response. Dear Jason, Yes my dog is doing fine. We have to slip the medicine into his food so he doesn't notice he's eating it, but his energy is back and he should be ready to travel again in a week. I'm so glad to hear your friends' wedding is working out! I know they don't know me or Katherine, but give them our best wishes for the future, and have an extra glass of champagne for us, yourself. Sincerely, Mark There's really no special requirements about spacing between paragraphs (that I know of) in a letter, just as long as the margins are indented more than the rest of the text. That answer your question?
The embedded letter should be written as a block quote, aka a block indent. As in the rest of the manuscript, text within the block indent is double-spaced, and each paragraph begins with a half inch or one centimeter first line indent. No additional blank lines are inserted between paragraphs. William Shunn's site is one of the best resources on manuscript format. This page contains the information you need, as I summarized above.
