I'm writing a mystery novella which I aim to get published during my spare time, writing each chapter in a notebook before typing it up at home when it's done. My question is, when typing each chapter up, should I start it on a new page?
I don't think there is a hard-and-fast rule on this, but as a matter of practice, I always do. I just insert a page-break.
I've read plenty that start on a new page, and plenty that didn't. Personally, I'd think that it depends on the publisher. Though when you're writing it, I'd say to give it a page break; it makes for easier editing, in my personal opinion.
I always start a chapter on a page break, which makes it easier for me to find the next chapter. I think you should do that, although it might not be a rule.
I always give each chapter it's own file to make editing easier. I can always fuse them when it comes time for sending them somewhere. But searching a large document for a chapter is too big a headache for me.
Ninety-nine percent of books I've seen have a new page for each chapter. Orwell's "1984," as I recall, is one that doesn't.
Ok, thanks a lot, I'll put in the page breaks. Now I think about it, "1984" is the only book I've read that doesn't start each chapter on a new page.
For me, I put in page breaks only when I'm sending it off somewhere - I find having one chapter kind of melt into another makes for better continuity.
I tried doing the chapter-per-file thing but it didn't work with how I write. Now, I just put in a page break after each chapter. If it ever goes to a publisher, they can decide how to format it if they're really that desperate to change it.
I prefer to read material that's written that way and I tend to write this way myself 99% of the time.
the subject here is not printed books, but mss that are meant to be submitted... and the ms should definitely have each chapter beginning on a new page, regardless of whether the book will be structured that way, or not...
