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Question on Submission Formatting

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mdestr7882 View Drop Down
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    Posted: 16 Sep 2017 at 10:41am
On the first roundI made last minute punctuation mistakes, which I know can be a problem, but it was my understanding that a title page and synopsis are required to submit work. This judge's comment confused me.

Do I need a title page and synopsis?

 WHAT THE JUDGES FEEL NEEDS WORK - {1610}  ~ You don't need to announce title and/or synopsis on your first page. It will be evident what they are. And you have quotations marks, which you also don't need, only on one side of your title.

~ While NYC Midnight isn't a stickler re typos and grammar, if a mistake occurs right @ the outset, it raises a red flag. In addition to the title page issues, you have miss-use of a semicolon in your very first sentence; it should be a comma.  

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote steph9289 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Sep 2017 at 8:11pm
You do need a title page with title and synopsis. The judge is saying that you don't need to label them as such. In other words, you only need to write the actual title without putting "Title:" in front of it. Same for the synopsis. Just write the synopsis without "Synopsis:" in front of it. 

For example:

Frank and Amelio

A stray dog follows a boy home and brings trouble with him.



This is all you need on the title page. The story should start on the following page. Hope this helps!


Edited by steph9289 - 16 Sep 2017 at 8:12pm
#amrevising
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mdestr7882 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote mdestr7882 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Sep 2017 at 8:23pm
Thanks so much for the information!  It seems self-evident, unless you are a lowly Newbie agonizing over the details. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote steph9289 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Sep 2017 at 8:29pm
It can be definitely be confusing at first! And rude judges certainly aren't helpful to the process...
#amrevising
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Teri Foltz Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Sep 2017 at 2:58pm
One of my judges told me that stories need to be double spaced, yet the rules say they can be spaced any way you choose.  

< ="text/"> p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Helvetica; color: #202020; -webkit-text-stroke: #202020} span.s1 {font-kerning: none} td.td1 {width: 564.0px; margin: 0.5px 0.5px 0.5px 0.5px}

SPACING - There are no rules regarding spacing, so you may space your story however you like.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Teri Foltz Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Sep 2017 at 3:00pm
I received pretty high praise for my Challenge #1 story and the only criticism was spacing and a part they deemed too condensed.  BUT I didn't garner ANY points.  I wish that if you aren't in the top half, the judges would spend more time on constructive criticism so you know what you can do to improve.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote roccapia Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Sep 2017 at 3:43pm
Just be on the safe side and double space. Even if the rules don't require it, Times New Roman double-spaced is pretty much considered standard format, so I always turn in everything that way. Then I don't have to worry about it.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote stephenmatlock Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Sep 2017 at 4:07pm
Times / Times New Roman
Courier / Courier New

Format in standard document submission format. 

I use flush block left, space between paragraphs.

Title and synopsis on first page, centered horizontally and vertically.

2nd and subsequent pages - the story.
Pithy sayings are for the apt. For a longer message, you need a condo.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Schrifty Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Sep 2017 at 5:02pm
My first year there was a whole thread about Shunn formatting because I didn't use italics, I used underlines.  (As per the archaic typewriter formatting.)  It spiraled into a discussion of what was more acceptable because (to me anyway) underlining stands out much better in Courier.

I'm still kind of surprised TNR is a thing.  I like how it looks, but most publishers want a monospaced font so they can judge length at a glance.  ...On the other hand we're all digital now so who knows?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote stephenmatlock Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Sep 2017 at 8:06pm
Originally posted by Schrifty Schrifty wrote:

My first year there was a whole thread about Shunn formatting because I didn't use italics, I used underlines.  (As per the archaic typewriter formatting.)  It spiraled into a discussion of what was more acceptable because (to me anyway) underlining stands out much better in Courier.

I'm still kind of surprised TNR is a thing.  I like how it looks, but most publishers want a monospaced font so they can judge length at a glance.  ...On the other hand we're all digital now so who knows?

I think one of the ugliest fonts is italic Courier/Courier New. It's not supposed to have an italic format! is my uneducated cry.

If I am given a choice between Courier or Times, I choose Times, but I go with what the organizers want.

I entered one contest where I swear by all that's holly and mistletoe that I read the rules for formatting, submitted in Courier, and was disqualified because they wanted Times or Arial/Helvetica!

The judges said "We had to disqualify you even though it was an excellent story because you couldn't follow the directions. This shows an appalling lack of professionalism."

Like, dude, I was trying to follow the rules, but they literally had two different sets of rules - one on their site, one in their submission email.



Pithy sayings are for the apt. For a longer message, you need a condo.

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