How to Format a Short Story For Submission

ng a short story can be a fun experience since youbefore and after you had made a change.
are going to play carefully with your ideas on how youSubmitting a short story for publication? The first thing
are going to make the tale work. Most importantly, youyou should do is check the submission requirements
need to bear in mind that writing a short story is morefrom the publisher themselves. To add to that, here
on entertaining your readers. Therefore, you’veare a few standard guidelines we recommend that
got to learn how to make it more interesting and ityou follow.
must be written effectively to make it more appealing.Paper. Use white, unlined and standard-sized. Never
Even though you’ve got to write creatively, theprint on both sides.
result is that you will tend to write more and wordsType. Print the manuscript using a common
just keep on flowing out of your mind. In the end, it willeasy-to-read font, such as Times New Roman, Arial
be hard for you to end up your story and make itor Tahoma. Keep it between 10 to 12 points in size.
shorter compared to the longer ones.Format. Keep a standard 1-inch margin on all sides of
Although it is fun to write continuously as it will savethe paper and double-space your lines for clarity. Make
most of your time in thinking for the possible wordssure new paragraphs add at least one additional line.
and how the plot works when you are about to writeUse page numbers throughout the manuscript.
a short story. But as you enjoy making the sceneCover Page. Always use a cover page with the
worth reading, cutting you text is going to be thefollowing information:
hardest task for you to make since you need to•name, mailing address, phone numbers and
decide carefully on which parts or words are youother contact details on the upper left hand corner
going to eliminate or revise.•word count on the upper right hand corner
After you had written your first draft, read you text•title (center)
again and again so that you can determine the parts•byline (two lines below the title)
that you will cut or edit in the revision process. YouNaturally, any material you submit to a publisher should
need to focus your attention first and use yourbe checked error-free, from basic spelling to grammar
creativity in altering your story. You can’t justto factual items. Always use a proofreading software
format the parts suddenly without thinking the effects.or employ the help of someone who can assist on this
It will ruin your story if you don’t know how toend. Usually, it’s difficult to discover your own
make it a concise one.mistakes until you’re at the point of sending it
Also, as you edit your piece, you need to consider thatoff. An extra eye (or a smart software) should be
the tone and quality of your story must be preservedable to help you out.