As a writer, you understand the importance of presenting your work professionally. Proper formatting ensures your manuscript is taken seriously and helps you meet industry standards. One popular formatting style is the SHUUN Manuscript, which stands for Standardized Harmonized Universal Uniformity Norms. Depending on the publication, you may be asked to follow the modern or the classic SHUUN style. Here at Snoozine, we ask you to follow a slightly modified version of the modern style. Here’s a comprehensive guide to help you format your Snoozine submissions using the SHUUN Modern Manuscript style.
General Guidelines
- Font and Size: Use Times New Roman, 12-point font.
- Margins: Set your margins to 1 inch on all sides.
- Line Spacing: Double-space your text.
- Alignment: Align your text to the left. Do not justify.
- Indentation: Indent the first line of each paragraph by 0.5 inches.
- An exception can be made here for poetry submission, but please consider how abnormal indentation will affect the readability of your piece.
File Title
When creating a title for your file, do not including identifying information like your name. Only provide the title of the work or an abbreviated version of it, formatted like this: Snoozine_SHUUN_Example
Text Body
This is where we deviate from the general SHUUN manuscript style. Typically, you are asked to provide an information block that includes your name and contact information. We ask for blind submissions, meaning we don’t want any identifying information in the body of your text or the file title. This ensures that we can consider your piece without being influenced by any outside factors. Therefore, we ask that you do not include the information block. We ask for your estimated word count in the submission form, so that information is also unnecessary in your actual submission.
Your document should begin with the title of your story on a line of its own, centered. Start the body of your text two lines beneath the title.
Running Header
Headers and footers should be consistent and professional.
– Header: In the top right corner, include the title of your story in abbreviated form and the page number. Use a running header on every page, formatted like this: Abbreviated Title / Page Number
Scene Breaks
To indicate a scene break, use a centered hashtag or asterisks.
Dialogue
Ensure your dialogue is clearly formatted with proper punctuation and new paragraphs for each speaker. You may take creative liberty by using unusual punctuation for your dialogue; however, you need to maintain consistency.
Page Numbers
Ensure all pages, except the title page, are numbered consecutively in the header.
Submissions and File Formats
When submitting your manuscript, follow the specific guidelines of the publication or agent you are targeting. The format we use for Snoozine is .docx.
Final Checklist
Before you submit your manuscript to us, please use this checklist to ensure everything is in order:
– [ ] Times New Roman, 12-point font
– [ ] 1-inch margins
– [ ] Double-spaced text
– [ ] Left-aligned text
– [ ] 0.5-inch paragraph indentations
– [ ] Headers with your story title and page number
– [ ] Scene breaks indicated
– [ ] Correctly formatted dialogue
– [ ] Consecutive page numbers
– [ ] No identifying information in the body of the document OR the file name
By following the SHUUN Manuscript guidelines, you present your short story in a professional manner that meets industry standards AND Snoozine standards, making it easier for editors (us) and agents to focus on your writing.
We’re so excited to welcome you into our growing flock of writers. Good luck, and happy writing!
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