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Guidelines for writing Poems, Stories and Tales

How to format those little blurbs at the start of chapters?

Asked by: Jhon Damar

How do you format the beginning of a chapter?

Center the chapter number and chapter title at the top of the first page. Separate the chapter title from the subtitle (if any) by a colon. One blank line follows the chapter number, and two blank lines follow the chapter title.

How do you format an epigraph in a short story?

An epigraph to a story usually follows the story’s title. The epigraph itself is formatted like a type of block quotation, which means it’s set off from any surrounding text and indented from the left or right (or both).

How do you format a book beginning?

How to Format a Book: 10 Tips Your Editor Wants You To Know

  1. Use black, 12-point, Times New Roman as the font. …
  2. Use the U.S. standard page size of 8.5×11 inches and set your margins to 1 inch on all sides. …
  3. Set alignment to left justified. …
  4. Use a single space after periods. …
  5. Use double-spaced line spacing.

How do you format an epigraph in a novel manuscript?

The text of the epigraph is indented from the left margin in the same way as a block quote. On the line below the end of the epigraph, the author’s name (and only the author’s last name if he or she is well-known) and the source’s title should be given. This credit line should be flush right, preceded by an em dash.

How do you split a book into chapters?

7 Tips for Determining Chapter Breaks

  1. Create an outline. …
  2. Create a promise in every chapter. …
  3. End with a cliffhanger. …
  4. Practice rewriting chapter beginnings and endings. …
  5. Approach each chapter with a specific goal. …
  6. Start chapters with a sense of urgency. …
  7. Don’t switch POV in the middle of a chapter.

How do you format a chapter in a novel?

Chapter beginnings are different from other parts of your book and have their own set of standards:

  1. Start each chapter on a new page. …
  2. Start the text about one-third of the way down the page, with the chapter number above. …
  3. Style the chapter numbers and/or titles so they’re distinct from the text.

What is a quote at the beginning of a chapter called?

In literature, an epigraph is a phrase, quotation, or poem that is set at the beginning of a document, monograph or section thereof.

What is an epigraph example?

The epigraph is used to introduce the current literary text, and gives some clue as to its theme, or its connection to this previous text. Examples of Epigraph: At the beginning of The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway quotes Gertrude Stein: “You are all a lost generation.” From darkness to promote me?”

Can short stories have epigraphs?

An Introduction to the Epigraph

The epigraph is simply a well-chosen quotation, set at the beginning of a text. Epigraphs can open essays, books, chapters of a book, or even each story in a book—any writing, really, which suggests its theme. They can, however, do so much more.



Should epigraphs be italicized?

Epigraphs are treated like block quotations in that quotation marks are not used around epigraphs. Also like block quotations, epigraphs are often set in a smaller typeface and indented from the right or left, and sometimes italicized.

Where does the epigraph go in a book?

An epigraph is a short standalone quote, line, or paragraph that appears at the beginning of a book.

How do you format a quote at the beginning of an essay?

To start an essay with a quote, introduce the quote by including the name of the author, such as, “John Keats once said…” When you include the quote, put quotation marks around it and make sure to put any punctuation inside the quotation marks.

How do you include a quote at the beginning of an essay MLA?

Start the quotation on a new line, with the entire quote indented 1/2 inch from the left margin while maintaining double-spacing. Your parenthetical citation should come after the closing punctuation mark. When quoting verse, maintain original line breaks. (You should maintain double-spacing throughout your essay.)

How do you insert an epigraph?

MLA Formatting



Write your epigraph one double space beneath your title. Indent 2 inches on both sides of the epigraph, so it’s 1 inch further from the standard margin. Use single spacing for the epigraph, and center the text on the page. Put quotation marks around the text.

How do you format an epigraph in APA?

If the rest of the document is formatted according to the APA Style rules, the epigraph must follow those rules as well: “The epigraph should appear before the first line of text and should be indented 0.5 in. from the left margin, like a block quotation, without quotation marks” (APA, 2020, p. 277).

How do you cite a quote at the beginning of a book?

In-text citations include the last name of the author followed by a page number enclosed in parentheses. “Here’s a direct quote” (Smith 8). If the author’s name is not given, then use the first word or words of the title. Follow the same formatting that was used in the works cited list, such as quotation marks.

How do you start a paragraph with a quote in APA?

Place direct quotations that are 40 words or longer in a free-standing block of typewritten lines and omit quotation marks. Start the quotation on a new line, indented 1/2 inch from the left margin, i.e., in the same place you would begin a new paragraph.

Where does the epigraph go in a thesis?

12. The thesis may begin with an epigraph (a quotation from someone else’s work); if there is an epigraph, it should appear on page 1 of the thesis, with the thesis text beginning on page 2. If the epigraph pertains only to the first chapter, it should appear between the chapter title and the chapter text.



What is epigraph in thesis?

(1) An epigraph is a brief motto or quotation set at the beginning of a text (a book, a chapter of a book, a thesis or dissertation, an essay, a poem), usually to suggest its theme. Adjective: epigraphic.

Do you double space an epigraph?

The MLA manual also doesn’t specify formatting rules for epigraphs but writers usually format them the same way as block quotes. An epigraph must be separated from the title with a double space and indented 2 inches from both sides of the page.

Can you have two epigraphs?

Epigraphs are most common in longer works, like novels and books of poetry. Some writers love epigraphs so much they put them at the beginning of each chapter. Some books have more than one epigraph, placing two or more quotations in dialogue with one another.

Can I write my own epigraph?

As King, Erikson, and Tolkien have shown us in their books, you can write your own poetry, quote a song, or make up an epigraph. You can quote a speech, an ancient text, a play, or just about anything you want. But it’s a good idea to get permission to use the quotation and to format the epigraph properly.



Can an epigraph be at the end of a book?

An epigraph usually appears on the first page of a novel, before the action begins, but it can also make appearances throughout a story. It can be especially powerful at the end of a work, depending on the denouement.