by Kiwigirl » Sat Feb 10, 2007 10:14 pm
Deb, can I suggest that there are rules made for submission.
For instance, the submission should come with a cover page with the author's name on it but it should not be anywhere else on the manuscript. Standard practise when submitting a manuscript to a publisher is to put a header on each page (top right corner) with the title, author and often includes contact details)
Standard practise also calls for the submission to have page numbers so that if a page should go astray then it can be looked for. At least the reader will know (in the unlikely event of a missing page) that there is a loss of page rather than a huge leap in the mind of the writer.
Standard practise also calls for the submission to be at least 1.5 spaced, but often double-spaced with wide margins. Whether there is a double space between paragraphs or an indentation of the first line of a paragraph doesn't seem to make much difference so long as it is consistent.
I know that the judges are reading primarily for content but if there aren't some fairly specific guidelines put in place I can well see that there will be all manner of unwieldy submissions sent, including those which are one long uninterrupted paragraph.
Of course, one could always argue that the judge could reformat the document to suit their preference, but really, why should he/she?
Just my thoughts on a hot summer's day.
