Or any fixed-width typeface… One of the first things I do EVERY TIME someone sends me a script is;
- Select All
- Change Font Courier
- Change Font Size 12
- Select Paragraph: Double Line Spacing.
And this is why you do it.
Someone just sent me a 10 page outline is set in Calibri. Oh it’s just a small outline, a quick job… right? WRONG. Once I make the changes above, it jumped to a whopping 25 pages.
Yes, you can judge a document by the word count alone doing some quick math. But why are you making people you work with do math? Just set the document properly in the first place so on quick glance ALL IS REVEALED.
Also, when you print out pages of smaller, single line spaced type, and grab your red pen to make edits, WHERE THE HELL DO YOU DO IT, yeah, yeah, in the margins… so your edits start to look like freakin’ trees with arrows flying all over the place. Double spacing lets you write directly above or beneath the edit.
Lastly, when I open a document that’s set in some proportional font, or worse some wacky font I never heard of, or double worse, different wacky fonts I never heard of, a flag immediately jumps up, “inexperienced writer”. A sign that the job at hand is likely to be even more time consuming.
oh yeah, and one more thing.
FOR GOD’S SAKE, and a page number in your document header.▪
About the Author —
Nick Macari is a full-time freelance story consultant, developmental editor and writer, working primarily in the independent gaming and comic markets. His first published comic appeared on shelves via Diamond in the late 90’s. Today you can find his comic work on comixology, amazon and in select stores around the U.S. Visit NickMacari.com for social media contacts and news on his latest releases.