It is common not to indent an opening paragraph, however, I am at odds what to do when an opening paragraph is dialogue. Would it then need the indentation, or would it be aligned left? Here's some nonsense text to illustrate: (note: I have put underscores to represent spaces, as they keep disappearing when I submit the post) 1. Normal opening paragraph. Blah blah blah. ___"Oh blah?" ___"Blah blah!" 2. Opening paragraph with dialogue, indented. ___"Hello, blah." ___"Hello." 3. Opening paragraph with dialogue, not indented. "Hello, blah." ___"Hello." So would example 2 or 3 be correct? This can also be complicated with the use of dropcaps... I always appreciate all the feedback given in these forums. Cheers.
In published books, the opening paragraph is usually not indented, but in a manuscript the beginning of every paragraph is always indented, regardless of whether it is the first in the novel/chapter/after a paragraph break, whatever--and this means dialogue, too.
Oh man, madhoca, you have no idea how much easier you just made my life. (You're going to guess at a lot, but it's not going to be by a significant amount. It'll mean more time spent on a keyboard and less on a mouse, though, which is ultimately preferable for me.
yes, that's what's done in mss for print publication... for online use, there are no indents... line breaks are used instead...
I agree with madhoca, plus 1 & 3 don't look right to me at all. Not that they aren't right; they just look strange to me.
