Dear Editor…

How should we write height in a story when the height is either in dialogue or a thought? Verbally we often say someone is five four, leaving out the word foot, but should it be written correctly either as five-foot-four or 5’4″?

Thanks,
Sue

Dear Editor…

In close third person, what are the best ways to handle internal dialog? Italics, “she thought” tags, or just let the reader figure it out?

Sincerely,
Stephanie

Dear Editor…

What tense should be used when writing a synopsis?  Does it matter what tense is used in the manuscript?

Sincerely,

Mary

Dear Editor…

I am writing a YA novel, I think. (I guess it might be considered middle grade.) How many words are these novels usually? I’m past half way and mine is 14,000 words. Am I on the right track?

Sincerely,

Tina

Dear Editor…

When you are writing prose, and showing that someone/group/radio is singing a song, how do you format the lyrics to the song? In quotation marks? Italics? Different margins?

Thanks,

Scott

Dear Editor…

I have a lot of text/IM conversations in my YA novel. Is there a way to distinguish this in my manuscript? How creative can I get?

Sincerely,
Anne

Dear Editor…

I (now) know the difference between lie and lay, but I was wondering if this grammar rule had to be followed in dialogue? I would like my character to talk about “laying out” and tanning but trying to say it grammatically correct seems too stilted and wrong. What’s the verdict?

Sincerely,

Rachel

Dear Editor…

How do you find out how many words are in a published novel? You mentioned that Bud, Not Buddy was 52,000 words. Did you estimate from the number of pages in the book or is there somewhere we can find out that information?

Thanks,

Becky

Dear Editor…

Is a 50,000-word MG novel too long? If I send a query to an agent with the word-count, will they be likely to dismiss it based on the word count?

Thanks!

Heather

Dear Editor…

Do agents/editors like to see chapter titles? Or are just numbered chapters okay?

Sincerely,

Heather