Manuscript Formatting Guide for Inkshift

You've finished your draft and you're ready to get feedback from Inkshift. But before you hit upload, it's worth spending a few minutes making sure your manuscript is properly formatted. While Inkshift can handle a wide variety of formatting styles, following these guidelines will ensure the most accurate analysis of your work if you're using our Markup feature, which provides inline comments throughout your entire manuscript.

This guide focuses primarily on novels and prose fiction, but we also support screenplays. If you're a screenwriter, look for the "For Screenwriters" notes throughout this guide.

And of course, if you have any questions, reach out to us at hello@inkshift.io.

Why Formatting Matters

Inkshift analyzes your manuscript by first identifying its structure: chapters, scenes, and the flow of your narrative. Proper formatting helps our system accurately recognize these elements, which means:

• Better chapter-by-chapter analysis in your critique
• Accurate scene detection for pacing feedback
• Precise inline comments with the Markup feature

Formatting Tips

1. Use Clear Chapter Markers

While stylistic titles often work, these are the most clear and effective ways to delineate your chapters.

Explicit chapter markers (best):

• Chapter 1
• Chapter One
• Prologue
• Epilogue
• Part 1

Numbered chapters:

• 1 (on its own line, surrounded by blank lines)
• I, II, III (Roman numerals work too)

With titles:

• Chapter 1: The Dark Forest
• Chapter One - A New Beginning

What to avoid:

• Starting chapters without any marker at all
• Using vague titles like "Monday" or "3 Years Later"
• Inconsistent formatting (switching between markers part way through)

The key is consistency. Pick a style and use it throughout your entire manuscript.

For Screenwriters: Inkshift automatically detects standard screenplay format. Your scene headings (sluglines) like INT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY or EXT. PARK - NIGHT serve as chapter markers. Each scene will be treated as its own chapter for analysis purposes. Just make sure your sluglines follow standard format: INT. or EXT. followed by the location and time of day.

2. Remove Front Matter

Front matter like copyright notices, dedications, and table of contents can sometimes cause errors. Best is before uploading to remove:

• Dedication
• Epigraph or quotes
• "About the Author" sections
• Copyright notices
• Acknowledgments (save these for after you get feedback!)

Start your manuscript with either:

• Your first chapter heading (Chapter 1, Prologue, etc.)
• The first line of your story (if you're not using chapter markers)

For Screenwriters: Remove your title page before uploading. Your screenplay should start with FADE IN: or your first scene heading (INT./EXT.). Inkshift will automatically skip standard transitions like FADE IN: and FADE OUT.

3. Use Consistent Scene Breaks

Scene breaks within chapters help the system understand your story structure. These common breaks work best.

Standard markers:

• ###
• ***
• ---
• Three or more of any symbol: * * * or - - -
• A blank line between scenes (though explicit markers are better)

What to avoid:

• Mixing different scene break styles in the same manuscript
• Using decorative symbols that aren't standard or unicode characters
• No clear breaks between scenes when the time/location changes

Pick one style and stick with it throughout your manuscript.

For Screenwriters: You don't need to worry about scene breaks. Each new slugline (INT./EXT.) automatically creates a new scene. Inkshift preserves your screenplay formatting including character names, dialogue, parentheticals, and action lines.

4. Keep It Simple

Inkshift works best with clean, straightforward formatting:

Best practices:

• Use standard paragraph breaks (one blank line between paragraphs)
• Single or double spacing
• Plain text formatting (no need for special fonts or styling)

Things to avoid:

• Extra decorative elements or ASCII art
• Unusual spacing or indentation schemes
• Mixing single and double spacing throughout the document

File Format Requirements

Inkshift accepts two file types:

• .docx (Word documents)
• .txt (Plain text files)

Both work equally well. If you're working in Google Docs, Scrivener, or another writing app, simply export as .txt before uploading.

A Properly Formatted Manuscript Example

Here's what a well-formatted manuscript looks like:

Chapter 1

The rain hammered against the window as Sarah stared at the letter in her hands. Three words. That's all it took to change everything.

She crumpled the paper and tossed it toward the wastebasket. It bounced off the rim and fell to the floor, joining the other failed attempts.

###

The café was nearly empty when she arrived. Marcus sat in the corner booth, just like he promised. His eyes met hers across the room, and she knew—this conversation would change both their lives.

Chapter 2: The Meeting

Marcus stood as she approached, but Sarah waved him down. "Don't," she said. "Let's just get this over with."

Notice:

• Clear chapter markers (Chapter 1 and Chapter 2: The Meeting)
• Consistent scene breaks (###)
• No front matter or title page
• Clean paragraph breaks

Screenplay Example

For screenwriters, here's what a properly formatted screenplay looks like:

INT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY

The aroma of freshly ground beans fills the air. MAYA (28), barista with paint-stained hands, wipes down the espresso machine. Rain streaks the windows.

A BELL CHIMES as JORDAN (32), disheveled writer, stumbles in.

JORDAN (shaking off rain): Please tell me you're still open.

MAYA: For another ten minutes.

INT. COFFEE SHOP - LATER

Maya sets a steaming cup in front of Jordan.

MAYA: On the house. You look like you need it.

Notice:

• Standard sluglines (INT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY)
• Time of day included (DAY, LATER)
• No title page
• Standard screenplay formatting preserved

What If Your Manuscript Doesn't Follow These Guidelines?

If you're using the Markup feature, following these guidelines becomes more important to properly display your manuscript and comments.

If you upload a manuscript and our system has trouble parsing it, you'll see a helpful error message with guidance on how to adjust your formatting. Simply make the suggested changes and upload again.

Special Cases

Novellas and Short Stories: If you're uploading a shorter work without chapters, that's fine! Just remove any front matter and make sure your scene breaks (if any) are clearly marked.

Partial Manuscripts: You can upload partial manuscripts (like the first three chapters). Just format them the same way you would a complete manuscript.

Non-English Manuscripts: Inkshift supports manuscripts in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, and Portuguese. The same formatting guidelines apply regardless of language.

Screenplays: Inkshift automatically detects screenplays based on scene headings. Your screenplay should have at least a few scenes with standard INT./EXT. sluglines and time-of-day markers (DAY, NIGHT, etc.). Both feature films and TV scripts (including TEASER, COLD OPEN, and act breaks) are supported. Transitions like CUT TO: and FADE OUT. are automatically filtered from analysis.

Quick Checklist Before Upload

For Novels:

• Clear chapter markers throughout (Chapter 1, Chapter 2, etc.)
• Front matter removed (no title page, dedication, etc.)
• Consistent scene breaks (###, ***, or ---)
• Clean formatting (no decorative elements)
• File saved as .docx or .txt
• Manuscript starts with either Chapter 1 or your first line of prose

For Screenplays:

• Title page removed
• Standard sluglines (INT./EXT. LOCATION - TIME OF DAY)
• File saved as .docx or .txt
• Screenplay starts with FADE IN: or first scene heading

Conclusion

Proper manuscript formatting is like giving Inkshift a clear map of your story. With these simple guidelines, our AI can provide more accurate chapter analysis, better scene-level feedback, and more precise inline comments with the Markup feature.

Ready to get started? Upload your manuscript and see what insights Inkshift can provide about your work.