Insane Dames

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One Space, Two Space...

by Sue McKlveen

A controversial topic is being debated with writers firmly rooted on one side or the other side of the aisle. The debate is about whether there should be one space or two spaces at the end of the sentence. To me, it's a silly debate, because the standard in all typing classes was to always put two spaces at the end of a sentence, no questions asked.

But, with the advent of the internet and html (which always makes multiple spaces into one space), some authors think there should only be one space at the end of a sentence, to keep up with the times. Also, in almost all written works, there is only one space at the end of a sentence.

So, what do you do as an author? Do you stick with tradition, or move on to the latest 'rule'? To answer this, I've thought long and hard for a logical answer and have been enlightened by various editors and authors on what works.

What do other authors think?
Authors are split 50-50 on the issue, pretty much, so if you ask ten of your writer friends what they do, about half will say one space and half will say two spaces. They're pretty much no help.

What do editors think?
I've personally spoken to two different editors of major publishers, and both of them emphatically said 'two spaces'. The reason for this is simple, according to the editor of a major romance house. She told me that anything to make reading manuscripts easier will make her want to read on. If there's only one space, her eyes will hurt and she's more likely to think less of the work for that reason. As for agents, from what I understand, they say it doesn't matter to them.

Can the writing mean different things if you use one space or two spaces?
Yes. Consider the following sentence:

"Give me the gun!" John moaned.

Now, does John moan 'give me the gun' or does he say 'give me the gun' then moan? If you use one space at the end of sentences, you'll also use one space before dialogue tags. This will change the story slightly because it can be read either way, depending on the reader's choice.

If you use two spaces at the end of sentences and one space before dialogue tags, you'd know exactly which one it is. So, yes. It can change the story.

So what does two spaces really do for me?
This is the clincher for me. Since an editor can potentially request one space or two (considering all the writers out there are pretty much split down the middle of the controversy), why not write it with two spaces to begin with. It's much easier to search and replace two spaces with one space than the other way around. I figure they're not going to reject me for having two spaces (unlike one contest judge who INSISTED that there should ONLY be ONE space and was being nice by not marking me off for it), because publishers are looking at a professional copy with a great plot. If you use one space, it looks, in my opinion, like an unprofessional attempt. When writing technical papers in the workplace, secretaries are told to use two spaces. I want my document to look as professional as possible.

So, in summary, I support the two-space side of this debate--to make my manuscript look professional, be easy for an editor to read, and make it easier to change it to one space if requested.

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