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The metaphysical meaning of “double-spaced”… well there are a couple of ways in which we can approach this question. Let’s say that Life (as we understand it) is one line, and The Divine (whatever you may take that to be) is another line. Living a single-spaced life, in that circumstance, would mean being close to The Divine, if somewhat more difficult to read; double-spacing, therefore, would be easier on the eyes but more distant from perfection. Thus the tragicomedy of humanity, and why no one ever asks for papers to be triple-spaced. Then again, there are those who would say that there is no spacing at all; since we are all part of The Divine, existence is one infinite run-on sentence
Alternately, we could see the first line as “being” and the second as “the world”, with the first spacing representing the lag in perception between experiencing and interpreting sensory data, and the second the additional lag in formulating a response. Thus: a moth lands on my arm; the feeling of those tiny feet touching my skin and the reflected light off of the white wings are both single-spaced; my response (wondering how a moth got into our kitchen, remembering a friend who was deathly afraid of moths, and gently twitching my arm muscles to scare the moth off since who knows where those tiny feet have been) is double-spaced.
On the third hand: from an absurdist/existentialist point of view, since rules of composition have no inherent meaning of their own, “double-spacing” has whatever meaning you choose to assign it.
Next week, we’ll discuss quantum punctuation in a Newtonian grammatical universe.
Aaaah, what infinite wisdom you have bmarkey. Those are extremely thought-provoking interpretations.:)
I asked this question over at AskMe, and crossoverman suggested that I'd double-space my work. The only question is: what do I do when I come to the next para? Do I quadruple-space. Sorry if this seems like a dumb question.
Kush from a bong is single spaced.
Hash from a hookah is double spaced.
Nitrous oxide from a whip-it is triple spaced.
No, you don't quadruple space the paragraph.
A good start is Writers Digest Style Guides. Many publishers' specifications for manuscripts may not make sense to an outsider, but they do have their reasons.
In that circumstance, I think I'd triple-space. Unless you're indenting your grafs, in which case you could safely stick to the double-space. Then again: I'm unpublished, so what do I know?
Oh, hell, why don't I just give you an example: word length. Many publishers insist that an author's first book be a certain length. The reason for this is that publishers know how many hardbacks or paperbacks of that length fit without dead space in a carton for distribution.
Those publishers also know roughly how many pages your manuscript of that length will be if you follow their style guide.
hadjiboy: Are you using microsoft word to write your manuscript? Some other computer program? A typewriter?
If you're using a word processer, then the program should be able to handle the "double spacing" for you, so that you don't have to hit the return key twice in between paragraphs. For example, in Microsoft Office Word 2003, I would hit Ctrl-A to select all of the text, then left-click on Format, then Paragraph. There should be a drop-down box titled "Line Spacing" with an option of "double spaced".
Like someone in that AskMe thread mentioned, if you're using a word processor program, then don't worry about the formatting too much. It should all be taken care of by the program. But I suppose if you're typing it out on a typewriter or using a program like Notepad, you will have to do the formatting yourself.
When double-spacing on a typewriter, if you use block paragraphs, then your paragraph separations need to be triple-spaced. If you indent, though, just keep with the double spacing.
Ah, the joy of typing on a Selectric. A computer is never quite the same.
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