Question for my readers...

[lavanya_six]

So I've been revising/rewriting "Doctor Who and the Defense Against the Dark Arts" (more on that tomorrow-ish) and I'm having a debate with myself on the issue of formatting. I'm think about using double spacing after each sentence in this fic.

I've attached two version of the same scene; the first with double spacing, the second without.

What do y'all think is the better version?

v1

"Aw?  Really?  Because I've been told my looks are very boyish."

Suddenly there was a great commotion at the fireplace.  With a gout of emerald flame and grey soot, an adult figure burst into existence, screaming.  The figure, whom Hermione soon made out to be an adult woman with red hair, shook herself off dazedly, all the while looking like she was about to be sick.  "Bloody hell," she muttered, "it wasn't like that in the books."

"You should have read closer," said Rowling.  "After all, I wa—"

SLAP!!

"Ow!"

"You stupid Martian!" snapped the soot-stained redhead.  "I could have been turned inside out!  Why didn't you tell me that beforehand?!  I would have taken the bloody train instead!"

Without missing a beat, Professor Rowling turned to the assembled group and said, "May I introduce my lovely wife Donna Noble."

"You're sleeping on the floor tonight, Mister!  And don't think I'm sparing you a blanket!"

"Lovely, isn't she?"

v2

"Aw? Really? Because I've been told my looks are very boyish."

Suddenly there was a great commotion at the fireplace. With a gout of emerald flame and grey soot, an adult figure burst into existence, screaming. The figure, whom Hermione soon made out to be an adult woman with red hair, shook herself off dazedly, all the while looking like she was about to be sick. "Bloody hell," she muttered, "it wasn't like that in the books."

"You should have read closer," said Rowling. "After all, I wa—"

SLAP!!

"Ow!"

"You stupid Martian!" snapped the soot-stained redhead. "I could have been turned inside out! Why didn't you tell me that beforehand?! I would have taken the bloody train instead!"

Without missing a beat, Professor Rowling turned to the assembled group and said, "May I introduce my lovely wife Donna Noble."

"You're sleeping on the floor tonight, Mister! And don't think I'm sparing you a blanket!"

"Lovely, isn't she?"

Comments

[blueinkedlines.livejournal.com]

Don't take my word as Gospel law, but I'm pretty sure that Fanfiction.Net's style would automatically format it anyway?

[lavanyasix.livejournal.com]

I just ran a little experiment on FFnet and you're right, it would reformat it.

But aside from that, which do you think reads better? I can always use that version here in the lj copy.

[blueinkedlines.livejournal.com]

Double-spacing is technically "more" correct, but it's just a little harder on the eyes when laid out on a screen versus having a hard copy. Most online news sources use single spacing for this very reason.