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About William Sternman
Expertise
My short stories have been published in the U.S., England, Australia, New Zealand, Hungary, South Africa, Japan, and Pakistan. My essays, movie and book reviews have appeared in the Houston Chronicle, Boston Herald, St. Petersburg Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, The Drummer, Films in Review. I took courses in creative writing at the University of Pennsylvania and copyediting at Temple University.

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Writing Short Stories - SPECIAL FORMATTING OF DATES & TIMES

Expert: William Sternman - 10/18/2008

Question
Dear Mr. Sternman,

I am writing a short story which begins in the past and flashes forward to the present. In publication it might look something like this:

MAY 24,2006
7:35 P.M.

Jack walked down the street . . .

THE PRESENT

Jack remembered walking down the street . . .

Should I just write the date, time, and "The PRESENT" as they would appear in the finished story? Or is there a formatting rule I should follow?

Thank you for your help.
Ryan

Answer
Hi, Ryan!

There is special formatting that I know of. You’re the author; you’re in total control.

What you propose is acceptable, though not very imaginative.

Here’s a suggestion:

“Jack was walking down the street.

He remembered walking down the street. How did he get here from there?”

You might italicize "remembered."

I hope this helps.

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