Dear Writer,

Please get this down pat.

“Short story”: shortest form of prose fiction, typically ranging from 10 to 40 pages, or up to 10,000 words. “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor

A Novella is intermediate in length, falling between 70 and 200 pages, or 17,500 to 40,000 words. A Christmas Carol (1843) by Charles Dickens

A Novel is the longest form, generally beginning at 200 pages (or 40,000 words) and extending upward. Frankenstein (1818) by Mary Shelley.

Newspapers and Magazines: The New York Times, Harper’s Magazine, The Atlantic. Use italics.

Movies: Jaws (1975), Forrest Gump (1994), Jurassic Park (1993). Use italics.

Stage Musicals: The Lion King (1997), Wicked (2003), Hamilton (2015). Use italics.

Corporate and Brand Names: Panda Express, Apple, Nike. Use standard roman text. No italics or quotation marks.

Countries and Governments: The United States, France, the United Kingdom. Use standard roman text and capitalization. No italics or quotation marks.

Songs, in quotes, albums in italics.

“Billie Jean” (1982), Michael Jackson, Thriller (1982)

“As the World Turns,” Eminem, The Slim Shady LP (1999)

Sincerely,

Elia Kazan