What does the pound (#) sign represent?

[bretwieseler]

Whenever I add a new index card a pound symbols appears in my screenplay. I assumed that it's some sort of auto formatting but when I export or print the symbol still remains. Could somebody tell me what these are for?

 

Thanks.

[Steve]

Hi Bret,

 

The pound sign is the section separator character. It is used to mark the end of a section (scene) in your manuscript.

 

-Steve

[bretwieseler]

Thanks Steve. Will the symbols print or are they placeholders for other info?

[marguerite]

They print. If you are submitting a manuscript, agents and editors like the # because it shows the scene breaks better than a blank line. If you are self-publishing, you can eventually replace the # with a character of your choice or a blank line. You can make that change in Storyist—before exporting for Kindle or ePub, for example (although be aware that many characters don't display on an e-book reader).

 

But you would want to make the change on a copy of your file and late in the game, because once you do, your sections get mashed into one big chapter, and you can no longer move them around as individual sections.

Best,

Marguerite

[bretwieseler]

Very informative. Thanks!