: Re: How to display a duet in lyrics? I wonder if someone can tell me whether there is a convention when laying out a lyric to show different parts (or even a chorus). In my novel, there are

@Steve161

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This is how Tolkien solves a similar problem in The Lord of the Rings:

ENT.
When Spring unfolds the beechen leaf, and sap is in the bough;
When light is on the wild-wood stream, and wind is on the brow;
When stride is long, and breath is deep, and keen the mountain-air,
Come back to me! Come back to me, and say my land is fair!

ENTWIFE.
When Spring is come to garth and field, and corn is in the blade;
When blossom like a shining snow is on the orchard laid;
When shower and Sun upon the Earth with fragrance fill the air,
I’ll linger here, and will not come, because my land is fair.

ENT.
When Summer lies upon the world, and in a noon of gold
Beneath the roof of sleeping leaves the dreams of trees unfold;
When woodland halls are green and cool, and wind is in the West,
Come back to me! Come back to me, and say my land is best!

ENTWIFE.
When Summer warms the hanging fruit and burns the berry brown;
When straw is gold, and ear is white, and harvest comes to town;
When honey spills, and apple swells, though wind be in the West,
I’ll linger here beneath the Sun, because my land is best!
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Book III, chapter 4 - Treebeard

I am fairly sure that in another book I've seen something along the line of:

Alpha sang [...] then Bravo took over [...] and they finished together [...]

In the second variant the interruptions draw a bit more attention to themselves, but at the same time they make better sense in terms of the narration: if you imagine the story being "told", you wouldn't expect tags as in the first example.

The reason you haven't found this in any style manual is that if you're writing a novel (or a short story - doesn't matter), this is really up to you. There is no one single convention. There are multiple solutions that can be employed. Depending on what fits the overall style and voice of your story better, you can pick one approach or the other.

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