: 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

@Jessie137

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I think you will find this a matter of formatting style that is unusual enough not to have a convention. Certain publishers of music might have guidelines for it (can't help you there), but in a book you can probably present it as you wish. A publisher may choose to format it differently, as with most formatting details, but if you start with something you like I doubt you'll go wrong.

I would suggest that you check out the book Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices, by Paul Fleischman. These are children's poems about insects with the two voices given separate columns, intended to be performed aloud (like music would be). This is helpful for the many overlapping lines the voices share, and you can see how it works on the page.

If you don't have overlap, or only sections such as the chorus with both voices, you can use the format in Galastel's example.

Alternatively, with no overlap you might choose to right-justify one voice's lines, or put them in italics, with some indication only at the beginning of who has which part.

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