Markdown Syntax Quick Reference

A quick reference guide to Markdown for fiction writers. Large language models both receive and return text, and Markdown is a minimalist plain text format with formatting specifications, now widely adopted by various LLMs. You can think of Markdown as an AI-native format. Getting familiar with Markdown syntax is very helpful for writing skills, learning AI-assisted writing, and more.

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Why Markdown?

Markdown is a lightweight markup language that lets you express formatting intentions within plain text. For fiction writers, the benefit is straightforward: focus on writing, not typesetting. You don't need to hunt through menus for buttons—just a few simple symbols to mark headings, emphasis, and section breaks. Once you're done writing, you can export to Word, PDF, e-books, and various other formats.

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1. Headings

Headings begin with the # symbol. The more # marks, the deeper the heading level. In fiction writing, chapter titles and section headings are the most commonly used.

# Chapter 1: Before the Dawn
## Section 1: Departure
### Scene One: Rainy Night

Effect:

Chapter 1: Before the Dawn

Section 1: Departure

Scene One: Rainy Night

Writing tip: Use # for chapter titles, ## for section headings, and ### for small markers like scene transitions or time jumps. Deeper levels are generally unnecessary.

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2. Paragraphs and Line Breaks

In Markdown, leaving a blank line between two blocks of text creates a paragraph break. This is the same effect as pressing Enter twice in Word.

He pushed the door open and stepped into the long-abandoned room. The air was thick with the stale smell of old wood.

Moonlight streamed through the shattered window, painting a pale, ghastly streak of light across the floorboards.

If you just want a line break within a paragraph (without creating paragraph spacing), use a single line break instead of a blank line (FeelFish supports this—a single line break will produce a new line without extra spacing).

He pushed the door open and stepped into the long-abandoned room. The air was thick with the stale smell of old wood.
Moonlight streamed through the shattered window, painting a pale, ghastly streak of light across the floorboards.

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3. Emphasis and Stress

This is one of the most frequently used formatting tools for fiction writers—ideal for marking a character's inner monologue, special terms, or tone that needs emphasis.

Writing example:

She stared at the letter, a single thought echoing in her mind: *This cannot be real.*

"You **must** leave before dawn." The old man's voice left no room for doubt.

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4. Horizontal Rules (Scene Breaks)

Fiction often requires marking scene changes, time jumps, or perspective shifts. In Markdown, use three or more dashes, asterisks, or underscores to create a horizontal rule:

She closed the door and never looked back.

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Three years later. A sun-drenched afternoon, the corner café buzzing with voices.

All three work: ---, ***, ___. They produce the same effect. It's recommended to stick with --- for consistency.

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5. Blockquotes

Blockquotes start with >. They're perfect for embedding letters, diary entries, news reports, inscriptions, and other inset texts within fiction.

He opened the yellowed diary. On the first page, it read:

> March 14, 1987. Sunny.
>
> I made a decision today. If all goes well, by this time tomorrow,
> I will no longer be anywhere in this city.

His fingers trembled slightly.

For nested blockquotes, use >>:

> She wrote in her letter:
>
>> If you're reading this, it means I've already gone.
>> Don't come looking for me.

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6. Lists

Lists aren't common in fiction prose, but they're very practical for outlines, world-building notes, and character profiles.

Unordered lists (start with -, *, or +):

- Main Characters
  - Lin Yuanzhou: Male lead, retired soldier, taciturn
  - Su Wan: Female lead, journalist, stubborn
- Supporting Characters
  - Old Chen: Tavern owner

Ordered lists (start with a number followed by .):

1. Act One: Daily Life and Foreshadowing
2. Act Two: Conflict Erupts
3. Act Three: Climax and Turning Point
4. Act Four: Resolution

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7. Code and Monospace Font

Occasionally, you may need to represent on-screen text, SMS messages, terminal output, or other "non-natural language" content in fiction. Use backticks for this:

Inline code—wrap with a single backtick:

A line of text flickered on the screen: `ACCESS DENIED`.

Code blocks—wrap the entire passage with three backticks:

The phone screen lit up with a message:

```
Sender: Unknown Number
Are you sure you want to open that door?
```

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8. Links and Images

Reference links and images may come in handy for writing notes.

Links:

For historical research on this event, see [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org).

Images:

![Scene sketch](images/scene01.png)

The image syntax simply adds a ! before a link. The text in square brackets serves as alternative description when the image can't be displayed.

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9. Footnotes

Some Markdown editors support footnotes, which are useful for adding translator's notes, historical background, and similar annotations to fiction:

That year, the entire city was talking about "Project Galaxy"[^1].

[^1]: "Project Galaxy" is a fictional space migration initiative, inspired by the 1960s moon race.

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10. Special Formatting Techniques

Centering Text

Standard Markdown doesn't support centering, but many editors and export tools support HTML tags:

<div align="center">

**Volume Two**

*The Gathering Storm*

</div>

Formatting Dialogue

For dialogue in Chinese fiction, simply use quotation marks and separate each line into its own paragraph:

"Where are you going?" She stood at the doorway and asked.

"Just out for a walk." He didn't look back.

"Now? It's raining outside."

He paused for a moment. "Perfect."

Each line of dialogue stands as its own paragraph—this is the cleanest approach.

Author's Notes and Writing Memos

You can use HTML comments to leave notes for yourself that won't appear in the exported output:

She walked into the café.
<!-- TODO: Add environmental description here—the café atmosphere should echo Chapter 3 -->
The owner looked up and recognized her.

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Quick Reference Cheat Sheet

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One final piece of advice: The essence of Markdown is "just enough to get by." When writing fiction, don't get carried away with typographic flourishes. Let the symbols serve the content, not the other way around. Open your editor and start writing—that's what really matters.