Some help with formatting, please!

[WittyUserName]

Yes, this is a formatting question, and yes, I'm starting off with some background!
I've been posting on Literotica for a few years now, and I think I'm less bad now. I hadn't written much since high school(which is further in the past than I care to admit) and had forgotten some things. In fact, I have a list of errors I made that I have to go back and edit in all my earlier posts. That's a nightmare for another day.
I'm working on a new chapter in a series and it involves someone getting a tour of the office they'll be interning at. Now, I know that you CAN use bolds and italics in a story, but it's a pain. And in reference to the above, I submit a lot of edits(sorry!) and it's just too much. So, I'm trying to figure out how to correctly format a few things. First, there's an "Ideas & Suggestions" bottle and I have the intern laugh at a few of the funny ones that were memorialized on a nearby whiteboard. Next, there's an official note on the coffee maker, with a handwritten reply to it someone added as a joke.
Here's the text I have right now:

The massive printer at the end of the cubicles had a sticky note on it reminding people to refill the paper if they used it all. A nearby table had a jar on it labeled “Ideas & suggestions.” There was a small whiteboard above it with various inside jokes and motivational quotes. Kayla laughed at a few of the suggestions that had been written on the board “Please ban Danny from microwaving leftovers,” “Can Angela take a vacation?” and “No more singing along to Taylor Swift!”
Next stop was the break room, which was empty at the early hour. There were several tables, a couple of vending machines, two microwaves, and various cabinets. Brenda led the new hires over to her precious espresso machine, and they immediately noticed the printed note stuck to it, along with the handwritten addition beneath.
Please don’t change the coffee maker settings.
-“Sienna, this is about you and the triple-shot incident.”

How should I format all of this? In the first paragraph, is it correct that "Can" is capitalized? For the note on the espresso machine, does that make sense. I was planning on having the character read a few other notes on the bulletin board. I was thinking something like:

The bulletin board was a chaos of official and "reply" notes.

Something boring and official
-"Funny comment"
-"Funny response to comment"
-"Serious reply telling them to knock it off."
-"Funny response to serious comment"

Does the key help? I can put that in the story? Is it unclear that "Please don't change the coffee maker settings." is a note and not just the next paragraph? My plan was single indent for "Please don't change the coffee maker settings." double indent for the next line. Although, that would get lost in formatting, too. I write in Libreoffice and copy/paste.

I hope I'm asking this question correctly. Sorry again that I'm not an expert. I have a very technical background and am better with math and spreadsheets!

Thanks in advance!

-Witty

 

[WaxPhilosophic]

I generally use quotation marks only for dialog and any written things are in italics. For example:

I awoke to find Bella gone and a note for me on the bedside table. Next to the note was a pen. Lying atop the pen and the note was the black leather collar that usually came out for playtime. I picked up the collar and laid it on my thigh as I read the note.

Dearest Juliet,

Before you leave, Charlotte and I want to enjoy you as much as we can. Today, we decided to let you sleep in, but tomorrow you will have a full day. Here are your duties.

...

 

[PapaRomantic]

I generally use quotation marks only for dialog and any written things are in italics. For example:

Like you, I try to use quotations marks for only dialogue.

I use italics for text conversations, and for the person on the other end of a telephone call.

Witty, where you have used quotations marks for non-speaking purposes, I generally use just a single quote mark, especially when I'm calling attention to something.

I'm sure what I'm doing is not proper grammar, which surprises even me. But I think he helps the reader understand what is going on better. Just my opinion.

 

[Thanatos_X13]

Quotation marks aren't just for dialogue, they are for whenever you are quoting something, so the way you've done it is fine. But it's really up to your own taste. When it comes to Literotica, you can handle these things in whatever way you see fit, as long as you follow an internally consistent logic. For example, I always italicize internal monologues, rather than put them in quotes. I personally wouldn't italicize these short, written statements, and keep them in quotes, but it's up to you. I'd also say you should probably keep them all in-line, instead of starting a new line like you did in later instances, because that makes it look even more like dialogue. Again, whatever you choose, keep it consistent.

This is not the question you asked, but I'd consider if any of this is really all that needed for the story, or if all of it is needed. It seems like a lot of instances of similar things, so it might be good to single out just 1 or 2 of the most impactful ones. By cutting down on the number of them, it might make formatting it a bit easier and not feel like you're juggling so many of these short notes and having to figure out how to integrate them into your prose fluidly.

 

[iwatchus]

Like you, I try to use quotations marks for only dialogue.

I use italics for text conversations, and for the person on the other end of a telephone call.

This has been my style for a while now. I picked it up about my sixth or seventh story.

But I got myself in trouble in my next to most recent work, which the MC could read minds. A few people knew about this and would intentionally send him messages, telepathically. I also italicized those and at least one reader got confused by the typographical convention.

 

[WittyUserName]

Quotation marks aren't just for dialogue, they are for whenever you are quoting something, so the way you've done it is fine. But it's really up to your own taste. When it comes to Literotica, you can handle these things in whatever way you see fit, as long as you follow an internally consistent logic. For example, I always italicize internal monologues, rather than put them in quotes. I personally wouldn't italicize these short, written statements, and keep them in quotes, but it's up to you. I'd also say you should probably keep them all in-line, instead of starting a new line like you did in later instances, because that makes it look even more like dialogue. Again, whatever you choose, keep it consistent.

This is not the question you asked, but I'd consider if any of this is really all that needed for the story, or if all of it is needed. It seems like a lot of instances of similar things, so it might be good to single out just 1 or 2 of the most impactful ones. By cutting down on the number of them, it might make formatting it a bit easier and not feel like you're juggling so many of these short notes and having to figure out how to integrate them into your prose fluidly.

Thanks! And yeah, I thought the way I had it was alright. It should be clear to the reader. I hope.

Needed? Nah, not 100% and I am just gonna use a couple of the funniest ones.