A character leaving notes?

[bo28111]

I'm not sure how to describe this whole thing in the title, sorry it's so vague.
Anyways, I started writing a story for my English class, and it's due in about a week. It started out as a relatively simple journal-like story, but then I added another layer. Basically, a man (named Ezekiel) finds a journal that belonged to someone (still unnamed) who was seemingly erased from existence. There's an introduction where Ezekiel describes how/when/where he found this journal, as well as telling a bit about himself. Then, I had planned on making it so he leaves notes throughout the journal. For example, the author of the journal is describing his family and Ezekiel makes a note that the people he describes are real, but they have no memory of him.
My question is, how would I format this? Should I use footnotes or something? Or just have italicized sentences in the middle of an entry? I really have no clue how to do this and I'm running out of time.
(I apologize, I should have put this in a different forum, but I'm extremely new to this. I don't even know if I can delete or move this now)

 

[The Judge]

First of all, don't worry, this is exactly the right place for this kind of question!

As to formatting this, I've seen it done both ways, so to an extent it will depend on how long Ezekiel's interjections are. If they're only a word or two, then footnotes might well cover it. But extended footnotes can be a bit confusing, in which case putting the comments into the main part of the page might work better -- though long footnotes didn't cause any problems in Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, so even then it's possible to go the footnote route if you're happier with it, and you can make it work in the layout.

I think if I were doing it, I'd probably go for the comments interrupting the journal, and possibly in a different font or in square brackets to keep them separate. After all, if you were to read it out loud, you'd want the remarks to come there, making it easier to read.

And welcome to Chrons! I hope that once your story is finished you let us know how you got on.

 

[Ihe]

I like the concept, but I don't understand why would he feel the need to scribble notes about the journal entries. If he was doing a report on the person's life--as a journalist, detective, or biographer or something--it might make more sense than doing it just because he feels like it.

 

[sknox]

Danielewski used extended footnotes in House of Leaves. That man must give his printer nightmares.

 

[Phyrebrat]

Keep it simple, I’d say; square brackets all the way.

pH

 

[tinkerdan]

I recently read this book by LJ Adlington
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0340913177/?tag=id2100-20
Which might be described similar to what you are describing.
However the author split it into chapters rather than footnotes with the person who finds the diary making comments throughout their own story.
This way we get to know both the person reading and the one writing--and that worked for me.
Also the copy I have has the character's part in serif fonts and the diary in sans serif fonts.

Rather than the person writing the diary no longer existing--the present governing body doesn't want anyone to know that they did.

I'd recommend it; however it's meant for a ages 7-10 and I'm 66 going on 13 so that's why it was fit for me.