Widows and Orphans

[R. C.]

After another round of research into the formatting of paperback books, I developed a wonder...

What's your rule on orphans and widows? 
Do you follow the "two line" rule?
Do you balance the pages?
Does "make it look good" override old-school rules?

TYIA

R.C.

[Vijaya]

RC, I will edit to make the page look good when formatting for paperback because I like having every chapter begin on a new page. So yes, def. no widows or orphans

[Post-Doctorate D]

I also have a tiny illustration/dingbat that marks the end of a chapter so that gives me an additional challenge when faced with chapters that would otherwise end on the very bottom of the page.  So I have to tweak things so the dingbat will be on the bottom and not flow to a page by itself.

I also try to ensure that new chapters start on an odd-numbered page so a new chapter will always be on the right-hand page and not the left side.

[Bill Hiatt]

I do whatever Vellum does.

Vellum automatically eliminates widows and eliminates orphans only after a scene break, though I believe those settings are adjustable. Vellum also automatically spread balances (makes sure each set of facing pages have the same number of lines in each.

As far as old-school rules vs looking good, I'm not sure I can think of an example in which those principles conflict, but I'd go with looking good if they did.