tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458681133174803865.post2621194320855214343..comments2024-03-12T11:28:03.538-06:00Comments on Dianne E. Butts About Writing: 8 Tips for Formatting Your Manuscripts So Editors Will Love (Not Hate) YouDianne E. Buttshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16428820912425494109noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458681133174803865.post-88241625451442378992013-05-31T19:32:16.711-06:002013-05-31T19:32:16.711-06:00A hard break for a line is when you force the next...A hard break for a line is when you force the next paragraph into a line break, rather than just hitting return or letting the processor move automatically to the next line. The hard break is when you press Shift+Enter. When the "show/hide" button is one, this hard break will look like left-pointing arrow with a "tail" that goes upward. <br /><br />These particular marks are nightmares for formatting manuscripts.<br /><br />Adding page breaks is good - a page break should be added at the end of each chapter. That forces the next chapter to the next page, and it keeps it there, even if you add or delete text from the previous chapter. <br /><br />Hope this helps.Tracy Ruckmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15052951798947073110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458681133174803865.post-73835779722395258042013-05-31T18:58:30.261-06:002013-05-31T18:58:30.261-06:00Hi Teresa! It's great to hear from you.
I thi...Hi Teresa! It's great to hear from you.<br /><br />I think what they mean by a "hard break" is a hard page break. For example if you force Word to go to a new page when it's not natural for it to do so (for exmample, the type hasn't hit the end of the page).<br /><br />Here's how you do a page break in Word (PC), if you ever need to:<br /><br />Click the "Insert" menu at the top. On that menu, it's the third item from the left (at least in my version). It's called "Page Break" and when you click on it, you automatically create a new page.<br /><br />Places where I use this is at the end of a chapter in a book manuscript so that the new chapter starts at the top of a new page. Or if I'm doing some kind of special formatting, like handouts I'm printing for a workshop and I want to force something onto the next page. But if you're writing magazine articles or devotions, editors wouldn't want you to put any page breaks in -- just let Word do it when the type runs from the bottom of one page to the top of the next.<br /><br />If you have a page break in your Word document and want to get rid of it (because it's invisible unless you click the "Show/Hide" that looks like the symbol for Paragraph), you can go beyond it and then hit "backspace" until you erase it. Or place your curser at the bottom of the page and press "delete" until the type on the lower page bounces up to your curser (then it's gone). Or you can highlight from the bottom of one page to the top of the next and then hit "delete."<br /><br />I hope that helps!Dianne E. Buttshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16428820912425494109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458681133174803865.post-31695150662653806112013-05-31T16:23:21.842-06:002013-05-31T16:23:21.842-06:00Dear Dianne & Tracy, I've heard you should...Dear Dianne & Tracy, I've heard you shouldn't do something called a hard break. Well, I don't know if I do it coz I don't know what it is. I try to do everything automatically in Microsoft Word & not change anything. I don't do any of the above formatting faux pas you mentioned so hopefully editors love me. Teresa Slackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11649279446549391739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458681133174803865.post-71366309829524321252013-04-29T13:00:04.192-06:002013-04-29T13:00:04.192-06:00Okay, great! Thanks, Tracy. I didn't know that...Okay, great! Thanks, Tracy. I didn't know that one.Dianne E. Buttshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16428820912425494109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458681133174803865.post-20716309552227329582013-04-29T10:42:18.898-06:002013-04-29T10:42:18.898-06:00In Word 2010, you can also set the indents in the ...In Word 2010, you can also set the indents in the paragraph dialogue box - under Line Spacing. Tracy Ruckmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15052951798947073110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458681133174803865.post-75109548724382444262013-04-24T17:45:58.156-06:002013-04-24T17:45:58.156-06:00Here's another question I received from a read...Here's another question I received from a reader today: <br /><br />Dianne, I have tried every thing. How do I set my line to 2 instead of double spacing myself? Thank you for all your help with your 8 tips for formatting...Please help me.<br /><br />Here's my answer: <br /><br />Are you using Microsoft Word? I hope so because that's the only program I know! In the banner of commands at the top, above where it says "Paragraph" you will see the four boxes where you can left justify, center, right justify, and justify both sides of your text. Immediately to the right of those, the next box has three lines with an up arrow and a down arrow. That is the box where you set your line spacing.<br /> <br />Click on that box till it opens. (I had to click mine twice.) The drop down menu has several choices: 1.0, 1.15, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, etc. Choose the 2.0 to set it as double spaced.<br /> <br />If you've already typed in your document, you'll have to highlight all the text you want double spaced (probably everything except your name/address, etc at the top -- everything from your story/article title down) BEFORE you go to that little box and chose 2.0. When that's applied to the text, it will all go double spaced.<br /> <br />Hope that helps! Good luck!!<br /><br /><br />She wrote back:<br />I could give you the biggest bear hug ever!!! Thank you so much!! That was so simple with your great directions. Thank you!!<br /><br /><br />So it worked for her. Great! I love those bear hugs!Dianne E. Buttshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16428820912425494109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458681133174803865.post-7057383673181347122013-04-24T17:42:35.190-06:002013-04-24T17:42:35.190-06:00Oh man! Thank you for calling that to our attentio...Oh man! Thank you for calling that to our attention, Tracy. <br /><br />Friends, to set your automatic indents, use the ruler at the top of your screen. I'm talking Microsoft Word. If you're using a different program you'll have to figure it out.Dianne E. Buttshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16428820912425494109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458681133174803865.post-61009623101588306342013-04-24T17:26:03.547-06:002013-04-24T17:26:03.547-06:00I loved ALL the points - you were spot on - except...I loved ALL the points - you were spot on - except for one - #7. Tabs are not good. It's better to set automatic indents and NOT use tabs, and here's why: tabs create awful problems for making manuscripts digital. Some programs wipe them clean, but not all. Tabs just create a mess for the most part on any kind of reformatting. Tracy Ruckmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15052951798947073110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458681133174803865.post-57072080408695637262013-04-03T11:03:32.267-06:002013-04-03T11:03:32.267-06:00Ah, thanks for the confirmation, Janice. Glad to k...Ah, thanks for the confirmation, Janice. Glad to know these are universal challenges and not me just being picky. Hopefully educating the readers of this blog/zine will help them, at least, not make these frustrating-to-editors mistakes. <br /><br />Thanks for your input.Dianne E. Buttshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16428820912425494109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2458681133174803865.post-50705657877655546782013-04-02T18:37:46.592-06:002013-04-02T18:37:46.592-06:00I can relate from simply being editor of a school ...I can relate from simply being editor of a school newsletter. Some of the outrageous methods people used so it would look right to them on the screen had to tediously be undone before I could use them in the newsletter. My husband was a newspaper editor and had to deal with these problems there as well when people sent him material to print in the paper. These tips are for real!Janice D. Greenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03704058339496902871noreply@blogger.com