Laptop Format

[ldhix]

Here's a question. When writing with my laptop, I have been using microsoft word. 1. Is there a better program and 2. What format should I use in writing.

I am working on my book. (slowly but surely) but full page seems wierd.

Am I doing right? or could I do better?

[jacks girl]

I don't think that there is a better format I used to like echo lake it hade a real book form and you could take a book of the shelf and add pictures, you could click on thins it was kind of like a game.

As for what I use, I had to open it and see what you called it, I like print layout, and sometimes when my eyes are tired i use web layout and i change the color of the background to gray for a while, but i like print layout it seems to work the best.

[Phy]

Here's a question. When writing with my laptop, I have been using microsoft word. 1. Is there a better program and 2. What format should I use in writing.

I am working on my book. (slowly but surely) but full page seems wierd.

Am I doing right? or could I do better?

It depends on a host of very subjective things. What do you want out of your writing application? Multiple formats? Tools? Simple display? Tiny operating footprint?

When I was writing my 2004 NaNo novel, I started in Texturizer (essentially, notepad on steroids). As I progressed, I switched to Word for the tools (especially word count). I briefly flirted with Open Office Writer, but finally used FrameMaker for its ability to combine chapters into a book and output the results in .pdf format.

Today, I just use Word 2003 for most things (with the exception of Adobe InDesign CS3 for Ray Gun Revival, and even then, I write in Word and paste the results into ID for publication). I find I write in Normal view and use a blue-grey color for my text, and Palatino Linotype for my font.

[dominicgaj]

I use Word (I am used to it) and now that I have a publisher and am responsible for internal book layout as well I have a double page view as if I was opening up the book itself on an A5 sized page (illustrations scanned inserted on to the page as well, that I collect from my illustrator). This makes it a lot easier when I am editing. The publisher likes to receive my manuscripts like this as well.

I acknowledge that this is probably a weird setup and nobody else would do this.

I think that because I am writing adventure gamebooks, my setup is different to the norm.

P.S. I also don't own a laptop, I've never gravitated to those for some reason.

[DrRita]

Word is probably the best program to use, it's the standard anyway. Most publishers like to receive manuscripts in that format anyway. I have my page set up with 1.5" margins for both top and bottom and 1" for the side margins, double space for the body. This formating gives me 250 word pages and gives room for the editor to make notes. The top header has one word from the title/my last name/chapter # on the left corner (example: Qismat/Betti/Chap 2) and then the page # on the right corner. Bottom headers (if needed) would have any footnotes and/or references etc.

I hope that's what you were asking for.

[TanyaSue]

Here's a related question: What is standard for saving your work? Do you save each chapter as a separate document or is your entire manuscript in one?

I have everything in separate documents. Just curious what is standard and what everyone else is doing.

[righter1]

Here's a related question: What is standard for saving your work? Do you save each chapter as a separate document or is your entire manuscript in one?

I have everything in separate documents. Just curious what is standard and what everyone else is doing.


I have no idea what's standard, and whether it varies from fiction to non-fiction. But, I keep my novel in one document. Since I have folks critiquing via e-mail, I copy and paste what I need to see them into a separate doc based on chapters, as needed, so they're not having to shuffle through a few hundred pages. :)

As for formatting, right now, I'm running: 1.9 inches on the left margin, 1.3 on the right, 1.5 on the top and 1.7 on the bottom. I'm also running with less than double spacing (1.5 vs 2). This is giving me an average of 275 - 300 words a page, and I don't like the amount of space shown when I do double--never have! When I'm ready to send it off to an agent/publisher, I'll reformat it to make them happy.

Oh, there's also a button I always untoggle in the formatting section, because it drives me nuts. Widow/Orphan control. This function will move the first/last line on the page if it's all alone, which for keeping averages right, is not a function I want! I don't know why it's default with Word, but it is. Oh well.

[ldhix]

Thanks a lot for the answers. This will help me quite a bit. I was a little overwhelmed but not anymore! Word makes your pages seem so huge. Daunting for me to say the least.

[jacks girl]

I think you can change the size of the page to 200 percent on down to many pages. sometimes i click the page button just to see all the pages layout as if I'd printed it.

Tanya, I save my work to floppy's still but I'm getting ready to start saving them to disks now. I like to save each chapter and title, so that way I can go back and find it later with ease. Usually i can get 15 chapters on one floppy but floppies have been known to eat your work. I have went back years later to find my work just plain gone.

[Tarin]

Here's a related question: What is standard for saving your work? Do you save each chapter as a separate document or is your entire manuscript in one?

I save everything in one doc. It gives me a nice sense of accomplishment to watch the page count grow!

I use the standard page settings in Microsoft Word, but I change the font for every project. I like every book to have a different "look."

[eleazar]

One document gives me better control of page numbering, headers, etc. It also helps to keep it all together, but for safety's sake I save versions of my work - so I might save the first file as "why I put compost on my strawberries and others put cream (a).doc" and the next as "dah-di-dah-di (b).doc", until I am sure that I don't need to go back to an earlier version.

I also use word but there are better tools for grammar checking that you can add-in to word.

[Phy]

Here's a related question: What is standard for saving your work? Do you save each chapter as a separate document or is your entire manuscript in one?

I've tried both ways. Now, if I write a novel, I use FrameMaker and make each chapter a separate file. However, I combine them together into one book for easy manipulation, but that's the value of a legitimate desktop publishing app for you.

If using Word, I'll keep it in one file for the word count function, but I'm always a tad nervous that it will become corrupted and I'll lose everything (that's happened to me before) so I save often and backup frequently.

Frame really is the way to go for long, text-based document, but it has a steep learning curve. However, once you know your way around, it's very hard to go back to anything else. It is really amazing to be able to effortlessly handle long docs with FrameMaker. If I have a change, I just update it and it handles the change globally without losing anything along the way. Word is just too 'helpful' to trust. I've had Word change bullets, numbering, styles, you name it. Frame just works. And when I publish from Frame, I publish to .pdf, a ubiquitous format.

[Phy]

Word makes your pages seem so huge. Daunting for me to say the least.

There are some things you can do:

1 - Change the Zoom percentage. I tend to work with the Zoom at 100% but do other things to make the Window itself smaller.

2 - On a Windows computer, click the top middle Windows button to switch out of Maximixed mode, and change your window size to something manageable size.

3 - In the bottom left side of your Word window, click the different buttons to experiment around with how things display. I like the Page View mode, but it takes up a lot of the screen. I'll do that at home where I have dual monitors and a larger screen. I'm stuck with a 17" single monitor at work, and work in Normal mode.

Hope this helps.

[kriswrite]

I agree that Word is probably best since most publishers will want your manuscript in Word, anyway.

Tanya, I've heard many writers say they like to save each chapter in a separate file. I tend to like everything in one file, myself. But whatever the case, once you're ready to send your MS to a publisher, the entire book should be in one file...unless your editor specifies otherwise, of course.

Kristina

[DaisyMama]

If you have a Mac, I highly recommend Jer's Novel Writer. Lots of great features (outline, database, margin notes, etc). I'll never go back!

AND, because Word is the standard, this program allows you to save your work as a Word file if you want to.

[wgjones3]

Jer's Novel Writer is great, except I can't get the spell check to work to save my life.

I'm using Word 2004 on a widescreen MacBook, I don't do full screen, but if I'm on a square screen I will do full screen. I also use the page layout view.

I've got my margins set at 1 inch top, right, and left, and 0.8 on the bottom. I type in double-space Courier (Courier 10BT on the PC) because it's much easier on my eyes. I turned orphan/widow control on though I didn't use it for years.

[wgjones3]

And I see there's a new version of Jer's Novel Writer out and the spell check does work. Hooray!

[ldhix]

Word is probably the best program to use, it's the standard anyway. Most publishers like to receive manuscripts in that format anyway. I have my page set up with 1.5" margins for both top and bottom and 1" for the side margins, double space for the body. This formating gives me 250 word pages and gives room for the editor to make notes. The top header has one word from the title/my last name/chapter # on the left corner (example: Qismat/Betti/Chap 2) and then the page # on the right corner. Bottom headers (if needed) would have any footnotes and/or references etc.

I hope that's what you were asking for.


Exactly what I needed Doc!

Thanks