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Subject: The best way to post "short" stories


tjames ( ) posted Wed, 19 February 2003 at 7:34 AM · edited Thu, 19 December 2024 at 7:22 AM

I'm sure we have some talented individuals who have some short stories they might like to share. I think the best way to do that is to post it on you artist page in the articles section and link to that page. This keeps the forum from really getting cluttered with stuff and utilizes some of that vast space thats available to you. The comments on the short story could be here.


dialyn ( ) posted Wed, 19 February 2003 at 7:53 AM

Odd, I was thinking how there don't seem to be many fiction or nonfiction prose pieces represented on this forum...I didn't perceive it as being cluttered by prose at all. But I will, of course, do my part and remove my few minor efforts if they are clogging the forum.


Shoshanna ( ) posted Wed, 19 February 2003 at 11:56 AM

I kind of like the cluttered look, it's more comfortable. Perhaps if stories were started in the forum, then continued on artists pages this would stop them getting lost from view? I copy the bits I post here to my artist page, along with a couple I haven't, and always check out the artist page of anyone who posts in here, but lets face it more people will see (and hopefully comment) in the forum than on an artists page. No one has ever commented on mine anyway, whilst I have had a limited amount of feedback in the forum. At least if nobody looks at your work in here you don't have a counter at the bottom of the page to tell you so! Shanna :-)



dialyn ( ) posted Wed, 19 February 2003 at 12:25 PM

LOL! You are right about that counter thing, Shanna. I think your idea about longer pieces is a good one. I don't post anything of any length here (or, at least I haven't in a long time) so it never occurred to me that the prose was causing a problem. Shows how narrow a vision can be. Of course if Crescent is successful at getting a gallery, that would make one more place to have an opportunity to post which might provide a solution in itself. I really appreciate Crescent's willingness to take an idea and move forward with it.


tjames ( ) posted Wed, 19 February 2003 at 2:48 PM

Don't get me wrong...I wasn't saying I didn't like short stories, but perhaps it's just my experience with the formatting problem here. It just seems easier to put something in its entirety on your artist page and reference it, for one, more people take a look at all your stuff. If the article has pics or you have to come back to add more later it just works more easily.


Crescent ( ) posted Wed, 19 February 2003 at 4:18 PM

Well, I was going to finish up one of my stories and post it today or tomorrow, but the whole thing disappeared! And I finally got a beginning I liked! ARGH! I was thinking of posting the story as a few posts in one thread. It gives a bit of "breathing room" for the eyes, but keeps everything together. Putting it in the artist's page with links is fine, too. Some people point to off-site places as well. Personally, I think it's easier to have all of it in one place so it's easier to people to critique, but it's a personal preference, not a requirement. Well, hopefully I'll have something to post soon. Sigh Well, it needed a bit of a rewrite, anyway.


dialyn ( ) posted Wed, 19 February 2003 at 5:36 PM

Ah, tjames, more people might look at your stuff on your artist's page then here, but I think the odds are that no one outside of the interested few on this forum would bother to look at mine on my artist's site. Such an optimist you are. But I have to be honest, I don't post because I think I'm gaining an audience. I post to see what my words look like up on the screen because sometimes I get ideas from looking at them from a stranger's point of view. A totally narcissistic experience. Looking forward to seeing your story, Crescent. I know the agony of having a story disappear. There goes that "if I had only saved a back up copy one more time" feeling. Sigh. I had one story take off underneath a bus once. It's bad enough to have one disappear, but I saw mine run over. :( I didn't take it as a personal criticism, however. I don't think the bus could read.


tjames ( ) posted Wed, 19 February 2003 at 5:44 PM

Dont forget that formatting thing...when its all in on place you don't seem to have all the sudden line breaks and dropped commas and such that suddenly appear. I think rendie's format doesn't work well with Word, or perhaps when I type and edit at the same time it fails to recognize the corrections, leaving the format marks in place.(Holy shades of Word Perfect)


dialyn ( ) posted Wed, 19 February 2003 at 5:52 PM

I loved WordPerfect. I hated it when Word took over a standard. How I adored reveal codes. Sigh. Days never to return. Guess I don't really find I have a formatting problem that bothers me enough to change my ways. I have a neat little program called eCleaner (used to be free on the Internet from somplace I've forgotten) that strips off the odd line breaks, but I'm so lazy I don't bother with that on most occassions. I can always format in simple html if I want Renderosity to behave itself. But if anyone who does find the formatting a problem would certainly find your suggestion a viable alternative. It isn't for me but it may be perfect for someone else. That's the nice thing about having a choice.


Crescent ( ) posted Wed, 19 February 2003 at 6:23 PM

Word and Rendie (and a lot of forums) don't get along. I always copy/paste to Notepad then copy/paste to Rendie. Word puts in lots of goobledeegook that Notepad strips out while Rendie freaks out. As for formatting codes in Word, go to Tools: Options: View. There's a bunch of codes you can show on-screen. It's not quite the same as WP's, but there's a good selection. Cheers!


dialyn ( ) posted Wed, 19 February 2003 at 6:34 PM

To be honest, when I'm writing for the forum, I just write in the notepad to begin with and don't bother with Word. Saves a step. And we already know I'm lazy. ;)


ChuckEvans ( ) posted Wed, 19 February 2003 at 7:37 PM

I may have another good idea (yeah, like THAT happens!).

As some of you may have noticed, I don't use WordPad anymore, I use FrontPage. I type here and then copy HTML code and paste. Easy.

So, you say you don't have FrontPage. Fine. I think Word will save a document as HTML. Try doing that and see if you can paste as HTML here. Then get color, proper quotes, etc. You can always preview the post and see if it "translated" OK. Hey, I gotta do everything I can to try and get my attempts to stand out... J

PS: Yes, Cres (sorry for the rhyme), looking forward to some more stuff from you as well.

 ![turkey.gif](http://www.chuck-n-michelle.net/images/turkey.gif)  Sure, you can strive to fly with the eagles but turkeys don't get sucked into jet engines.


ChuckEvans ( ) posted Wed, 19 February 2003 at 7:41 PM

Just a COLOR test from Word to HTML.


ChuckEvans ( ) posted Wed, 19 February 2003 at 7:42 PM

Yep, that works OK from Word.

 ![turkey.gif](http://www.chuck-n-michelle.net/images/turkey.gif)  Sure, you can strive to fly with the eagles but turkeys don't get sucked into jet engines.


dialyn ( ) posted Wed, 19 February 2003 at 7:45 PM

Your writing is getting very colorful, Chuck. Perhaps you need to replace the turkey with a peacock??? ;) If Crescent is able to get TBTB to approve a gallery, I can't wait to see what your stories look like. But don't forget, for reading purposes, that not everyone has a black background.


ChuckEvans ( ) posted Wed, 19 February 2003 at 7:49 PM

And there I go assuming everyone has the default R'City color choices. You mean there are OTHERS? LOL Please enlighten me a bit.


dialyn ( ) posted Wed, 19 February 2003 at 7:54 PM

I have light grey because light letters on a dark background vibrate and cause eyestrain (for me). So my personal defaults are black lettering on a light grey background which is easier for me to read. Your light green lettering on the light grey is really hard to read, so I highlight them to read them clearly. Not a biggie and may not be a problem for anyone else. But if you are trying to communicate with people, keeping it simple is often the best rule. And your messages stand out as intelligent and insightful without the colorful additions. But that's just me. :)


ChuckEvans ( ) posted Wed, 19 February 2003 at 7:55 PM

Yeah, maybe I should get a peacock. Much more flamboyant than a turkey, but a turkey seems to fit me better

 ![turkey.gif](http://www.chuck-n-michelle.net/images/turkey.gif)  When a cat is dropped, it always lands on its feet, and when toast is dropped, it always lands with the buttered side facing down. I propose to strap buttered toast to the back of a cat. The two will hover, spinning inches above the ground. With a giant buttered cat array, a high-speed monorail could easily link New York with Chicago.


dialyn ( ) posted Wed, 19 February 2003 at 7:56 PM

P.S. anytime you want to clutter the forum with one of your strong short stories, I'll happily read it no matter what color you choose to post in.


dialyn ( ) posted Wed, 19 February 2003 at 7:59 PM

Ah, Chuck, you crossposted too fast for me. Not true about the turkey better representing you. Tsk, tsk. I do like the changes you make in the text below the turkey. :)


ChuckEvans ( ) posted Wed, 19 February 2003 at 8:05 PM

That's sweet of you to say. Of course, my feelings are hurt. (J/K)

So, what you are saying is that when I reply normally without HTML checked, R'City takes my white and converts it to your color scheme?

 ![turkey.gif](http://www.chuck-n-michelle.net/images/turkey.gif)  FRIENDSHIP, *n.* A ship big enough to carry two people in fair weather but only one in foul weather. - Ambrose Bierce (my hero)


ChuckEvans ( ) posted Wed, 19 February 2003 at 8:06 PM

That better?


ChuckEvans ( ) posted Wed, 19 February 2003 at 8:13 PM

I can make any combination of background color and text that is easy for people to read. AND, the turkey is a very small graphic. So, how is this color combo?

 ![turkey.gif](http://www.chuck-n-michelle.net/images/turkey.gif)  *EGOTIST, n. A person of low taste, more interested in himself than in me.**- Ambrose Bierce (my hero)*


dialyn ( ) posted Wed, 19 February 2003 at 8:14 PM

Yes. If you type without html coding, Renderosity automatically makes your message look like my default. So instead of white lettering on black (the standard Renderosity default), I see black on pale grey. When you type with html coding, you override the Renderosity defaults I put in place so I see pale green (your coding) on pale grey (my default). LOL...I guess the background is better but that orange lettering on teal is a little odd. I like Ambrose Bierce too. Master story teller. :) Maybe you should just do it the way you were originally before we drive everyone crazy, and I will simply adjust as needed since I'm the only having a problem (in this case, your personal taste and the majority rule...!)


ChuckEvans ( ) posted Wed, 19 February 2003 at 8:22 PM

Well, hopefully my last (crosspost) will be good for anyone to read since it should override and post as I made it.

PS: To the knowledgeable among you...as long as I give credit, is it OK to post something like this at the bottom?

 ![turkey.gif](http://www.chuck-n-michelle.net/images/turkey.gif)  IMPARTIAL*, adj.* Unable to perceive any promise or personal advantage from espousing either side of a controversy or adopting either of two conflicting opinions. - Ambrose Bierce (my hero)


dialyn ( ) posted Wed, 19 February 2003 at 8:30 PM

:)


ynsaen ( ) posted Thu, 20 February 2003 at 12:32 AM

Ding Dong.... Chiming in. I'm pretty partial to keeping "short stories" whole, myself. The trick is, as noted, keeping them arranged properly. Formatting issues suck. My workaround has generally developed out to be WordPad when using Windows. Notepad on steriods, really. The HTML trick is also very workable, but you do have to be careful. For folks looking to try that route without having to get FP or some such, I recommend "arachnophilia" (http://www.arachnoid.com/arachnophilia/). And this despite the, um, rather extreme views of it's author in comparison to mine. lol. It's free, and really easy to use.

thou and I, my friend, can, in the most flunkey world, make, each of us, one non-flunkey, one hero, if we like: that will be two heroes to begin with. (Carlyle)


jagill ( ) posted Thu, 20 February 2003 at 7:07 AM

Dailyn: WordPerfect is still around. I still use it and prefer it over Word. The latest version will even import and export Word documents without losing any formatting. I write everything in WP and have never had a problem pasting.


dialyn ( ) posted Thu, 20 February 2003 at 7:07 AM

Aracnophillia is a nice, sturdy little careware program than sets up straightforward web pages without a lot of additional coding. Glad you mentioned it. I've been using it for years and it has never failed me.


dialyn ( ) posted Thu, 20 February 2003 at 7:09 AM

I know WordPerfect is still around but my office uses the cursed Word and it is better for me to stay consistent if for no other reason than I can only remember so much in my advanced years. Using WordPerfect shortcuts in Word doesn't always work very smoothly.


dialyn ( ) posted Thu, 20 February 2003 at 12:23 PM

You have to not use the header, meta tags, body to use it correctly, tjames. It isn't exactly like creating a web page. Try this with just the font color and no other coding.


dialyn ( ) posted Thu, 20 February 2003 at 12:24 PM

Ooops...now that won't make sense since tjames erased his message. But I'll leave my message for those who would like to try html coding and are confused about how to use it in the forum. Not that I think my message is clear. Sigh.


tjames ( ) posted Thu, 20 February 2003 at 12:25 PM

Well what'd ya know it works


dialyn ( ) posted Thu, 20 February 2003 at 12:26 PM

There you go!!! I read the red.


tjames ( ) posted Thu, 20 February 2003 at 12:26 PM

Ok I'm a student just like everyone else I hit the select all button


tjames ( ) posted Thu, 20 February 2003 at 12:27 PM

Crack Ow!


dialyn ( ) posted Thu, 20 February 2003 at 12:28 PM

We all have the opportunity to learn something new every day. That's the reason I get up in the morning. Well, that and I have animals to feed.


dialyn ( ) posted Thu, 20 February 2003 at 12:37 PM

So how is that poetry judging going?


ChuckEvans ( ) posted Thu, 20 February 2003 at 3:05 PM

Crack owl?

 ![turkey.gif](http://www.chuck-n-michelle.net/images/turkey.gif)  Sure, you can strive to fly with the eagles but turkeys don't get sucked into jet engines.


dialyn ( ) posted Thu, 20 February 2003 at 3:20 PM

That was an exclamation point, Chuck. Ow !!!


tjames ( ) posted Thu, 20 February 2003 at 9:35 PM

Zzzzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzzz Huh?


jstro ( ) posted Sat, 22 February 2003 at 12:13 AM

I'm an OpenOffice fan, myself. My office uses M$ Word too, and I use OO, and no one can tell the differance. Works great. Back to the topic, I think the Artist Page is a great resource, and folks should definately take advantage of the space afforded there, but if you're looking for comments and critiques, I think you're much more likely to get responses here. And I agree with ynsaen, I prefer a whole story in one piece. But each to their own. jon

 
~jon
My Blog - Mad Utopia Writing in a new era.


Crescent ( ) posted Sun, 23 February 2003 at 11:24 AM

I gotta play "Mom" here for a second: Be careful using the html coding or you might wreck the page. Trust me, I've done it. Please Preview your post first to make sure it works properly. If something gets truly fubared, let me know and I can get your post nuked by an admin. Cheers!


ChuckEvans ( ) posted Sun, 23 February 2003 at 11:04 PM

Yes, Cres, you are absolutely correct! HTML can be "deadly" at times. I always preview. And would urge others to do the same if so inclined to "stand out".

I'm glad you like the periodic excerpts from Ambrose Bierce's book, "The Devils Dictionary". He has a cynical outlook on things, but so many times I read them and think, "How true!". I don't know if the book is still in print, but if it is, it is good reading. Dover is the publisher. (I hope my quotes don't cross the border of using intellectual property...I see it as a promotion).

    **PEACE**, *n*. In international affairs, a period of cheating between two periods of fighting.
  • Ambrose Bierce (my hero)


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