Microsoft Word: Spelling & Grammar Check
Go to Tools —> Options —> Spelling & Grammar
Read through your options.
Choose Grammar & Style and click Settings.
Look how many possibilities are there here:
Click OK.
Now right click on any grammar or spelling mistake and either accept the suggestion or click About This Sentence.
Word will explain the mistake.
Or you can click on the Look Up option for even more suggestions.
Don't forget to right click on any word to get a list of Synonyms, and click on the Thesaurus option for even more.
If that's not enough, scroll down and click All Reference Books.
Don't forget the Add to Dictionary option either. Add your Gryffindors and Slytherins to the dictionary.
Also check your auto-correct setting. Click Tools —> AutoCorrect Options and read through your settings.
Bear in mind, MSWord is a computer program and, as every computer program, it's painfully stupid. Don't listen to it blindly; sometimes it'll do you more harm than good. But it can really help with some things. It's not an awesome knowledge base (you have Google for that) it's there to be used by someone who needs to be reminded about some things. It's not a tool that will teach you anything. Sometimes it will lie. But if it tries to correct something that clearly isn't a mistake, then look at your sentence carefully; something in its structure confused the program. Do NOT accept corrections blindly.
Posting a Story
Basic Coding
LJ's FAQ - Journal Entries is actually a good source of information. Check out links such as: How do I post an entry to my journal?, How do I hide part of my entry behind a link? What is an lj-cut?, How do I add a link to another journal or web site?, How do I alter the appearance of my text? How do I make text bold, italic or centered?
If you want to know more about LJ coding then check out this comm: s2howto. More about HTML tags here. A HTML tutorial here.
If you're still unsure how to make an LJ -cut look HERE.
Here are a couple of basics (just so I could make another table):
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RESULT
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CODE
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Bold
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<b>Bold</b>
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Italics
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<i>Italics</i>
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Underline
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<u>Underline</u>
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Strikethrough
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<s>Strikethrough</s>
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Centered
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<center>Centered</center>
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Horizontal line:
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<hr>
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Small
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<small>Small</small>
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Big
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<big>Big</big>
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Custom font size
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<font size="3">Custom font size</font>
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Custom font
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<font face="Times New Roman">Custom font</font>
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Custom font color
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<font color="#0033CC">Custom font color</font>
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<lj user=faithwood>
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![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif) harrydraco. |
<lj user=harrydraco>
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<img src="http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm206/faith_wood/35-1.gif">
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Link
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<a href="http://faithwood.livejournal.com/">Link<a>
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Newline:
Blah, blah, blah,
blah, blah.
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Blah, blah, blah, <br> blah, blah.
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Paragraph:
Blah, blah, blah,
blah, blah.
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<p>Blah, blah, blah,</p><p>blah, blah.</p>
Also,
Blah, blah, blah, <br><br> blah, blah.
Will give the same result.
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( Read more... )
( Here's my lj-cut. )
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<lj-cut></lj-cut>
<lj-cut text="Here's my lj-cut."></lj-cut> OR* <div class="ljcut"></div>
<div class="ljcut" text="Here's my lj-cut."></div>
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♥
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♥
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* You might want to use the <div> code because lilithilien says: People are increasingly using RSS feeds to read journal entries on other readers (Bloglines, InsaneJournal, etc.) where the old <lj-cut> doesn't work. The <div class> code retains your cut tag so you can avoid publishing your entire uncut post.
Four Rules of Posting
1. The LJ posting box is not there so you could write in it; it's there so you could paste your story, previously written using an advanced text editor, there.
2. Rich Text editor is evil. Avoid using it whenever you can. See, it might seem like the easier way to post, and if your post requires a lot of coding then it IS easier to use. BUT, an average fic doesn't require a lot of coding. And even that can be minimized.
3. Always post with the "Just me (Private)" option first. Change the security later. (If you messed up, not everyone needs to see it.)
4. When posting your story using the HTML option, DO NOT CHECK the Disable Auto-Formatting box. If you leave it as it is, then you don't need to think about paragraph (<p></p>) and newline (<br>) tags. Every time you hit the enter key, it will show.
The Damn Lj-cut Didn't Work and My Tags Are Showing!
Use Document Templates (every word processor has them).
Examples of possible templates are attached bellow. JournalFicPost.doc is a template one would use when posting to his or her journal using LJ's HTML editor. CommFicPost.doc is a template one would use when posting to a community using LJ's HTML editor.
JournalFicPostRichText.doc and CommFicPostRichText.doc are to be use with LJ's Rich Text editor.
If posted, they would look like this:
Title: TITLE
Pairings/Characters: Harry/Draco
Rating: G, PG, PG-13, R, NC-17
Word count: ~1000
Genre: GENRE
Summary: SUMMARY
Warnings: WARNING
Beta (if any): ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) username
Disclaimer: Harry Potter is owned by J.K. Rowling and Warner Brothers. No copyright infringement intended.
Note: NOTE
( LJ-cut Text )
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And, if you click on the LJ-cut link) like this:
Title: TITLE
Pairings/Characters: Harry/Draco
Rating: G, PG, PG-13, R, NC-17
Word count: ~1000
Genre: GENRE
Summary: SUMMARY
Warnings: WARNING
Beta (if any): username
Disclaimer: Harry Potter is owned by J.K. Rowling and Warner Brothers. No copyright infringement intended.
Note: NOTE
TITLE
STORY TEXT
Fin
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I've written them in a MSWord document and then clicked Save As —> Document Template.
After I write my fic, I click New and create a new document by clicking on one of my templates. All I have to do is add the title, summary and so on, then copy/paste my story into this new document, and that's it. The template is intact and I will use it again.
Of course, make your own template. One that makes sense to you. You only have to write it once. If you are writing a chaptered fic, make sure to include the template for the necessary code (chapter links, for example).
The reason I included this is to emphasize how important a story header is. They contain information that all readers want to know before they read your story. And this is the first thing your readers will see. It has to be properly formatted. Don't allow silly formatting mistakes to dissuade your potential readers from reading. But more on that bellow.
Now I'll try to convince you to use the HTML editor and not Rich Text editor. The advantage of the HTML editor is that you have more control. The code is clean and it's easier to find a mistake. Rich Text editor can be erratic.
One way to use the HTML editor is to type the code yourself; the other, download a client. I was recommended Semagic (thank you aki_hoshi, aldehyde and thisgirl_is) and I have to say, this is an awesome way to post your entries. You'll log in with it, it will insert your HTML tags for you, and you'll post with it. It mimics LJ's posting box, but it's superior as far as coding is concerned.
On how to make Microsoft Word write your code for you, see: Using Macros.
Advice
Don't change your font's size, color and face in story text. Give the readers the option to manipulate the appearance of your story by using their own journal style. If you code the fonts (in HTML editor or Rich Text editor) then you've set their appearance. And what you find lovely, someone might find unappealing. And then they might skip your story just because they don't like the look of it. As far as coding goes, less is more.
Crossposting and Self-Promotion
Synonyms, these two. Or rather, crossposting is a very important part of self-promotion. One, it will make sure that people who aren't on your friends list hear about your stories, and two, it will let people who are on your flist know that you think your story is good enough to share with strangers. This matters.
The biggest community in the Harry/Draco corner of the world is harrydraco, and this is usually the first comm that people new to this ship discover. I strongly encourage everyone to post there. Of course, if you'd rather not, then don't, but bear in mind that this cuts your readership base in half.
Harry/Draco-Friendly Communities
These comms are relatively active, have relatively large membership, and have unrestricted posting access. Prompting comms are listed in the previous section.
harrydraco
harrylovesdraco
potterslash
harry_draco
hd_fluff
hp_slash
bottom_draco
bottomharry
harrydracompreg
harry_submits
Advice
1. You must have a fic header (examples attached below).
2. Make sure your fic header is properly formatted (Title: My Title).
3. Do not change font's size, color or face. (Yes, I mentioned it again.)
4. Do not post to every single comm. (Unless you're controlled by community prompts. Ahem.) In a fandom as big as this one, you can get away with crossposting to three or four comms, but don't exaggerate.)
5. If you've written three Harry/Draco stories, posted them at your journal, and then one day decided to crosspost them, don't post all three of them at once. Timing can matter, so space it out.
6. Don't post your stories directly to comms, unless the comm demands it. Post your story to your journal, your fic journal, or your fic community, and simply provide a link. (It will be easier for you to keep track of your stories and reviews. Also, some people (if they don't know you) will decide to read your story depending on the number of reviews you've received. So don't scatter them. (Unfair? Perhaps. It's true, though.)
You can crosspost to sites too. Usually, this means receiving more critique, so do that only if ready to deal with negative feedback. No need to take this feedback personally; some people will be helpful, others hurtful, some rude, some helpful and rude. This happens to everyone. Take the advice and accept critique with grace (or simply ignore the reviewer) no matter how it was delivered. If it can help you, great; if it can't, who cares? Additionally, some sites have quality thresholds (grammar-wise or content-wise). You can use this as a test of your abilities.
Relatively Active and Harry/Draco-Friendly Sites
The Hex Files: Quality threshold. Harry/Draco only.
FanFiction.Net: Unrestricted posting access. General archive. No explicit adult content allowed.
Forever Fandom: Unrestricted posting access. General archive.
AdultFanfiction.Net: Unrestricted posting access. General archive. Adults only.
Restricted Section: Quality threshold. General HP archive. Adults only.
HP Fandom: Unrestricted posting access. General archive. Adults only.
FictionAlley: Quality threshold. General HP archive. No explicit adult content allowed.
LJ Is a Social Network
Not a fic archive. This means people have friends and priorities. There's a lot of fic out there, and people are picky. They'll sooner read stories written by authors they know, whose stories they've read and liked before; or people they know well enough to judge what kind of story they might write; or people who have expressed similar taste in fic.
So post, comment, participate. Let your preferences and opinions be known. This isn't wrong, or false friendliness, or sucking up, this is the reality of a social network. On the contrary, if your only goal is to suck up — it will show. People post here, not just because they like to write, and want reviews, but because they want to make friends. That's why they like LJ more than archives. If you don't want to participate, or make friends, or deal with people, I suggest to post on fanfiction archives, not LJ. Or be patient and wait. If you write well, people will discover you.
Story Headers
An essay: Headers, or the only way we have to judge a book by its cover.
I'll just add a couple of things.
Title
I'd suggest including your title in the subject line when crossposting. Do read the community's info page, sometimes you are required to do exactly that (and sometimes you are required to include the pairing and a rating into your subject line).
Example: My Title (Harry/Draco; NC-17)
Avoid generic titles and don't use popular song titles. Avoid mentioning your title in your story, especially if you forced it into your story to make the title more meaningful (See: Stephanie Meyer) or if your point is clear enough and doesn't need further explanation (See: The Dark Knight). Do this only if desperate. Sometimes it can work.
Consider what was the point of your story, and then DON'T state it in the title. Consider some play on words or puns (See: J.K. Rowling).
If you seriously lack inspiration, there's always Bartlett's.
Summary
If you suck at summaries, do not say that.
A few typos can be forgiven (I hope) in the actual story text, but they won't be forgiven in the summary.
If you can't think of a summary today, try tomorrow.
A summary is not a condensed version of your story, keep it relatively short, do not give away major plot points.
You are trying to tempt readers, think about what would tempt you. A generic summary probably wouldn't.
Never say: [Random cliché plot summary] but with a twist!
1. If you have a twist, for god's sake, don't tell me.
2. Maybe your twist isn't really twisty, and you just shot yourself in the foot.
3. People won't believe you anyway.
4. Clichés are clichés for a reason; many people love cliché plots, but it's possible you just scared them away too, because, to them, your twist-threat seems ominous.
If you're really desperate, then just quote a line from your story or, again, visit Bartlett's. These methods could backfire, however. Choose wisely.
An essay: Summaries: a guide to writing them. And a warning: Don't end up like this.
Warnings
I read a published book not-so-recently that contained a water sports scene. There was no warning. This is the real world. Warnings, as we use them, are made up by fandom for fandom purposes; however, they were made up for a reason.
Warnings don't exist so your readers could benefit from them, but so you could benefit from them. There are here for you, the author. They are your layer of protection. And you must decide how much protection you need.
If you write an explicit rape story and fail to warn, be aware that 90% of your reviews will be flames and the other 10% will politely ask you to put up a warning. If you don't want to deal with such reactions after you've posted your story, then deal with them before. Warning for content you feel might insult people, disturb masses or trigger negative feedback, can be a good idea. Decide what parts of your story could cause negative reactions.
Use common sense. A warning for anal sex or rimming in a NC-17 rated slash story is fairly pointless. If you're tempted to warn for extreme OOC behavior, then do consider re-writing your story instead. If your warnings are a paragraph long, you're doing something wrong.
However, warnings can be enticements as well. Some people will run if you warn for something they do not enjoy reading, others will rush to read it. No false advertising, though. If you promise fisting, please deliver.
There's always a possibility of giving options to your readers. If they want to read the warnings, they can; if they don't, they can skip them.
You can write them like this:
Warning: (Highlight to read.) —>My warning, let me show you it.<—
Warning: (Highlight to read.) —>My warning, let me show you it.<—
The code is here:
<b>Warning:</b> (Highlight to read.) —><span style="color: #FFFFFF; background-color: #FFFFFF">My warning, let me show you it.</span><—
<b>Warning</b>: (Highlight to read.) —><span style="color: #000000; background-color: #000000">My warning, let me show you it.</span><—
Author's notes
Keep them short and relevant to the story. This is not a place to state opinions about the quality of the story, or godforbid, a place to state your life's philosophy, or general opinions. Don't use phrases such as: "This is the right way," "Everyone knows this," or "I'll fix something with this," to advertise your story. The majority of your readers is already rolling their eyes and scrolling past it If you think your story is wonderful, keep this opinion to yourself, no one will believe you. If you think it's horrible, keep this opinion to yourself, everyone will believe you. So unless you really want criticism, don't say, "This story sucks," because a commenter might reply, "Yes. Yes, it does."
Pairings
Unless you're writing gen fic, list them. All of them. For your own peace of mind.
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Attachments (4)
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CommFicPost.doc - on Jan 23, 2009 8:59 AM by Faith Wood (version 1)
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CommFicPostRichText.doc - on Jan 28, 2009 9:38 AM by Faith Wood (version 1)
24k
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JournalFicPost.doc - on Jan 23, 2009 8:59 AM by Faith Wood (version 1)
24k
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JournalFicPostRichText.doc - on Jan 28, 2009 9:38 AM by Faith Wood (version 1)
24k
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