Layout help

[Rogue25]

Hello everyone.

I have submitted two stories, but the second one's layout as gone completely haywire!

When I submitted the story it was showing as I had written it, but not every new line has become a new paragraph so the story is very hard to read and maintain any flow.

Please can you advise if there is something I should be doing to avoid this? I have submitted it as requested from the SUbmissions page but it is still showing all wrong when published.

Any tips? Thank you for your help

 

[PennLady]

It would help if you provided a link to the story. It's easier to assess this stuff when you can see it.

 

[sr71plt]

Also, it's best not to do any fancy layout of stories on Lit. You are an author, not a book designer. When readers are faced with text with fancy formatting on a site with trimmed down, standardized formating, they find the fancywork distracting.

 

[Rogue25]

hey - thank you both for your replies so far. I am SO disappointed that it went so wrong.
I saved the file as a text file as instructed and now every line is a new paragraph and it is a MESS. Literotica haven't responded to my emails either.

Looks like I am just going to have to 'stick' this one.

Please follow link below to see the disaster!
http://www.literotica.com/s/wedding-plans-1

 

[PennLady]

I just looked at this and I have to say -- what do you think the problem is? The layout (as much layout as one gets on Lit) is fine. Each line of dialogue from a character is on a separate line, paragraphs are of acceptable length. Could it be your browser displaying incorrectly for some reason? I'm using Firefox (on a PC).

I'd say your bigger problem, or at least the problem I saw, was punctuation in your dialogue. For example, you wrote:

"We just got to know each other a bit better that was all" I replied with a smile...

There should be a comma after the word all. When you use a dialogue tag (like "I replied" or "I said"), you need a comma before the close quote, unless you're using a question mark or exclamation point instead.

In another instance, you wrote:

"I thought we may go over and announce something but arrange some sort of dinner so we could meet as a family"

There should be a period after family. You do this consistently, leaving out the period. I don't know why you did; you have question marks where necessary. You need to end a sentence with some kind of punctuation mark, so why you left out periods puzzles me.

 

[_Lynn_]

hey - thank you both for your replies so far. I am SO disappointed that it went so wrong.
I saved the file as a text file as instructed and now every line is a new paragraph and it is a MESS. Literotica haven't responded to my emails either.

Looks like I am just going to have to 'stick' this one.

Please follow link below to see the disaster!
http://www.literotica.com/s/wedding-plans-1

I'm not sure what your exact complaint is. As PennLady pointed out, there are punctuation issues though.

However, sending an e-mail is not the way to get Laurel's attention. Send her a PM and explain the issue. Before you can do that, you'll have to enable your private messages.

Please ensure you have switched on your Private Messages. Go to User CP (top left of this page), click on Edit Options (in the left hand column), and then tick Enable Private Messaging in the second box down. Make sure that the next box down (Receive Private Messages only from Buddies and Moderators) is NOT ticked. Finally click Save Changes at the bottom of that page.

 

[PennLady]

However, sending an e-mail is not the way to get Laurel's attention. Send her a PM and explain the issue. Before you can do that, you'll have to enable your private messages.

Thanks for adding this. I meant to say the same thing but forgot.

 

[_Lynn_]

Thanks for adding this. I meant to say the same thing but forgot.

No problem.

 

[lovecraft68]

I just looked at this and I have to say -- what do you think the problem is? The layout (as much layout as one gets on Lit) is fine. Each line of dialogue from a character is on a separate line, paragraphs are of acceptable length. Could it be your browser displaying incorrectly for some reason? I'm using Firefox (on a PC).

I'd say your bigger problem, or at least the problem I saw, was punctuation in your dialogue. For example, you wrote:



There should be a comma after the word all. When you use a dialogue tag (like "I replied" or "I said"), you need a comma before the close quote, unless you're using a question mark or exclamation point instead.

In another instance, you wrote:



There should be a period after family. You do this consistently, leaving out the period. I don't know why you did; you have question marks where necessary. You need to end a sentence with some kind of punctuation mark, so why you left out periods puzzles me.

Glad you said this. I was looking and couldn't see the formatting problem either, but thought maybe it was me. Funny, because I have been writing so much on lit that when I work on my e-books and use a traditional style the lines being that close together give me a headache!

 

[elfin_odalisque]

Also, it's best not to do any fancy layout of stories on Lit. You are an author, not a book designer. When readers are faced with text with fancy formatting on a site with trimmed down, standardized formating, they find the fancywork distracting.

Why don't you look at the issue before you spout out of your fundamental orifice?

This is a simple issue that Lynn and Penn-Lady solved with good advice.

If you can't give a moment to review the OP's question you shouldn't post.

 

[sr71plt]

Why don't you look at the issue before you spout out of your fundamental orifice?

This is a simple issue that Lynn and Penn-Lady solved with good advice.

If you can't give a moment to review the OP's question you shouldn't post.

And why don't you go screw yourself? Your obvious frustration is that no one else will do it for you.

 

[elfin_odalisque]

And why don't you go screw yourself? Your obvious frustration is that no one else will do it for you.

Did I hit a senstive point? Opining, as you do, without reading anything just shows you up for the snake-oil salesman you are. Full of bullshit, as usual.

We respect you, come and read something and give advice.

 

[sr71plt]

Did I hit a senstive point? Opining, as you do, without reading anything just shows you up for the snake-oil salesman you are. Full of bullshit, as usual.

We respect you, come and read something and give advice.

I've given plenty of comment on stories here and read a whole bunch, including ones I've edited--certainly since the last time you posted anything to the story file here. Which was, umm, an essay on bra sizes five years ago.

Speaking of frauds.

Why would I have the time to do the commenting on stories here that you claim to do anyway (although you don't actually do any more commenting on stories here than I do)? I post a story a week and publish an average of three erotica titles a month--and edit for folks to boot. All you do with your time here is attack me on the boards and make up silly rules you think new writers should be following in writing the erotica that you don't write.

 

[elfin_odalisque]

I've given plenty of comment on stories here and read a whole bunch, including ones I've edited--certainly since the last time you posted anything to the story file here. Which was, umm, an essay on bra sizes five years ago.

Speaking of frauds.

The contempt is palpable and totally unjustified.

If you want to have any credence here, you have to read the stories. Consistently you insist you are too important to lower yourself to actually reading another person's story. The arrogance is hard to stomach. You hang round here like a parasite whose only justification is egotistically promoting his commercial interests.

How you justify yourself I just don't know. You are shameless and a bad influence here.

 

[sr71plt]

The contempt is palpable and totally unjustified.

If you want to have any credence here, you have to read the stories. Consistently you insist you are too important to lower yourself to actually reading another person's story. The arrogance is hard to stomach. You hang round here like a parasite whose only justification is egotistically promoting his commercial interests.

How you justify yourself I just don't know. You are shameless and a bad influence here.

And in contrast, it's so obvious to me why you are hanging around here.

(And talk about never addressing the points I've brought up . . .)

 

[Great_Brit]

elfin_odalisque and sr71plt:


Children, children, if you can't play nicely together, go and play somewhere else; nobody here wants to watch you squabbling.

 

[sr71plt]

elfin_odalisque and sr71plt:


Children, children, if you can't play nicely together, go and play somewhere else; nobody here wants to watch you squabbling.

Suits me. I'm not the one attacking. Sorry that it upsets you that I would defend. I take it you wouldn't defend yourself under the circumstances(?) You really should be addresing this to Elfin.

 

[Great_Brit]

... I take it you wouldn't defend yourself under the circumstances(?) ...

To answer your question, no, I wouldn't. Adults ignore childish remarks.

 

[sr71plt]

To answer your question, no, I wouldn't. Adults ignore childish remarks.

Bullshit. You just haven't been attacked. Post #10 was an unprovoked attack--and part of an across-the-boards pattern that's been going on for two years. If you'd been slammed like that, you would respond. Who do you think you're fooling with the butter-wouldn't-melt-in-my-mouth routine?

And you proved you aren't above snide and childishness yourself, with the dinging on falacy/fallacy in another thread here.

Of course, to evidence your point, you won't respond to this.

Perhaps I just don't roll over and whimper like you claim you'd do.

 

[Great_Brit]

... falacy/fallacy ...

As I implied in that posting, I am trying to get up to speed with US spelling. As many double "l" words have been abbreviated, I wondered if this was another (c.f. traveller/traveler).

 

[sr71plt]

As I implied in that posting, I am trying to get up to speed with US spelling. As many double "l" words have been abbreviated, I wondered if this was another (c.f. traveller/traveler).

Webster's collegiate dictionary is available online. That's the standard in U.S. publishing.

 

[Great_Brit]

Webster's collegiate dictionary is available online. That's the standard in U.S. publishing.

I tend to use http://www3.merriam-webster.com/opendictionary/ for US usage, but newer usages take time to get into dictionaries, even on-line.

 

[elfin_odalisque]

Bullshit. You just haven't been attacked. Post #10 was an unprovoked attack--and part of an across-the-boards pattern that's been going on for two years. If you'd been slammed like that, you would respond. Who do you think you're fooling with the butter-wouldn't-melt-in-my-mouth routine?

And you proved you aren't above snide and childishness yourself, with the dinging on falacy/fallacy in another thread here.

Of course, to evidence your point, you won't respond to this.

Perhaps I just don't roll over and whimper like you claim you'd do.

Is there no-one you can be polite to?

 

[sr71plt]

Is there no-one you can be polite to?

Of course there is. Just take a look.

Is there no lie that's beneath you to mouth?