Discussion Q4 Volume 38

Posted by: @babooher

Found two typos in my Q3 submission. Can't change that now, but I can use that for motivation to finish earlier than last time and allow for more proofreading. Some days it pours. Just got to write on.

I have an offer up for proofreading WotF stories, Babooher! Send me your Q4 and I'm happy to put fresh eyes on your story and proofread for you. Not a critique, just fresh eyes for a clean(er) manuscript, Lol ?☺

~A.

@aliciacay Thanks. Last time I forgot I had 3 more hours to go before the deadline and rushed to submit. When I get Q4 done (hopefully this week) I'll get some eyes on it. If there is time after that, I'd love to take you up on your offer.

Just curious what font is the best for manuscript. I heard Dave likes courier, but if I use courier my first 500 words spans an extra paragraph on page 3. I understand the initial cut is based on first 2 pages. If I use Time New Roman I get the full 500 on page 2. Added benefit, my beta readers hate the courier font with passion. Both fonts are acceptable manuscript format.

Posted by: @babooher

@aliciacay Thanks. Last time I forgot I had 3 more hours to go before the deadline and rushed to submit. When I get Q4 done (hopefully this week) I'll get some eyes on it. If there is time after that, I'd love to take you up on your offer.

haha, I love working up to a deadline -- LOL.

Anytime!

Best of luck.

~A.

Posted by: @craydimensional

Just curious what font is the best for manuscript. I heard Dave likes courier, but if I use courier my first 500 words spans an extra paragraph on page 3. I understand the initial cut is based on first 2 pages. If I use Time New Roman I get the full 500 on page 2. Added benefit, my beta readers hate the courier font with passion. Both fonts are acceptable manuscript format.

@craydimensional Both courier and Times New Roman are considered proper and professional, so I'd say the choice falls flatly in the realm of subjectivity. To muddy the waters slightly, Shunn recently updated his reference guide ( https://www.shunn.net/format/classic/1/), stating that courier may be on the way out in fiction circles though his preference is courier new. IMO, the preference of the judge wins the day. Full disclosure: I'm a courier guy. I use the font for all my submissions, WOTF or otherwise.

Whichever font you use, open w/ a strong character in a speculative setting w/ a problem, and you're good to go. If you want a crit on your first 2 pages (or the full story for that matter), I'd be happy to take a look. 

I like courier over the rest. I have tried TNR but it doesn't seem to fit my eye.

Well now I'm curious as to which font everyone prefers. I'm a bit of an oddball and prefer the look of Georgia over Courier and TNR, which from my research is still an acceptable manuscript font.

I write exclusively in TNR. However, I always convert to Courier when submitting to WOTF. When I took Dave's class he asked that all of the assignments be completed in Courier and said it was easier on his eyes. It just seems like the nice thing to do.

But I will always be team TNR

I wish there was a collection of scrivener compile settings for all the main publication preferences. Would make my life easier. Although I did notice that in the windows 3 version that just came out there is a courier and a TNR 'manuscript' version. But it is all the little things like looking up which one is the preference for a particular publication or if that publication has a completely different set of preferences. And then here for WoTF it isn't outright stated in the submission guidelines that there is a preference for courier.

Ah yes, rambling incoherent forum post, a sign that I'm feeling confused/troubled/unsure about a spot in my editing process Forgive me. But do feel free to share if you know of some where with a scrivener compile settings 'library'

@earthkeeper78 

I've heard--from Dave--that a lot of editors still like a mono-spaced font, such as courier new. I also believe the Shunn Format for Modern states this same thing.

The Shunn guide also says not to use 'sans-serif' fonts. Times New Roman has serifs, and you'd have to double-check for yourself, but I believe Georgia is a serif'd font type also.

Basically, unless the submission guidelines state, my default is Courier New, because of things Dave has said about editing/formatting in the classes I've taken from him. He's mentioned how mono-spaced fonts have been more helpful when formatting things for final publication. Some of this, he did admit, is a throw-back to when submissions were mailed in on paper. So, of course, all things are subject to change.

I've submitted stories to WotF in both Courier New and TNR -- both have placed and gotten certificates. So, *shrugs* -- all that to say, either works. 😉

~A. ♥

Posted by: @czing

I wish there was a collection of scrivener compile settings for all the main publication preferences. Would make my life easier. Although I did notice that in the windows 3 version that just came out there is a courier and a TNR 'manuscript' version. But it is all the little things like looking up which one is the preference for a particular publication or if that publication has a completely different set of preferences. And then here for WoTF it isn't outright stated in the submission guidelines that there is a preference for courier.

Ah yes, rambling incoherent forum post, a sign that I'm feeling confused/troubled/unsure about a spot in my editing process Forgive me. But do feel free to share if you know of some where with a scrivener compile settings 'library'

I make my own Scrivener templates to use for whatever 'type' of story I'm writing (shorts, novel, etc). They aren't for separate publications because I would have to copy and paste the story over and over again to each template.

Then, when the story is completed, I compile it into a word document, and then just make the changes in the word document to match whichever publication I'm sending to. I then save separate versions based on where I submit to and what their preferences are.

I hope that made some kind of sense -- LOL! 😉

~A. ♥

Alright, I'm in for Q4. Was at the point where further editing was only likely to make it worse! I even submitted it in Courier New for the first time - one of the world's ugliest, most outdated fonts, and it offends my sensibilities. But if that's what Dave prefers, so be it!

Now back to writing my novel.  

I’m waiting for a couple of reviews to come back, then I’ll submit Q4. Right now I am impatiently writing a KYD that I may use as base for V39 - Q1, but not sure yet.

I have crawled out of the woodwork to submit my story for Q4

Posted by: @rnichols

I have crawled out of the woodwork to submit my story for Q4

Awesome!! I, too, have been known to crouch beneath the woodwork. It's cozy. 

Just got a call from Joni Labaqui at Writers of the Future. She's really hoping people will encourage others to submit stories to the contest this last quarter of their year. Please share the Enter the Contest ads on your social media. She's asked for help. And be sure to use their submission system. Joni said the mail-in submissions make so much extra work for her. Thanks for supporting your contest! And here's hoping the next winner is YOU! Don't miss your deadline, get your stories in EARLY, and breathe that happy sigh of relief!

Cheers!

Just submitted 4TH Quarter using new entry system. I didn’t see ads to retweet, but I’ll see what I can do with FB

I'm in for this quarter following a final editing sprint. Fingers crossed and good luck to everyone!

Posted by: @nvhaskell

I write exclusively in TNR. However, I always convert to Courier when submitting to WOTF. When I took Dave's class he asked that all of the assignments be completed in Courier and said it was easier on his eyes. It just seems like the nice thing to do.

But I will always be team TNR

I do all my drafts and rewrites in Times New Roman. It just looks more like the final formatted stories I read in books and online stories. Then I convert everything to Courier New and save that copy for my submission. Does anyone know which font the printed WOTF anthology uses?

Posted by: @morgan-broadhead

I do all my drafts and rewrites in Times New Roman. It just looks more like the final formatted stories I read in books and online stories. Then I convert everything to Courier New and save that copy for my submission. Does anyone know which font the printed WOTF anthology uses?

When I read your question I looked at v31 and v36. It looks like courier to me in both. Definitely not tnr.

In for Q4. Good luck everyone!

I like switching things up with fonts for the actual drafting process. Sometimes Comic Sans (don't understand why some people hate it so much), sometimes Garamond sometimes just whatever the default is (sitka I think in the new Scrivener 3) and sometimes I even go to TNR or courier. 

One thing I try to do at least once during the editing process is to change the font dramatically - to something really different and change the margins (or just squish the size of my scrivener window if I'm not compiling it). It always amazes me what you notice when things get changed up a lot, not just the font but where the lines are breaking etc.

Then at compile time I use one of the two manuscript settings (so either times or courier). If I'm really DONE tweaking then all future submissions are just copies of the last word doc with formatting changes according to the market.

With the expected slight delay in Q3 results is it likely that Q4 would also be late? I was looking at my Submission Grinder records and it looks to me like Q4 in 2019 and 2020 were back on November 23 and November 4th respectively (unless I got dates wrong in my record keeping). I'm not asking this because of twitching needs or anything like that.

But I just found a themed anthology that I think my Q4 entry would be great for. So I'm mostly just wondering if it is likely that the results will be in November again. Because if I'm not a winner with it (or with Q3) I'd have time to do another review and be able to submit for that anthology. But if it is a lot later that could be a pretty tight timeline or too late. 

Mostly I'm trying to decide if I want to write something for the anthology which is an appealing theme or not. And yes I know the answer is 'write it because it can always land somewhere else' but I have other things also vying for my attention and writing time so.......

@czing You never truly know. It depends a lot on Kary and Dave’s schedule at the time. But it’s a good bet—and I just talked to Joni so I know the latest—that Q3 won’t be completed until sometime around the October gala. If that holds true, figure at least a month to judge Q4 after Q3 results are in.

Call me crazy (you'd not be wrong), but I'm going to start writing my Q4 story this weekend. Had one ready, but this out-of-left-field story idea would not leave me alone. I've got time, right?

Posted by: @patezell

Call me crazy (you'd not be wrong), but I'm going to start writing my Q4 story this weekend. Had one ready, but this out-of-left-field story idea would not leave me alone. I've got time, right?

Go for it! Then pick the one that’s best and send it in - and send the other to another market. Good luck!

Posted by: @patezell

Call me crazy (you'd not be wrong), but I'm going to start writing my Q4 story this weekend. Had one ready, but this out-of-left-field story idea would not leave me alone. I've got time, right?

Not a problem! I'm part of an online workshop (Other Worlds Writers Workshop) that features, twice a year, a challenge to write a Short Story In A Week. This past July, I hacked out two stories for that challenge that I'm reasonably proud of.

Posted by: @wulfmoon

@czing You never truly know. It depends a lot on Kary and Dave’s schedule at the time. But it’s a good bet—and I just talked to Joni so I know the latest—that Q3 won’t be completed until sometime around the October gala. If that holds true, figure at least a month to judge Q4. 

Thanks Wulf - I kind of figured the best I could hope for was late November - who knows maybe Q3 will win and then I assume I'd not have to worry about submitting my Q4 elsewhere

Posted by: @patezell

Call me crazy (you'd not be wrong), but I'm going to start writing my Q4 story this weekend. Had one ready, but this out-of-left-field story idea would not leave me alone. I've got time, right?

Best of luck. My Finalist story took less than a week ahead of the deadline, start to final edit. I did have the advantage of having written in that universe before, so I had the milieu well in mind.

If you need a quick turn around critique, let me know.

Have fun,

Kent

FYI: 1x F, 2x SHM, 12x HM

Posted by: @patezell

Call me crazy (you'd not be wrong), but I'm going to start writing my Q4 story this weekend. Had one ready, but this out-of-left-field story idea would not leave me alone. I've got time, right?

I wrote my q4 in a couple of days and edited the following up week. It was one of those stories that just jumped up and wouldn't go away until I'd written it down.