#formatting tips

[the-lonelybarricade]

Hi lovely content creating friends!

I have noticed something weird going on when viewing posts in tumblr's mobile dark-mode. From experimenting on my own posts, it seems that unwanted formatting is carried over when copying and pasting from an external source (such as Google docs). It will look something like this in mobile dark mode, where regular text remains black and formatted text (such as itallics) becomes white:

Unfortunately, copying and pasting without formatting doesn't seem to be a quick fix since tumblr will treat this as one block of text (and it will likely exceed their 4,096 character limit per block).

So if you create content and want to make that content accessible to dark mode users, this is something you'll need to keep an eye out for. It goes without saying that if people can't read your content, it will impact your engagement.

If you want to avoid this happening with your posts, there are a few things you can look out for. If you switch the to the HTML editor for your post, you can usually find a tag that looks something like this: < span style = " color : # 000000 " >. This is carried over text formatting, and deleting any tags like this should solve the problem. Here's a short little tutorial on how to do this.

If you are posting something that's really long, like a story, then I would recommend translating your text into HTML and pasting it directly into the HTML Editor that I accessed in the video above. AO3 put together a beautiful Google Doc here that runs a script to convert all of your text into HTML. The instructions tell you exactly what to do, and since tumblr has made this change it has been life saving. You can find more about this doc and other neat tools from the @ao3org tumblr here.

Lastly, if you're a mobile dark mode user and you encounter a post that looks like this, rather than scroll past please consider switching to light mode or accessing the post from a computer. Please support content creators even if you have to go a little out of your way to do so 💕

[the-slaylus-parable]

Very shameful question here but wtf did texts look like in 2005. Formatting and such. Google won’t tell me. I have a vague idea of “1990-2014” but that’s about as specific as it gets. Please. Please. Please.

[m0thman-after-dark]

fic readers and writers a like!!! I beseech thee to answer my formatting questions!

When writing a long, more serialized story on ao3, how do you prefer for things to be broken up?

Each distinct arc is its own fic? It’s all one fic all the time that keeps being built onto? Certain more similar arcs are grouped into fics but after a big change it’s a new one? Or maybe each similar arc is a fic in a series, with the entire story also being part of a bigger one? Or something else entirely because seeing things in 2 series could be discouraging or less likely to be picked up.

I’m curious where people fall on this

[physalian]

How to make your writing sound less stiff

Just a few suggestions. You shouldn’t have to compromise your writing style and voice with any of these, and some situations and scenes might demand some stiff or jerky writing to better convey emotion and immersion. I am not the first to come up with these, just circulating them again.

1. Vary sentence structure.

This is an example paragraph. You might see this generated from AI. I can’t help but read this in a robotic voice. It’s very flat and undynamic. No matter what the words are, it will be boring. It’s boring because you don’t think in stiff sentences. Comedians don’t tell jokes in stiff sentences. We don’t tell campfire stories in stiff sentences. These often lack flow between points, too.

So funnily enough, I had to sit through 87k words of a “romance” written just like this. It was stiff, janky, and very unpoetic. Which is fine, the author didn’t tell me it was erotica. It just felt like an old lady narrator, like Old Rose from Titanic telling the audience decades after the fact instead of living it right in the moment. It was in first person pov, too, which just made it worse. To be able to write something so explicit and yet so un-titillating was a talent. Like, beginner fanfic smut writers at least do it with enthusiasm.

2. Vary dialogue tag placement

You got three options, pre-, mid-, and post-tags.

Leader said, “this is a pre-dialogue tag.”

“This,” Lancer said, “is a mid-dialogue tag.”

“This is a post-dialogue tag,” Heart said.

Pre and Post have about the same effect but mid-tags do a lot of heavy lifting.

They help break up long paragraphs of dialogue that are jank to look at

They give you pauses for ~dramatic effect~

They prompt you to provide some other action, introspection, or scene descriptor with the tag. *don't forget that if you're continuing the sentence as if the tag wasn't there, not to capitalize the first word after the tag. Capitalize if the tag breaks up two complete sentences, not if it interrupts a single sentence.

It also looks better along the lefthand margin when you don’t start every paragraph with either the same character name, the same pronouns, or the same “ as it reads more natural and organic.

3. When the scene demands, get dynamic

General rule of thumb is that action scenes demand quick exchanges, short paragraphs, and very lean descriptors. Action scenes are where you put your juicy verbs to use and cut as many adverbs as you can. But regardless of if you’re in first person, second person, or third person limited, you can let the mood of the narrator bleed out into their narration.

Like, in horror, you can use a lot of onomatopoeia.

Drip Drip Drip

Or let the narration become jerky and unfocused and less strict in punctuation and maybe even a couple run-on sentences as your character struggles to think or catch their breath and is getting very overwhelmed.

You can toss out some grammar rules, too and get more poetic.

Warm breath tickles the back of her neck. It rattles, a quiet, soggy, rasp. She shivers. If she doesn’t look, it’s not there. If she doesn’t look, it’s not there. Sweat beads at her temple. Her heart thunders in her chest. Ba-bump-ba-bump-ba-bump-ba- It moves on, leaving a void of cold behind. She uncurls her fists, fingers achy and palms stinging from her nails. It’s gone.

4. Remember to balance dialogue, monologue, introspection, action, and descriptors.

The amount of times I have been faced with giant blocks of dialogue with zero tags, zero emotions, just speech on a page like they’re notecards to be read on a stage is higher than I expected. Don’t forget that though you may know exactly how your dialogue sounds in your head, your readers don’t. They need dialogue tags to pick up on things like tone, specifically for sarcasm and sincerity, whether a character is joking or hurt or happy.

If you’ve written a block of text (usually exposition or backstory stuff) that’s longer than 50 words, figure out a way to trim it. No matter what, break it up into multiple sections and fill in those breaks with important narrative that reflects the narrator’s feelings on what they’re saying and whoever they’re speaking to’s reaction to the words being said. Otherwise it’s meaningless.

—

Hope this helps anyone struggling! Now get writing.

[eliseabram]

Effective book covers

A book cover is the first thing readers see when browsing for books, and it is often the deciding factor in whether or not they pick up the book to read it. A well-designed cover helps attract readers and makes a great first impression. Like clothing, cover styles constantly change, so take the time to research what’s popular in your genre before creating one. Here are a few things to consider…

[txttletale]

some people on this website scare me a little like i'll make a post like 'super mario has been acquitted of any role in the 1929 valentine's day massacre' and then someone will reblog tagged like #1929 #super mario #video game mascots #gang warfare #organized crime #1920s #mario #super mario on trial #super mario acquitted from participation in violent crimes #funny #post and it's like. hello i didn't know the dewey decimal system had a blog

[omegasmileyface]

LOADING...

TIP: hey. yknow that fandom you dont care abt thats clogging up your dash because your beloved mutual wont shut up about it and you would never unfollow them over something like that? have you ever thought "oh my god shut up" with just a little bit of vitriol toward them? block the tag! this will prevent you from building up a quiet hatred toward your friend over a long-time minor annoyance they didnt do on purpose

[novlr]

Save formatting for last

Try to avoid formatting while you’re drafting — it’s a distraction.

Your first draft will never look the same as your final one, so formatting takes you away from the important business of writing. For many writers, it’s the reason they struggle to get words on the page.

[wainwrightjakobshammerlock]

Did You Know?

The story of Borderlands does not actually revolve around Handsome Jack, Timothy Lawrence and Rhys Strongfork. Other characters exist.

[yujeong]

are the timelines overlapping? because the scenes we saw is dome being alive (great rescued him) he's well at the hospital and then at the same time we see tonkla grieving for his brother which is dome so what is real ?!

because i believe the real one is the one dome being killed, right? because that is what really happened before great sees the future

now, we saw win knowing that tonkla is a suspect (so this time, he's still on the case unlike what we saw on the past episode) and then scene after was tonkla calling him. what timeline is that?

so it'll be like;

dome died, tonkla grieving, win & tonkla met, korn doesn't answer tonkla, win getting off the case, win & tonkla fucking, korn & tonkla ’break up’

dome is alive— (what do we know about this timeline?)

where in those timeline happening the one where win knew that tonkla was a suspect because he's (dome) still dead, but this time he was still working on the case

THIS IS SO MESSED UP IM SORRY JUST WANT TO KNOW WHAT REALLY HAPPENED IM SHOOK someone explain it to me please 😅

Anon, as I said in the previous ask, I'm not the suitable person to answer questions about the plot and what's really happening. I do, however, have to make one thing perfectly clear because I see a lot of people confused about it, you included: Win is NOT working on Dome's case. The beginning scene of Episode 4 hasn't happened yet! Same with all the previous episodes: all the scenes before the opening titles are from the future. This means that 1) Great and Tyme haven't died yet - or have they? (Episode 1), 2) Tonkla hasn't killed anyone yet (Episode 2), 3) the cops haven't found the second body yet, which is Tonkla's victim (Episode 3) and 4) Win hasn't been given the case for body No2, which leads to him finding out Tonkla's fingertips were on the rock (Episode 4). The phone call we saw at the end of the scene was a distraction - Tonkla did NOT call Win to help him with his brother's funeral then. Win is too nonchalant in the rest of the episode to have had the knowledge of Tonkla's involvement in any sort of serious crime. Seeing Win's supervisor being so demanding of Win to be quick and find out who killed victim No2 suggests they are of high importance. It strengthens the theory that the person Tonkla will kill is Title, after finding out Title killed Dome - another theory which is basically confirmed in the show, as we literally saw Title hit Dome with a rock repeatedly to the head before Great "went back in time/saw the future". And I say it this way because, even though Great says he "sees the future 4 minutes ahead", the show's presentation makes it seem as if he's going back in time 4 minutes in order to prevent stuff from happening. Or, everything Great has achieved with his power is an illusion - he never truly changed anything. In the "Dome is alive" timeline/reality/whatever it is, the only people involved are Great, Tyme, Den and Korn. Title too, since he fought Great after he saved Dome. Now, Korn is interesting, because he's in the middle of the two realities; he found out Dome died in Episode 4, but he's also hanging out with Great who's reality is that Dome survived. I'll be keeping my eyes on him and how the show will utilize this dichotomy. I will also be keeping my eyes on Tonkla, because of his scene in Episode 1 with the cat: that's Tonkla's cat without the collar on, which Tonkla keeps in his drawer. The significance of the scene, to me, is that Tonkla has a role to play in the whole timeline fuckery - which was also proven by the ending scene of Episode 4. By being able to sense his cat's presence and Dome's, he's the only one so far who has shown evidence of being connected to both realities somehow. And the cat is interesting to me, because it was killed YEARS before Great's powers "started" (we don't know that fully yet, the rest of the show will make a case for it being true or not). I'm just rambling at this point but this were important points to make in my opinion. I just can't wait to become even more confused with Episode 5.

[study-for-hogwarts]

Since I just finished my bachelor thesis and have all this -for now- unnecessary knowledge swirling around in my head, I let it out here, in case anyone can find it useful.

I present: the biggest (formating & general) rules in thesis writing (as proposed by my German professor):

1. Per page: at least 2 maximum 4 paragraphs. Professors don't like to have one huge block of text for more than half a page. They will be less likely to want to read your paper.

2. Figures and Images: put them in the text where they are spoken about, don't just refer to them being in the appendix. It disrupts the reading flow and no professor likes to shuffle back and forth in a paper multiple times. Also, images and figures should be centralised on a page, seem coherent with each other in their entirety (especially if you created them yourself, use one colour and design pallette if possible) and be named correctly. Additionally, ich you use more than 3 or 4 images/figures, have a table of tables/figures in the front of your paper after table of contents.

3. Use figures and Images - be visual, make your thesis as easy as possible to understand. No one likes to read something and have his brain in knots the whole time.

4. Use times new Roman (or Arial) in size 12, 1.5

5. Recap: If your paper is really long, we're talking about 45 pages plus and you are talking about something from chapter 2 in chapter 7, briefly (!) recap it for ease of understanding and to reinforce your red string (roter Faden).

6. Subtitles: rather have too many than too few subtitles, they make it easier to navigate the paper and help you keep track of the smaller sections (they can also help in the writing process as too not lose focus of what you are doing).

7. Limitations and future research: at the end of your paper, after the discussion and before the conclusion, you have to name limitations. If you think you had none, look again. NO paper, none at all has no limitations. If you can think only of a few, you can also add them in one or two sentences to the conclusion, but it's better to have a separate part. For theses or papers in general, common limitations are time constraint, limited access to data, limited know-how, etc. After limitations, you can have another small chapter called "future research", here you can put all the ideas that you had during writing, which are in relation to your main topics. Maybe you would have liked to research more into a specific area, or you were missing key information somewhere. In future research you can put all the ideas you would like to see researched in the future.

8. Page numbers: i hope you were clever and formatted your document with page numbers, titles and subtitles before even starting to write (if you weren't, like me), it's not horrible, but it can be slightly annoying. Don't try to do it by yourself if your not sure. Just don't. You will probably get frustrated and your stress levels will rise even more. Just Google "how to multiple kinds of page numbers Microsoft word" and follow the instructions exactly. This saves you time and nerves. Usually in theses, you use Greek page numbers (I,II,III,IV,V,VI,...) For table of contents until the introduction, and then continue with them as soon as your bibliography starts. For the part in between (introduction until conclusion) you use Roman (?) numbers (1,2,3,...).

9. Titles: if you use 1. 1.2 1.2.1 etc., make sure that it is necessary to use things like 4.5.5.1.1. A rule of thumb is, if you can't say 2 (i.e. 4.5.5.1.1 but not 4.5.5.1.2) than you don't need to say 4.5.5.1.1 at all but put that part unter 4.5.5.1. Of course, this rule does not work all the time, but I like to check the necessity of my structure in this way.

10. Plan more days: When you are nearly done with your writing process, many of us estimate 1 day for formatting and 1 for proof reading. This is, was and never will be enough. Especially not if you are a perfectionist. Plan at least 1 week for formatting and proofreading. Honestly I would recommend 10 days. Because after writing a huge paper like this you are bound to be exhausted and will crash some days. Also, it is good to take 1-2 days of distance from your work to have a fresh point of view. If I would write a bachelor thesis again, I honestly would calculate 2 weeks for formatting and proofreading. If you have to "fix" your sources, definitely take 10 days. You will take 2 days for sources, if you have to find additional ones, or check them.

11. Last but not least: if possible, register your bachelor thesis (i.e. in Germany that is the point when you officially start your writing period (usually around 9-12 weeks) as late as possible. Do as much research, etc. before this time starts. I won't say write at least half of your thesis before you start this period and have all your questionnaires/interviews/or whatever research type you use ready to go. I won't say that, but well... Just, 9 weeks is nothing. Honestly, think about the 2 weeks towards proofreading, sources and formatting (+trying to get calm after being stressed continuously for 7 weeks (I was)). Just, if you think now is the time to register, wait another two weeks.

That's all for now, I know I will use this again for my master thesis, so I will leave this here for now. I hope it helps some of you too.🤗

[physalian]

How to Make Your Writing Less Stiff Part 3

Crazy how one impulsive post has quickly outshined every other post I have made on this blog. Anyway here’s more to consider. Once again, I am recirculating tried-and-true writing advice that shouldn’t have to compromise your author voice and isn’t always applicable when the narrative demands otherwise.

Part 1

Part 2

1. Eliminating to-be verbs (passive voice)

Am/is/are/was/were are another type of filler that doesn’t add anything to your sentences.

There were fireworks in the sky tonight. /// Fireworks glittered in the sky tonight.

My cat was chirping at the lights on the ceiling. /// My cat chirped at the lights on the ceiling.

She was standing /// She stood

He was running /// He ran

Also applicable in present tense, of which I’ve been stuck writing lately.

There are two fish-net goals on either end of the improvised field. /// Two fish-net goals mark either end of the improvised field.

For once, it’s a cloudless night. /// For once, the stars shine clear.

Sometimes the sentence needs a little finagling to remove the bad verb and sometimes you can let a couple remain if it sounds better with the cadence or syntax. Generally, they’re not necessary and you won’t realize how strange it looks until you go back and delete them (it also helps shave off your word count).

Sometimes the to-be verb is necessary. You're writing in past-tense and must convey that.

He was running out of time does not have the same meaning as He ran out of time, and are not interchangeable. You'd have to change the entire sentence to something probably a lot wordier to escape the 'was'. To-be verbs are not the end of the world.

2. Putting character descriptors in the wrong place

I made a post already about motivated exposition, specifically about character descriptions and the mirror trope, saying character details in the wrong place can look odd and screw with the flow of the paragraph, especially if you throw in too many.

She ties her long, curly, brown tresses up in a messy bun. /// She ties her curls up in a messy brown bun. (bonus alliteration too)

Generally, I see this most often with hair, a terrible rule of threes. Eyes less so, but eyes have their own issue. Eye color gets repeated at an exhausting frequency. Whatever you have in your manuscript, you could probably delete 30-40% of the reminders that the love interest has baby blues and readers would be happy, especially if you use the same metaphor over and over again, like gemstones.

He rolled his bright, emerald eyes. /// He rolled his eyes, a vibrant green in the lamplight.

To me, one reads like you want to get the character description out as fast as possible, so the hand of the author comes in to wave and stop the story to give you the details. Fixing it, my way or another way, stands out less as exposition, which is what character descriptions boil down to—something the audience needs to know to appreciate and/or understand the story.

3. Lacking flow between sentences

Much like sentences that are all about the same length with little variety in syntax, sentences that follow each other like a grocery list or instruction manual instead of a proper narrative are difficult to find gripping.

Jack gets out a stock pot from the cupboard. He fills it with the tap and sets it on the stove. Then, he grabs russet potatoes and butter from the fridge. He leaves the butter out to soften, and sets the pot to boil. He then adds salt to the water.

From the cupboard, Jack drags a hefty stockpot. He fills it with the tap, adds salt to taste, and sets it on the stove.

Russet potatoes or yukon gold? Jack drums his fingers on the fridge door in thought. Russet—that’s what the recipe calls for. He tosses the bag on the counter and the butter beside it to soften.

This is just one version of a possible edit to the first paragraph, not the end-all, be-all perfect reconstruction. It’s not just about having transitions, like ‘then’, it’s about how one sentence flows into the next, and you can accomplish better flow in many different ways.

4. Getting too specific with movement.

I don’t see this super often, but when it happens, it tends to be pretty bad. I think it happens because writers feel the need to overcompensate and over-clarify on what’s happening. Remember: The more specific you get, the more your readers are going to wonder what’s so important about these details. This is fiction, so every detail matters.

A ridiculous example:

Jack walks over to his closet. He kneels down at the shoe rack and tugs his running shoes free. He walks back to his desk chair, sits down, and ties the laces.

Unless tying his shoes is a monumental achievement for this character, all readers would need is:

Jack shoves on his running shoes.

*quick note: Do not add "down" after the following: Kneels, stoops, crouches, squats. The "down" is already implied in the verb.

This also happens with multiple movements in succession.

Beth enters the room and steps on her shoelace, nearly causing her to trip. She kneels and ties her shoes. She stands upright and keeps moving.

Or

Beth walks in and nearly trips over her shoelace. She sighs, reties it, and keeps moving.

Even then, unless Beth is a chronically clumsy character or this near-trip is a side effect of her being late or tired (i.e. meaningful), tripping over a shoelace is kind of boring if it does nothing for her character. Miles Morales’ untied shoelaces are thematically part of his story.

Sometimes, over-describing a character’s movement is meant to show how nervous they are—overthinking everything they’re doing, second-guessing themselves ad nauseam. Or they’re autistic coded and this is how this character normally thinks as deeply methodical. Or, you’re trying to emphasize some mundanity about their life and doing it on purpose.

If you’re not writing something where the extra details service the character or the story at large, consider trimming it.

—

These are *suggestions* and writing is highly subjective. Hope this helps!

[lesbiancolumbo]

Diane Seuss, frank: sonnets

[internet-society]

What will be today's objective goal?

Stretch out of your tension.

Repeat: "I have the space I need to create the reality I want."

What will be today's social goal?

Balance your posture.

Repeat: "I am my profound harmony."

What will be today's active goal?

Ground yourself in action.

Repeat: "It exists when I empower it."

[byoldervine]

How do you format a book?

I’m still on my first draft so I’m not at that point with my work yet, but I’ll refer you to Abbie Emmons’ video on the subject - she also has a lot of other great writing tips if that helps!

[cryingtulips]

Bedrock bros in The Shadows and the Son by SunOfIcarus

Credits:

Trey Parker and Matt Stone, South Park || @/sandmoonyelse || @/AnnieSpratt || The Shadows and the Son (chapter 2) || @/life.by.linus || @/thewildwoodmoth || @/hollywarbs || sagun, I'll Keep You Safe || The Shadows and the Son (chapter 2) || @/iorvetha || Taylor Swift, Safe & Sound || @/wolfythewitch || The Shadows and the Son (chapter 2) || @/cremsie || The Shadows and the Son (chapter 2) || @/tigothy || Roshani Chokshi, The Gilded Wolves || The Shadows and the Son (chapter 6)