Handy fic formatting guide
POSTED BY: mal4prez
UPDATED: Tuesday, February 14, 2012 16:51
VIEWED: 17123
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This thread is in the interest of doing cool formatting things in fics... the kind of cool things that require *gasp* html knowledge, eek! I'll try to keep everything listed in this first post, so you can check back in here for all the goodies.
This is meant for formatting fics, not threads. So things look weird. There's a copy of this post in the BSR so you can see what it really looks like:
http://www.fireflyfans.net/sunroomitem.asp?i=12910
(Also, as of 3/18/10, I note that right justified paragraphs and a few other things aren't working any more. Oh well.)
For the how-to, click "reply with quote"
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If you don't get it, I'm happy to send examples over email. PM me or write to mal4prez at hotmail.com.
Basics
Here's how you do italics, bold, and underline.
Chinese mouseovers:
To show the meaning of Chinese without annoying brackets or whatever, do this:
gé zhi wō
Put your mouse over it to see the meaning - I think there's one kind of browser it doesn't work for, I'm not sure...
Sometimes, there's been problems with longer phrases. I find copy and paste always works better then typing something in, so here's a long one you can copy and replace with your own phrases and meanings:
bù zhī tiān gāo dì hòu
You can combine these with other formats, like italics:
bù zhī tiān gāo dì hòu
Or put them in idented paragraphs, which I'll just leave as homework.
BTW, if you want to put in the inflections - that is, all the weird marks over the characters - I have a theory for what works. Might take time to explain, so just I'll add it if there's interest.
Right-justified and centered paragraphs:
This text is left-justified.
This text is right-justified.
And this paragraph is back to the left.
Indented Paragraphs
This one is tricky the way I do it. (There must be an easier way, but I haven't figured it out. Help??)
First, you need to know how paragraphs end:
FFF automatically formats paragraphs in fics by adding an empty line and indenting the next paragraph. This happens where you have a carriage-return in your typing. It you use a p inside < and > brackets with NO CARRIAGE RETURN, (so two lines appear to run together before you post them) you will get the empty line and no indent. If you use a br inside < and > brackets, you get a simple new line - no blank line, no indent. Example:
Line 1 has a typed carriage return at its end
Line 2 has a p in brackets and no carriage return, which will make the next line not indent.
Line 3 has a br in brackets and no carriage return, which means no empty line to follow and no indent.
Line 4 is just like Line 3.
Line 5 ends with a carriage return.
And all text after is back to the usual thing.
To make deeply indented single spaced paragraphs, you need to insert spaces at the beginning of lines 3 through 5 above. To make spaces that won't be ignored, use & nbsp but without the space between the & and the nbsp.
You'll just have to believe me about the nbsp guy, because when you click "reply-with-quote", all you see are the spaces. Really. I typed in the & nbsp things - ten of them, right next to eachother, with no spaces, just at the beginning of lines 3 through 5. But it does works, see:
Line 1
Line 2
Line 3
Line 4
Line 5
And now we're back to normal text again.
Sorry this is so textbook-ish. I don't know how else to show how to do it! And there has to be an easier way. Anyone???
*********Added Jan 24:
An easier but less precise way of havi
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On the tables stuff - I think you have to specify the font style and size for the table as well as for the rest of the fic. Tables are taken as something completely different. You can add the details in the table html tag. Is you're using a style sheet you can also specify table font syles and size there, as far as I know.
More animations available at http://desktophippie.googlepages.com
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Do you know how to specify the table font style? I tried and failed. Many times! But html is really not my thing, it's probably really simple...
If anyone can make an example of a table - please do! It's beyond me. Oh - and no lines if possible. So it's just a way of tabbing stuff. (I wanted this for Chinese translation tables cause I'm a dork and I like things to line up. )
Now, like the slacker I am, I am abandoning my new thread. I get to work at home for the afternoon, yay! I'll check in tomorrow. I hope there will lots of cool ideas...
And, um... style sheet?
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Am I the only one who doesn't see the actual "how" of the basics and Chinese mouse-over?
It reminds me of this:
http://fireflyfans.net/sunroomitem.asp?i=7660
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Ain't. We. Just.
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Quote:
Originally posted by nosadseven:
Am I the only one who doesn't see the actual "how" of the basics and Chinese mouse-over?
It reminds me of this:
http://fireflyfans.net/sunroomitem.asp?i=7660
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Ain't. We. Just.
Click the reply-with-quote on the original post and look at the quote. There's the how!
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Ahh...clever.
So, can you add in how to insert links?
And, do you know how to link to a specific part of the document?
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Ain't. We. Just.
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I put in something about linking, which is really great for allowing readers to go from one chapter to the next. I highly encourage it.
I don't know how to link to specific parts of a document, sorry!
Is this actually helping anyone? I hope so!
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I had the chinese in italics when I wrote something, I posted it and they reverted to plain text. The first time I posted I hadn't used italics and corrected after posting. It worked fine that time. Do I need to alter things from Appleworks when I post it, or post and then quickly revise or what? Or was this just a freakish playful space monkey thing...
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It is helping! Now I just need to write something...
http://www.bigdamnthankyou.com - show Universal your gratitude!
You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection. - Gautama Siddharta
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Quote:
Originally posted by stinkingrose:
I had the chinese in italics when I wrote something, I posted it and they reverted to plain text. The first time I posted I hadn't used italics and corrected after posting. It worked fine that time. Do I need to alter things from Appleworks when I post it, or post and then quickly revise or what? Or was this just a freakish playful space monkey thing...
You never can tell what those space monkeys are up to.
Um - Appleworks? I know nothing! I write in word because I have given in to the evil software empire...
But none of the formatting in word stays when the fic is posted, and it's likely the same in Appleworks. If you want something in italics, you have to lead with {i} and end with {/i} - where { means [ and } means ].
Is that a useful answer?
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