The W1S1 Check-in and Chill Lounge and Bar

Oh. My. God.

I've just looked at some of my files.
Open Office has fucked up the formatting on so many of them.

God only knows what crap I've been sending out.
People must think I'm an idiot.

Lillie said:

Oh. My. God.

I've just looked at some of my files.
Open Office has fucked up the formatting on so many of them.

God only knows what crap I've been sending out.
People must think I'm an idiot.

Click to expand...

I used OO years ago, but didn't care for it much. But I'm curious how it changes the formatting from the time you save it and close until you open it again. It's changing the formatting after you close the file?

Shelley

Lillie,

Don't sweat it, I'm sure editors understand that such things happen. Open Office screwed up one of my submissions in the past as well, and the slush reader chided me for it a bit... I've stopped using it. If you want a great free alternative, try Google Documents.

You know, it's not impossible to find a brand new Microsoft Office "Home and Student" 2007 full version for sale on eBay for as little as $40. I don't know about the newest one. I bought 2007 a few years ago. I think it's a worthwhile investment and eliminates those kinds of worries.

Google docs used to be kind of horrifying when trying to downoad the file as, at least for me, the formatting was always screwed. Same with uploading. Maybe it's better now.

Shelley

shelleyo said:

I used OO years ago, but didn't care for it much. But I'm curious how it changes the formatting from the time you save it and close until you open it again. It's changing the formatting after you close the file?

Shelley

Click to expand...

Yes. I get it all nice and right and then I save as a doc or rtf. You can't see anything wrong until you re-open.

It looses some of the centring, and some of the double spacing, some of the indents.

But not always. Some I reopen and they are still OK, some are badly messed up.

It also messes up headers, and page numbers.

It wants everything as an odt.

I can write in it because I'm used to it and then reopen in AbiWord and re-save as a doc or rtf.
I knew I had to do that with rtfs, but I hadn't realised OO was messing up some of the docs as well.

I do have a dodgy copy of word that someone gave me, but it wouldn't install on this computer, though it did on the old one.

I'll see if anyone has another one I can try. I don't want to pay for something that won't install.

I suppose if I did send out any really badly mangled ones I'll never know. And, if I did, then I just have to suck it up and be more careful in future.

Live and learn, eh?

Lol. I'm glad I found out!

I'm not sure why Word wouldn't install properly except that you say dodgy copy. You mean it was a copied copy rather than a new one? I'd have a hard time trusting something like that. If it's the computer, yeah, not much point in investing.

Seriously, try eBay. I got my copy of Office 2007 a few years ago for $40 or so--a completely legitimate, unopened box just like you'd buy at a store. You just have to shop carefully and choose the seller with a little due diligence to avoid getting ripped off. I wouldn't mess with anything but a new copy/license, in the proper container--not just a disk or something like that.

eBay's an option, anyway. Should be some sales coming up, given that school will be starting soon. My microwave blew out a month ago or so, and I'm waiting for the dorm sales to start so I can get one for $35 instead of $65.

And yes, even if you stick with OO, at least you're aware of the problem and can do your other program to fix it, or something. Don't fret about what's done. Even though, , yeah. Momentarily, at least.

Shelley

Oh!

An actual legal copy...
I hadn't thought of that.
I'll look into it.

We need a new microwave too. Ours looks like someone has exploded a pig in it, but it's the paint coming off and it seems to be going rusty inside.
I can't understand how it can be like that when you can't put metal in them.

Anyway, when we get a new one we're trucking the old one into the garden on an extension and then we'll try blowing things up in it, like light bulbs and eggs.

Oh cool!

I'll remember them.

Most of my inspiration is from Braniac, a TV show where they do stupid science. And they put things in microwaves that 'blow the bloody doors off'!
But you can only do that once to a microwave, so it would be good to do lots of little things first.

You two--remind me to stay on your good side.

Shelley

JC Romel said:

500 days?! Yowza. I was thinking about submitting something to them, but holy lord that's a long time.

Today's Trivia: I used to be a member of the writer's crit group started by one of GUD's founders.

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GUD is closed to new fiction subs 'til next summer anyway. Because, apparently, they already have more than enough on the short-lists to fill the next four issues.

Does that mean that they started notifying any of us whether we're making the final cut? No. >_<

I know, I seem bitchy about editors the past couple days. Just a little frustrated. I do everything I can to try and be professional about my subs and then you know, they don't put my story in the queue. Or get so backed up that I have to wait a year and a half to hear anything final from them.

Which is why I keep writing other stuff to send elsewhere in the meantime.

((((Aggy))))

That's the spirit!

Aggy B. said:

GUD is closed to new fiction subs 'til next summer anyway. Because, apparently, they already have more than enough on the short-lists to fill the next four issues.

Does that mean that they started notifying any of us whether we're making the final cut? No. >_<

I know, I seem bitchy about editors the past couple days. Just a little frustrated. I do everything I can to try and be professional about my subs and then you know, they don't put my story in the queue. Or get so backed up that I have to wait a year and a half to hear anything final from them.

Which is why I keep writing other stuff to send elsewhere in the meantime.

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I don't blame you for being peeved; I would be too. It would be nice if editors could be professional and keep on top of things. Yes, they're allowed to make mistakes, but if they do, they should correct it. There's no excuse for carelessness.

Good luck with your other subs!

Lillie,

I just checked my email and have gotten confirmation from chizine that they've received my submission. So it only took them 7 days. Just thought I'd let you know. Hope they've gotten yours, too.

Heh. I just received a second confirmation email that my story has been received at ChiZine. Maybe this time it will actually get read.

And I sent The Collections Agentoff to be beta'd. Again. Since now it's about three times as long and has a better developed story arc.

Also got notes back on the non-spec thing I wrote week before last. Haven't looked at them yet. Maybe this evening once I have a chance to sit inside where it's air-conditioned instead of sweating myself thin in the parking lot at Starbucks.

On that note. I think I shall head home.

Later, folks.

defcon6000 said:

Lillie,

I just checked my email and have gotten confirmation from chizine that they've received my submission. So it only took them 7 days. Just thought I'd let you know. Hope they've gotten yours, too.

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I've just got mine too! After 32 days.

I'd totally forgot I was waiting for one.
I can only half remember what the story is about.

Sounds like they may not have checked their inbox in a month.

Here's hoping everyone's submission gets read. *crosses fingers*

I got a confirmation from ChiZine today too after 23 days out. Sounds like they're trying to catch up with a big backlog or something.

Lol--confirmation from ChiZine at 28 days for me.

I also just received a conformation from ChiZine. 15 days for me.

Hey Lillie, I had that problem, with Open Office and the headers and finally figured out, if you want two header styles that will save to a doc file, you have to insert a manual page break after the page with the first style.

After I finally figured it out, I saved a file that's working the way I want it to as a template and just copy new stories into the old one. Just make sure you don't copy over your hard page break

I don't *think* I'm having issues with the tabs and such. I haven't seen them yet anyway. I have a version of Works that has gone all read-only on me that I use to make sure my stories look ok in Word before sending them out.

I don't use OO for rtf files though. I don't believe rtfs can even *have* headers and never have been able to figure it out so it works properly. If I have a market that insists on rtf only (haven't found one yet), I'll just use Notepad.

PS: Actually I'm not using tabs. I'm using paragraph formatting to tell the program to indent every new paragraph .5" and that's working fine.

Postal service has been back for almost a week, but I still haven't heard back from F&SF. According to Duotrope they sometimes take longer to get back to people, so I'm trying not to put to much weight on it (plus, I don't think the post office is back to it's full speed yet either).

All this waiting reminds me of another time I sent a postal sub, this time to Woman's World. It gave me my favourite reject story of mine so far:

(Friend/roommate calls me up): Hey there's a letter here for you.

Me: Oh, maybe it's from Woman's World! I've waited five months for this! Open it!

Friend: I don't know, isn't it illegal to open other people's mail...

Me: JUST OPEN IT!!!!

Friend: Okay, okay: "Dear Shannon, thank you for your submission. We regret to inform you..."

Me: Well, nuts.

Friend: Hey, don't feel too bad. They don't strike me as a very professional outfit anyway. Wait until you see the envelope they sent it in! It looks like a child scrawled the address on the front!

Me: That's my writing.

Friend: Huh?

Me: You have to send a self-addressed envelope with each submission. I'm the one who wrote my address on the envelope.

Friend: ...


. So now I'm just keeping an eye on my mailbox, waiting for a letter addressed to me in my own childish scrawl.

Sai said:

Friend: Hey, don't feel too bad. They don't strike me as a very professional outfit anyway. Wait until you see the envelope they sent it in! It looks like a child scrawled the address on the front!

Me: That's my writing.

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Everything I try to write by hand looks a ransom note an epileptic chicken on crack scratched down on a particularly nervous day. So this cracks me up. Heh!

Shelley

So I finished the first draft of my Shock Totem contest story today. First story I've *finished* in over a month (not that haven't been writing... I just haven't been writing stories to their very end.) I feel very good about it finally finishing one. Off to BBQ for a few hours, and the story is off to beta readers. Maybe I;ll manage to work on one of the nearly-completed stories tonight!

alexshvartsman said:

So I finished the first draft of my Shock Totem contest story today. First story I've *finished* in over a month (not that haven't been writing... I just haven't been writing stories to their very end.) I feel very good about it finally finishing one. Off to BBQ for a few hours, and the story is off to beta readers. Maybe I;ll manage to work on one of the nearly-completed stories tonight!

Click to expand...

I've done a little research toward a potential ST contest story today. I'm kind of flouncing over the prompt and unsure which way to go.

Congrats on getting the draft done!

Shelley