Error - Margins not working

Klazart · Feb 11, 2007

Okay, I'm kinda new at this so please bear with me.

My problem is mainly a technical one. Working on my first novel, currently at 50k+ words. But the manuscript is only 102 pages in legnth!

I did a word count using the word processor and find that i fit between 400-500 words a page. I even tried increasing the margins to one inch on each side but I'm still getting around 400 words a page, what am I doing wrong? When most people seem to average around 250 words a page. Obviously this isn't a game breaking issue for me right now, but when the time comes to polish prior to submission I'll need to fix the problem. Also watching the page count grow as I write would be very encouraging. Would be nice to have a manuscript thats 250+ pages and growing and not 100 pages long

I'm using courier new, font size 12.

Is the one inch margin from the very edge of the page or somewhere else? ANyone have a quick formatting tip of how to achieve this in a simple way in your basic processor? And what the hell is an inch in centimeters.

I'm using Openoffice.org writer, which is BASICALLY the same as MS Word, same lay out etc. but it's free, so slightly less frills. (eg. no grammer check, thank god or everything I write would have a long squiggly green line under it.)

Thanks in advance for any advice!

skelly · Feb 11, 2007

One inch top, bottom, and sides. Are you single-spaced? SS would give you around 500 ... double-space would be around 250.

blacbird · Feb 11, 2007

The short answer to what you are doing wrong is that your manuscript is not double-spaced.

At the top of this forum is a sticky thread titled GENERAL MANUSCRIPT FORMATTING. Read it before you do anything else. And Google is your friend. Do some research. Basically, all submission manuscripts should be double-spaced, and margins set at 1 inch (which is 2.54 centimeters), or greater, all around. You may want to set the top margin somewhat greater than 1 inch, to allow room for page numbers and other information in a header.

caw

Klazart · Feb 11, 2007

Must be single spaced! I leave a single space between each word, and double spaces after every period. Is there a way to make it auto-format double space between words by default?

Or I guess you are actually taking about line spacing? How do I set that in the word processor?

Thanks again!
edit - was typing this before the last reply. I did do research, hence the 1inch margins, courier 12pt new format. Obviously, I missed the double spacing bit but no need for the cane!

and yes figured out how to double space the lines, the manuscript is a much more pleasing 220 pages now, hurrah.

Shadow_Ferret · Feb 12, 2007

Klazart said:
Must be single spaced! I leave a single space between each word, and double spaces after every period. Is there a way to make it auto-format double space between words by default?

Not that it matters but the two spaces after a period is rather archaic, something us old timers did when we used typewriters. It isn't necessary with today's word processors and proportional spacing. You only need to put one space after periods.

Klazart · Feb 12, 2007

damn, i've got 50k worth of double spaces after each period. Should I just keep writing it like that or re-edit them all?

scribbler1382 · Feb 12, 2007

Don't change it unless the agent/editor you're submitting to says so in their guidelines. Most print book publishers still want monotype fonts (courier and the like), but SF is right in that it doesn't really matter much anymore. Meaning, unless someone asks you for one or the other, either is acceptable.

Prawn · Feb 12, 2007

Klazart said:
damn, i've got 50k worth of double spaces after each period. Should I just keep writing it like that or re-edit them all?

You can do a global find and replace later, but I wouldn't worry about it. I use a double space after periods. Lots of people still do.

Jamesaritchie · Feb 12, 2007

spaces

Klazart said:
damn, i've got 50k worth of double spaces after each period. Should I just keep writing it like that or re-edit them all?

Keep them. Doesn't hurt a thing, and no matter what anyone says, it still makes reading and editing a manuscript a little easier. The more room you give an editor to insert proofreaders' mark, the better.

blacbird · Feb 12, 2007

Might be worth doing sentence by sentence as an editing exercise. I'm in the midst of a sentence by sentence edit of a complete novel manuscript right now, one I've been over numerous times, with a final goal of cutting at least 3,000 words, 4,000 if I can. When I started, it was about 104,500; I'm not quite halfway through, and have it down to 102.800 or so. Single word here, two there, semi-superfluous phrase here, entire sentence there, even a complete paragraph now and then. You'd be surprised how useful this is.

Oh, and as an aside, I'm doing this chapter-by-chapter, starting at the end and working backwards. Very enlightening exercise.

Of course, I don't anticipate it's going to help toward publication one damn bit, but it keeps me out of the bars for a few evenings.

caw

Error - Margins not working

Klazart

skelly

Kickin it old school, posers beware

blacbird

Klazart

Shadow_Ferret

Court Jester

Klazart

scribbler1382

Write For You, Edit For The Reader

Prawn

Writing is finite,revising infinite

Jamesaritchie

blacbird