Word Processors

I think this has been addressed before. I personally prefer WordPerfect as well, but you can't fight City Hall. Word is the accepted standard, and if you submit electronically, convert. Even if it causes some formatting glitches, you basically have no choice. Don't even think about submitting in WordPerfect format.

"WordPerfect? We haven't used that since 1997."

Actual editor quote.

The proper response is check the guidelines. Different publishers and editors have different preferences. I can't think of any that will accept .wpd and not a .doc, but oftentimes, they will accept an .rtf or some other, cross-program file type.

I use WordPerfect too. Sometimes editors request a conversion to Word. Sometimes they'll ask for a rtf. For my book ms, since I was even more of a computer dweeb then, than I am now, they did the converting for me.

Places that take electronic files usually want either Word or, more and more frequently, an RTF. Either Word or WordPerfect can create an RTF file, so just use the software you feel more comfortable with.

JD, who loves WordPerfect

Screw both and use Open Office. Free, and really cool.

ETA - And it supports most formats, including Word's '.doc'.

I don't care if you write in .doc (Word) or .wps (Works) or .docx (Word2007) or any other format out there. When submitting, put it into .rtf. Unless they say otherwise.

Well, you can please yourselves. I do, at any rate, no matter what program I've been using. The odds are 99% that the editor has Word on their computer, but why take the chance? No matter what program, they can open .rtf. Even if they don't HAVE a program, they have WordPad and it knows what to do with .rtf too.

This is probably me throwing back to the days when programs like Works, Word, WordPerfect, OpenOffice, were violently unable to communicate with each other. These days, it's less of a problem, I realize. Still, old habits die hard. I would be uncomfortable sending the file as anything but .rtf anymore.

I don't suppose anyone even knows what a .txt file is anymore...

benbradley said:

I don't suppose anyone even knows what a .txt file is anymore...

Click to expand...

I was using it earlier today. I did a couple of pages of comic script directly into Notepad, because it was comfortable and the only thing I needed was the ability to use CAPS lock. When I first discovered computers, I wrote my first dozen or so stories in .txt format.

benbradley said:

I don't suppose anyone even knows what a .txt file is anymore...

Click to expand...

I used to use an (ancient) computer running DOS 1 or 2 with WordStar, which was a very basic word processor and saved in the .txt format, I believe.

Now? I still use Notepad and Wordpad. They create documents with smaller footprints, and not every document requires formatting, and the programs load faster than, say, Word. And yeah, I use Notepad a fair bit. Perhaps once or three times a week, sometimes a whole lot more than that.

Seriously, you throw down a glove like that...

PeeDee said:

I don't care if you write in .doc (Word) or .wps (Works) or .docx (Word2007) or any other format out there. When submitting, put it into .rtf. Unless they say otherwise.

Well, you can please yourselves. I do, at any rate, no matter what program I've been using. The odds are 99% that the editor has Word on their computer, but why take the chance? No matter what program, they can open .rtf. Even if they don't HAVE a program, they have WordPad and it knows what to do with .rtf too.

This is probably me throwing back to the days when programs like Works, Word, WordPerfect, OpenOffice, were violently unable to communicate with each other. These days, it's less of a problem, I realize. Still, old habits die hard. I would be uncomfortable sending the file as anything but .rtf anymore.

Click to expand...

Unfortunately, these days .rtf doesn't always work very well, and doesn't always cross platforms as well as a Word Doc. I don't know if .rtf has changed, though I believe it has, but word processors have certainly changed, and some of the newer versions of Word can really screw up .rtf made on other word processors.

Unless a place specifies .rtf, I always send Word Doc, simply because the recipient is probably using Word, and a recent version of Word, at that.

It would not surprise me to learn that Microsoft does not like anything but Word DOC, and has made newer versions of Word less compatible with older forms of .rtf.

I tend to use OpenOffice for everything I can (.odt has the smallest footprint I've ever seen for formatted text) and then convert to Word if I HAVE to for sending stuff out. OO does this cleanly and very well in my experience.

Jamesaritchie said:

It would not surprise me to learn that Microsoft does not like anything but Word DOC, and has made newer versions of Word less compatible with older forms of .rtf.

Click to expand...

Actually, I hear that MS seem to be loosening their reins in terms of compatability. They apparently agreed to support the open format, .odt in the latest version of Word.
That said, you may be right where .rtf is concerned. Wouldn't surprise me either.

odt

JimmyB27 said:

Actually, I hear that MS seem to be loosening their reins in terms of compatability. They apparently agreed to support the open format, .odt in the latest version of Word.
That said, you may be right where .rtf is concerned. Wouldn't surprise me either.

Click to expand...

Sure, just as they agreed to support WordPerfect files, and a few others. MS must support odt, if they want odt believers to keep using Word. But it isn't because they want to relax compatibility standards, it's because they want to keep Word at the top of the mountain.

To write your story/article/script/etc., use whatever you are most comfortable with, even if it's crayon on toilet paper. At that stage, getting the writing done is all that matters. When the file hits the editor's inbox, they aren't going to care one whit what you did before you hit 'send.'

Once you are ready to submit, check the guidelines for each place/person you submit to and follow them to the letter. If they ask you to put your script in a spreadsheet or PowerPoint presentation, do it or don't submit to them.

If they don't specify what type of file to send, a Word document or an rtf file are your safest bet. Without specific instructions to the contrary, those really are the only file formats you should use when submitting electronically.

Always keep in mind that the whole point of the exercise is to get the person on the receiving end to read your work. Therefore everything should be geared toward that end. So give 'em exactly what they want.

Jamesaritchie said:

It would not surprise me to learn that Microsoft does not like anything but Word DOC, and has made newer versions of Word less compatible with older forms of .rtf.

Click to expand...

This is news to me. Damn it. Ah well. Live, learn, etc.

Jamesaritchie said:

Unfortunately, these days .rtf doesn't always work very well, and doesn't always cross platforms as well as a Word Doc. I don't know if .rtf has changed, though I believe it has, but word processors have certainly changed, and some of the newer versions of Word can really screw up .rtf made on other word processors.

It would not surprise me to learn that Microsoft does not like anything but Word DOC, and has made newer versions of Word less compatible with older forms of .rtf.

Click to expand...

No! No, no, no, no! I despise Word. I will not give in! (Ok, who am I kidding. It's not like I'll ever need to worry about dealing with editors.)

Actually, if memory serves, the rtf format was a Microsoft invention to begin with. So I can see them tweaking rtf to add/remove stuff so that other program's implementation of the rtf export filter doesn't include the 'improvements.' Another example of embrace-and-extend, meaning you have to conform to Microsoft's version or die.

This is, of course, purely speculation on my part.

<crusty-behind-the-times> Of course, you don't have this problem with a TYPEWRITER... </crusty-behind-the-times>

Yeah, but even if you roll the pages up really tight, they won't fit through the DSL modem cable.

You're an obnoxious caterpillar ever since you got arms, legs, and facial hair. Gawd.

I'm dealing with Lotus word Pro here. I love it! Reformatting is always an issue.. I will mail anything anytime. I have tried Word, but I hate it it. I suppose I better adjust.