Abstract suggestion - Writers Forum

nineteen · 04-10-2007, 03:05 PM

i know this i kind of strange but...

when i'm reading a long peice, i'd like to be able to use a tool that i could highlight certin bits with, so i rember them. then i could scan and quote the bits i like. anyone else follow?

i know you purchase this forum program and i don't know who much you can change it, but... i can dream.

mammamaia · 04-10-2007, 06:09 PM

you can do that yourself, by copying/pasting the work into a document...

or, you can copy it into the 'reply' box here and bold or underline as you wish... you don't have to hit the 'post' button till you're ready, so you can read and reread and notate to your heart's content...

before you post, you can just delete the parts you don't want to comment on...

that's how i normally notate excerpts here, so i know it works and is fairly easy...

Cran · 04-13-2007, 01:09 AM

nineteen, I do much the same as mammamaia for shorter pieces ...

longer pieces I find easier to paste into a Word document; then I can use the "track changes" and "insert comment" tools (these are the tools of my trade as a proofer and subbie) ... though I don't actually make any changes to another person's posted work (because the document is not passing from me directly to an editor or typesetter, but back to the writer), so it's only the comments that are retained ...

if the task is likely to take more than one session, I save the document into a "proofs" file, and I can come back to it later ...

when posting the final result, it is best to copy/paste in small chunks ... otherwise you end up with an enormously long list of comments at the end of the work, making it very frustrating to scroll up and down to see each link ...

you'll find that compatible fonts will be retained when you post here, though font sizes can go a bit screwy ... and last minute editing in the post can also be a bit tricky, so be sure of your comments before pasting them ...

you will also need to check your post for line spacing ... because they can also run amok when pasting from Word ... sometimes you won't see these (font issues and spacing issues) until after you've "previewed" your post ...

finally, be aware that there may be a 20,000 character limit to your post - there is in NM's - and that includes formatting and BB codes ...