More on Line Breaks…

(or should this be,

“moron line breaks…(?)”

Ahha! There is life out there…

Received a number of requests to further detail ol’ Max’s post of June 18 2k15:”Oddities, confusion and  just plain Weirdness

Apparently the problems being encountered in matching one’s line entry spacing with any particular site or publication’s line entry acceptance are fairly similar.

And from what ol’ Max sees coming across the desk of Cheap Seat’s, in the “columns” of other inkers and especially online “e-zines”—can see why.

A publication (e-zines too) establish a “template” to control the vertical, and especially, the width dimension of what is going to be printed.

Let’s envision this template as simply: setting tabs.

The problems with this “simply setting tabs,” the writers’ tabs cannot exceed the limit of the publication’s tabs. Fair enuff! Basically put, your “poem” must fit within their space: ya can’t force a bag of marshmallows into your mouth all at once.

Assuming a max line of 50 units (unit=key strokes):

1                                                  50

V                                                 V

Friends, Romans, countrymen; lend me your ears.

(plain face)

—or fyi—

Friends, Romans, countrymen—lend me your ears.

(Bold face)

                                                

If you send the line as shown, it will be printed something like…

Friends, Romans, countrymen;

lend me your ears (not too bad, actually)

But, depending upon the actual settings or abilities  at “El Publisher Importanté:”

Friends, Romans, countrymen

; lend me your ears.    (naw. This just ain’t right…)

We’ve all seen some of the other atrocities…

1                                                 50

V                                                 V                     

The quick red fox jumps over the…lazy brown dog.

The quick red fox jumps over the

…lazy brown dog.  —or—

The quick red fox jumps over

 the…lazy brown dog.

                                      (here, the ellipse line “…”

                                      is not separated from the

                                      two adjacent words,

                                      as is correct.

                                      But the receiving

                                      software reads the line

                                      and attached words as 

                                      combined, or as one

                                      stand-alone unit.

 To re-cap:

1.)  Your tabs and the publisher’s will not add up.

2.)  Carefully, count the average appearing maximum example line(s) shown in the publication. Establish their “actual” length and use this as your basis.

3.)  Keep in mind: fifty capital “M’s” are longer than a line of fifty lower case “i’s.” Also, a bold line will print longer than its comparative standard face counterpart.

4.)  Deduct about 5 or so percent to act as your cushion. (i.e.: for a 50 count line, try using 47 as the count.)

5.)  Set tabs at 50—keeping in mind, the 47 is your target count. Running a line to the max of 50 may leave you wondering why the publisher put the period on its own line?

     . (<i.e.)

6.)  Don’t adjust the space between your words to make them fit. The publisher’s software or an editor, may re-adjust your compressed spaces, extending your line, turning your meaning to mush with heartless dangling

breaks.

7.)  If you are lucky enuff to receive “proofs” or “galleys” from an ink printer, or after a submission to an e-zine comes back all catawampus—for heaven’s sake say something. They can’t make their template wider, but you can adjust your line breaks, the formatting of your “poem,” to look and read at the optimum for the situation.

   Adapt and overcome…

Finally—Do you want some faceless editor or his flunky adjusting your line breaks? Trust the ol’ cat on this: editor’s mostly, don’t care that you think your work is celestial and needs to be seen the way your spaghetti and parmesan cheese infused dreams say it should. If the publication’s request in the guidelines or your count from observation is for a particular line length, use your smarts and adjust your “poem” for that length (maximum—less is better, here too). Editorial staffs are notorious for simply breaking your “poem” any damn place that fits their space!

Editors also, love to play god, with their woodshop background, and change your “poem” to fit their Cheerio’s rush… but this is a rant for another time…

Too many Mtn. Dews for breakfast (again…)

Max tdc