1. drifter265

    drifter265 Banned

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    What font are you using to write?

    Discussion in 'Writing Software and Hardware' started by drifter265, Mar 13, 2013.

    I don't feel that using "Times New Roman; 12" is giving me the feel I want when I write. What other fonts and sizes are you guys using to give you the feel of writing a good book?
     
  2. SwampDog

    SwampDog Senior Member

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    I use DejaVu Sans.

    As for using a font to give me the feel of writing a good book - that'd be delusional. Did you mean a particular font for presentation?
     
  3. Phoenix Hikari

    Phoenix Hikari New Member

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    I use Georgia 10, my dad thinks I am trying to slowly and painfully blind my eyes, but I just like that font and size. I also use black background with white text, suits my stories better and gets me in the mood.
     
  4. Youniquee

    Youniquee (◡‿◡✿) Contributor

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    The font doesn't really make me feel like I'm writing something good (but with short stories, I use Cambria, 12 because it looks nice) but for my novel, I'm just using the normal Calibri, 12. I didn't really think about the font, it's more of what I write that makes me feel good.
     
  5. GoldenGhost

    GoldenGhost Senior Member

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    Before I write anything, I usually make sure the formatting is proper manuscript formatting, which can be googled. Generally speaking, one inch margins all around, double spaced with no room left between paragraphs, headers for every page but the title, and 12pt font Courier New (since it's easier to spot typos/spelling errors, and is preferred by editors, most of the time) rather than Times New Roman.

    That's just me though. I kind of think writing in any other font is a waste of time. I want to be able to see my errors as easily as possible. I also want to present the manuscript as professionally as possible, so why not treat it as such, and write in the professional way?

    Beats the hell out of having to go back through and realign everything after you change the font/formatting, since paragraph spacing sometimes effs up when you do that.
     
  6. cazann34

    cazann34 Active Member

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    For purely practical reasons, I use arial in a large font, 16 or 18. To save my eyes from straining and to limit my use of my reading glasses.
     
  7. iolair

    iolair Active Member

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    I'm writing mine in 12pt Courier New, double spaced, for the same logic as Golden Ghost - though I don't think it affects the feel of it as I'm writing at all.
     
  8. PumpkinLord45

    PumpkinLord45 New Member

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    I usually stay at Times New Roman.
     
  9. Bdriscoll3

    Bdriscoll3 New Member

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    That good old Time New Romans baby! haha.

    Sometimes I switch it up to palatino linotype when I get bored staring at the same text for hours.
    Whatever notepad font is, I use notepad for my blog articles and book reviews, so whatever font that is.
    But that's more for html reasons than anything.
     
  10. niallohagan

    niallohagan New Member

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    Times New Roman size 12
     
  11. Oswiecenie

    Oswiecenie Active Member

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    Calibri size 11
     
  12. A.Tad.of.Conrad

    A.Tad.of.Conrad New Member

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    Times New Roman 12 :D
     
  13. minstrel

    minstrel Leader of the Insquirrelgency Supporter Contributor

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    I, too, use standard manuscript format, which means Courier New 12pt.
     
  14. TimHarris

    TimHarris Member

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    Times New Roman 12 was the standard in my word processor. Saw no point in changing in. I use the same font for my chapter titles with size 16 and bold setting.
     
  15. AVCortez

    AVCortez Active Member

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    You are onto something. Sans Serif fonts are easier on your eyes when reading digitally, serif fonts are better for large bodies of printed text. Don't ask me why, but I studied graphic design and this is what they told me in a typography class.

    1.5 line spacing with Arial 12pt for me.
     
  16. mammamaia

    mammamaia nit-picker-in-chief Contributor

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    as an editor and mentor who has to read mss all day, every day, i advise everyone to use only courier 12 pt, since tnr is too tiny and cramped to read constantly, in large batches, as agents and publisher's editors must do...

    that's why it's the most universally acceptable font... use that and as long as an agent's/publisher's guidelines don't specifically say not to, no one will object...

    unless you're writing only to submit to online publishing venues, do NOT use a non-serifed font... and all mss must be double-spaced, unless guidelines specify otherwise... and NEVER use bold, if you don't want your ms dumped on sight...
     
  17. TimHarris

    TimHarris Member

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    when you say never to use bold, does that hold true for chapter titles also?
     
  18. GingerCoffee

    GingerCoffee Web Surfer Girl Contributor

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    Does anyone using Scrivener know why the default font for a novel is Cochin, 14pt?
     
  19. Mckk

    Mckk Member Supporter Contributor

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    It used to be Times New Roman size 10, but once I switched onto size 12 I never looked back.

    And then I discovered the manuscript standard, and from then on I've been using that, which is Courier New, pt 12, 1 inch margins all around and 1.5 line spacing. (I know the industry standard is double, but it's not the kinda thing that can't be changed to suit when I submit)
     
  20. BlackCatMagick

    BlackCatMagick Member

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    Times New Roman, size 11. With landscape page orientation and two columns per page. For whatever reason, it helps me think.

    Format is easy enough to change if I ever needed to. Microsoft Word is a wonderful thing. :)
     
  21. Cogito

    Cogito Former Mod, Retired Supporter Contributor

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    Courier is preferred over Times New Roman for manuscripts, because Courier is a fixed pitch font, meaning every character occupies the same space. This makes it easier to spot typos than proportional fonts like Times New Roman.

    Example:
    See how the extra i stands out better in Courier?
    12 point is the preferred font size for manuscripts, and serif fonts are preferred over sans serif, also for easier error detection.
    The preferences for manuscripts are to make the editor's job easier, not to make the writing "prettier." Typesetting choices for publishing are based on different principles, but those choices aren't randomly arrived at either.
     
  22. mg357

    mg357 Active Member

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    Calibri (Body) Font size 11
     
  23. Scribblefae

    Scribblefae New Member

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    The most messy font there ever was... my handwriting.
     
  24. Revenant

    Revenant Member

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    I use Constantia, size 12.
     
  25. psychotick

    psychotick Contributor Contributor

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    Hi,

    Times New Roman 11 (sometimes 12). I look at Courier and immediately think cheap newspaper. I only use unusual fonts for covers etc where the font adds something to the look and feel. But for the text my view is that the font's purpose is purely to be there so that people can read it clearly and not notice it. I want my readers to read what I write, not what font I write it in.

    Cheers, Greg.
     

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