Where Is The Document Writer That Works!

No, I did hot retype 50 pages, until I learn how to do it correctly what is the use of typing much at all. Right now I type and test, and so far I have not found the correct way to type a novel manuscript. When using GoogleDocs, and I print a page, it does not center the writing, sets the writing way over to the right, some words are off the page. When I went to "help" I find out this is a problem with GoogleDocs, others are also seeking answers to this problem. GoogleDocs has not fixed the problem as far as I know. I started off with zoho writer, there is where I lost the 50 pages. I am looking for "page break" on zoho but so far have not been able to find it on zoho, wonder if they have this applicati0n?

 

Personally I never liked google docs... or word. I use quollwriter for all my needs as I write my WIP. It is free and I like it. That said I don't do formatting with it, it is purely a writing implement and requires to be exported for any serious formatting to be done. So probably not useful to you. Some of the more general ones like l Libreoffice might be of use

 

How do you mean “lose” 50 pages. Are the words entirely gone? Is the document empty?

Also, what do you mean by “center” the writing? Usually only titles are centered. Maybe you mean you want it both right and left justified?

 

When I start a page, I write the page number, then under that, I write the title of the book, then under that, I write my name, this is done in the upper left -hand corner. Now I write the story, but when I inserted something just below the chapter number it threw part of what I was writing on to the next page, this was above where I write the page, title, and my name, this happened to all 50 pages! No thank you! I need, and want "page breaks!"

 

When I say "lose" 50 pagers I mean they were made useless, completely messed up. When I type a page everything is centered, this is on google docs, but when I print the page everything has moved too far to the right!

 

Put your name, title, page number in the header. It’ll always be above the text you are writing no matter how much you add or delete at any place in the document. That’s true in Word, Google Docs, LibreOffice, or why word processing software that allows a header.

 

I am trying to present a professional looking manuscript, not a screwed up mess. I will keep working at this until I get it right!

 

In a professional manuscript you put those details in the header. That’s where it is supposed to go, and it’ll show up on every page above the text just like it should.

If you insert manual page breaks on every page and the publisher has to use your electronic document to publish, you’re not doing them any favors. That will be a screwed up mess. Professional manuscript format had the necessary info in the header and no page breaks inserted except at places like chapter breaks.

 

This is reflecting a misunderstanding of how word processors work. It sounds like you're assuming that a word processor is essentially identical to a typewriter, except that the text appears on the screen.

But that's not how it works. When you see a printout of a word processing document, or a PDF of one, and you see headers and footers and page numbers, that does NOT mean that the person who wrote that document decided where each page stopped and typed headers and footers and page numbers on each page.

It means that they went to ONE place in the word processing software and told it, essentially, "Put as much text as you reasonably can on each page. On each page, put this in the header, this in the footer, and add page numbers."

Then the software looks at the page, figures out how much space it needs to take away for margins, headers, footers, etc., and then flows the text into what's left.

You need to delete the page number, title, name, etc., and then find out how your software handles headers and footers. I assure you that NOBODY is creating manuscripts in the way that you describe, unless they're using a physical typewriter.

Think of your text as a liquid. Imagine that you wanted to fill a square vase with water, and you asked someone to bring you some water. They bring you the water in a round pitcher and you say, "No! No! This water needs to be SQUARE! Throw that water away and get me some square water!"

And the person gives you a funny look and pours the water from the round pitcher into the square vase and, hey, it becomes square.

You can "pour" your text into a wide variety of page formats. The page format does not need to be embedded into the text.

 

Yes to everything @ChickenFreak says. And if the publisher accepts the submission they’re going to want the electronic file. If they see a page break after ever page of text they’re going to think you have absolutely no idea what you’re doing, and they’re going to have to go through and take them all out one by one.

 

Yes, that's right. It seems like there is a big misunderstanding here on the part of the OP. It may be simply because the OP doesn't really want to say why he's doing things the way he is--if there is a good reason, then the analysis changes. If the goal is simply to provide a standard, professional manuscript, then this idea of setting a specific number of words per page via manual page breaks is crazy. No publisher is going to want that--it'll be a nightmare to work with on their end. A professional submission is in standard manuscript format. That format is for ease of editors and the like. It's not meant to look like the final product, which is going to vary based on medium (and even within media).

I tried to attach an example of standard novel format (Word). Looks like the forum doesn't like Word attachments. In any event, it let me upload it as a PDF. The pertinent biographical information is in the body on the first page and, in part, in the header from there on out. You don't use page breaks unless you're breaking for chapters or something similar. There are minor variations on this, but in general this is the format.

That's really all there is to it.

 

I suggest you just write your novel, and then get your son/daughter or grandson/granddaughter in, or simply someone who is good at computers, and have them format it for you. You do not sound like you understand computers, and I really doubt all our talk of headers and justified texts make much sense to you at all. Without physically showing it to you with you sitting beside us, I just don't think our explanations are gonna help.

Focus on writing your story. Formatting can be done last, and no your work would not be rendered "useless" because of some mistake in formatting. Or if you're so concerned with learning how to format a document before writing, again, get someone who knows computer to sit next to you and show you how to do it.

In case you didn't know what it means to "format" a document, it means controlling how it should look (eg. where the text goes, what styles the text appears in, margins etc).

 

You are right, I don't know what I am doing, I am trying to find out what to do. The first thing I am trying do is print out my novel on sheets of paper, and it seems to me I need page breaks so the project is not messed up as I have explained in these forums. Are you telling me that a publisher, just because there are page breaks, can't go to the next page and read it without taking out the page breaks in an electronic file? It amazes me that one can not get any information on how to go about these operations, somehow one is supposed to know right from the beginning how it is all done. Fraid not. I just signed up with Libreoffice and I am already in trouble: The writing is not centered when printed, I had to move quite aways to the left to get it to print in the center. Also, Libreoffce starts off with 3/4 inch margins, but as I understand it, publishers want a one- inch margins. If that is what publishers want, then why would Libreoffice start off with a 3/4 inch margin? I have searched and searched trying to find out how to set the margins but can't. It seems to me it could be so easy, just have a place there that says "set margins", how easy! But no, setting the margins have got to be this enormous mystery! Can anyone tell me how to set the margins in Libreoffice!

 

The publisher will be able to read it onscreen that way, even with the page breaks. The problem comes in when they are ready to publish. They're going to want to use the electronic file. They're not only going to want to edit that file, they're going to to have to change things like margins, typeface, spacing, and who knows what else depending on what their final publication will look like (or in some cases multiple final publications in different formats). if you have hard page breaks on every page, that process will be screwed up for them and it'll take a lot of work to fix it. When they see the page breaks they're going to wonder why you have them.

Publishers do usually want one-inch margins. Try clicking on the format option (I haven't used the program in a while). The reason LibreOffice doesn't default to it, most likely, is that submitting manuscripts for publication is probably relatively low on the totem pole in terms of uses of the software. Business letters, student papers, and the like tend to do better with other margins. But any teacher or publication may want something special, so you have to know how to change it.

Honestly, if you're going to use software there's no substitute for getting the manual (usually online) and reading through it for just the basics. There may even be tutorials on YouTube. If you can learn how to set margins, changes fonts and spacing, justify text, and the basics of getting it to print as it looks onscreen (which has never been an issue for me; I'm not sure what the problem is with your printer or document so I can't troubleshoot it) you'll be fine. But it'll be a lot easier to look at online resources and take maybe an hour to learn those basics than to continue as you are now. It won't take long to learn.

 

I am sorry, but I just do not understand what you are saying, I am not a computer geek. I think Libreoffce has a manual, it cost $18.00. But you say it does not act like a typewriter, I do not understand why not, seems reasonable to me.

 

Try here: https://help.libreoffice.org/

One the left of the screen you'll see lots of topics you can navigate through. Covers the vast majority of the functionality, and certainly all of the basic functions.

 

No, I started my book in 2016, and have finished it, it has 80,000 words. I am retyping it or trying to the way publishers want it submitted, making as many corrections as I can, probably

I can see that what I am writing and what you are writing is getting intermixed. However I want to say thank you for this information, I will try and get this information that I need. I do not have anyone to help me with this, I mean writing it out for me, There are some writers clubs around the area I believe.
not getting them all. Few improvements are necessary for this book, I am not bragging about it, it just flowed from start to finish.

 

No, you absolutely do not need to insert page breaks. The word processor can do that for you automatically. You need to get a word processor and read its manual.

For the publisher to do anything with the manuscript, they will need to go through it and remove the headers and page breaks that you have inserted, page by page by page by page. It's your manuscript, so it's your job to do that, not theirs.

The information is available in the manual. A manual is a document that describes how to use a product. As an example, you probably have a manual for your lawn mower, your stove, your refrigerator, your television, etc. You need to get the manual for the software that you are using. If the software was obtained electronically, the manual is probably also electronic.

Have you read the manual for Libreoffice?

 

Because a typewriter lacks many of the features of a word processor. People want more than a typewriter. For example, they don't enjoy typing a header on every one of hundreds of pages. They would be much happier to have that done automatically.

Spend the $18.00, or ask a friend to help you format your document.

 

If the book is already in some electronic format, odds are that you don't need to retype it. You can probably paste it into some word processor, do a little worth with the document settings, and have a properly formatted manuscript.

You do of course need to do any and all needed corrections, but that doesn't require totally retyping the thing.