[bksvol-discuss] Re: formatting question

  • From: "Shelley L. Rhodes" <guidinggolden@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Tue, 8 Dec 2009 21:38:37 -0500

Hi Lissie,

I'm not Valerie, smile. But wanted to say Thank you for the formatting tips. I had asked about three weeks ago but hadn't heard anything, have a customer of mine's book of poetry, and want to do it proper justice.


Shelley L. Rhodes, VRT

Guide dogs for the Blind Alumni Association
www.guidedogs.com

Reading a book is like rewriting it for yourself. You bring to a novel, anything you read, all your experience of the world. You bring your history and you read it in your own terms. -Angela Carter, novelist and journalist (1940-1992)

----- Original Message ----- From: "Estelnalissi" <airadil@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, December 06, 2009 9:04 PM
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: formatting question


Dear Valerie,

I bet you are working on books 2 and 3 in the collection by Ace...whatever his last name is from Larry Lumpkin. Since I enjoyed the first book so much, I can't wait to read the ones you're proofing.

I read your question about formatting poetry while working on page 69 of The Oxford Book of Christmas Poems. Like cookbooks, poetry books take extra effort but they're worth it! Some of Christmas poems affirm my beliefs and move me and others force me to re-examine Christmas in new ways. I feel so Christmassy, I wish I could wrap presents and decorate and proof all at once.

Together with other volunteers we've worked up some techniques for formatting poetry designed to make the poet's form perceivable to all readers. After much experimenting, here are the guidelines I use.

1 Scan with ends of lines respected.
2. When proofing press Enter at the end of every line, so new lines begin on a new line after the tools have processed the file. 3. Put one asterisk between each verse. where blank lines separate verses in the text.
4. begin lines that are indented in the text with one dash, no spaces.
5. When an entirely different poem starts in the middle of a page, place asterisk space asterisk space asterisk instead of a blank line before the title of the next poem.
6. Put chapter heads 6 points larger than text.
7. Put poem titles 4 points larger than text.
8. If there are a few words on a line by themselves because they physically wouldn't fit between the margins of the print page, for the line they belong to, put them on the line above, because they are on a new line to accomodate the font and physical width of the page, and weren't meant to be on a line by themselves by the poet. You usually get a sense for these left over words as you become familiar with the form and layout of the poem.

Feel free to contact me off list if I can help you more.

Thank you so much for working on these books. The first one fascinated me. I respected the author's broad knowledge of music, the music business and music history and appreciated his careful research.

Always with love,

Lissi

----- Original Message ----- From: "Valerie Maples" <vlmaples@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, December 06, 2009 8:22 PM
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] formatting question


Are manual line breaks preserved in the Bookshare tool? I am trying to find a way different than the paragraph marker to end non-wrapping text like in
poems and lyrics.

Thanks!
Valerie

Currently scanning
A Turkey for Thanksgiving
who do I talk to
the Red suit diaries
yada yada Prayer Group GETS DECKED OUT

Currently proofing:
More Stories Behind the Best Loved Songs Of Christmas
Once Upon a Chritmas
Love Mercy
Ten Days To Self-Esteem
Everything Dog: What Kids Really Want To Know About Dogs



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