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How to Submit and Format Prose by `conorschild:iconconorschild:

Categories deviantART Related > DA Tutorials

©2009 `conorschild
:iconconorschild:

Artist's Comments

Note: if you're having trouble viewing the image, click the "download" button on the left to view the full-size image image on a nice low-fi white background.

Edit: Now with a guide to paragraphs, dialogue and HTML.
Edit 2: Thanks to =Iscariot-Priest and `TerrorCookie for the DD! Also, =Iscariot-Priest pointed out that I have deviantPLUS v3 installed.

(It's the bar above my artist comments with all the buttons)

This is an excellent plug-in for FireFox that lets you enter html codes just by clicking the appropriate button--extremely useful!

--


The examples used in this tutorial were my A Good Man Is Hard To Find and The Family Tree, and ~ViewpointCharacter's One.

Some useful stuff and further reading:

Grammar Workshop by ~ThePrettySin

Punctuation Basics by =illuminara

Punctuating Dialogue: A Guide by *WordCount

Giving Prose Visual Appeal by *WordCount

FAQ #104: What HTML formatting can we use on deviantART? And what is the format for these codes?


[link] is also a useful resource

Having trouble with spelling and your word-processor doesn't have a spellcheck? [link] is a free site, or of course Firefox and Chrome both have inbuilt spellcheckers.

--

So, I usually try to critique one piece a week, with varying amounts of success. And I notice all of these problems--maybe the story is good, but it's impossible to tell when the writer has made it so hard for me to actually be able to read the text! All of this stuff is incredibly simple--and incredibly overlooked.

I can guarantee you, if you do not at least leave line breaks in between paragraphs, no-one is going to read your work. I swear to it.

Anyway, doing =Trashrock's critiquing competition really made me more aware of how some people just seem to have no idea how to format their prose. Frankly, it just seems lazy.

I hope this was useful!

Daily Deviation

Given 2009-02-01

How to Submit and Format Prose by `conorschild. The suggester says, "Bright, cheerful, and slightly cheeky - almost like a kindergarten guide to submitting prose. `conorschild makes the dreary process of submitting fun. On a more serious note, it aims to help both writer and reader by making the writing more accessible. With better formatted prose, readers would be encouraged not to skim over prose and increase the likelihood that the writer would receive constructive criticism. Not just a superficial guide, it provides some grammatical help in the visual aspects of prose (paragraphs and dialog) as well as links to other, more indepth grammar tutorials. At times, it may seem this guide covers things that you'd assume are blaringly obvious, but a quick browse through the lit galleries would say otherwise. I believe this could honestly help clean up future lit submissions. Better to have people change themselves than have others force them to change." (Suggested by `Iscariot-Priest and Featured by `TerrorCookie)

Critiques


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Comments


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:icongaioumonbatou:
`GaioumonBatou Jan 9, 2009, 2:55:07 PM
:lmao: This guide is both useful and incredibly hilarious. I totally don't need it, but I'm going to fav it all the same.

Also, you didn't pick Advanced Critique Encouraged for this guide, you hypocrite. :unimpressed:

--
"That's right kiddies, don't drink or you'll end in gaiou's scraps and people will make fun of your ass" - =Thiefoworld

*Adopt-A-Writer | =DailyDeviants | *Trashrock | *Writers-Workshop
:icondammitmel:
@dammitMEL Jan 9, 2009, 3:03:58 PM
I haven't even read it yet and I had to :+fav: it. I've been trying to figure this out for AGES. Thank you, David! :heart:

--
<eskirinabsolute> I
<eskirinabsolute> LIKE
<eskirinabsolute> LARGE
<eskirinabsolute> POSTERIORS
<eskirinabsolute> AND I CANNOT PREVARICATE.


<conorschild>with anemones like that, who needs friends?
:iconconorschild:
`conorschild Jan 9, 2009, 3:05:05 PM
I am a pansy! :(

--
conorschild: overusing commas since '73 seconds ago

~thingsareprettyokay

#getLIT for people who think writing is just tops
:icongaioumonbatou:
`GaioumonBatou Jan 9, 2009, 3:07:55 PM
Just so long as you know that. :iconsadnod:

--
"That's right kiddies, don't drink or you'll end in gaiou's scraps and people will make fun of your ass" - =Thiefoworld

*Adopt-A-Writer | =DailyDeviants | *Trashrock | *Writers-Workshop
:iconconorschild:
`conorschild Jan 9, 2009, 3:10:30 PM
No worries :heart:

--
conorschild: overusing commas since '73 seconds ago

~thingsareprettyokay

#getLIT for people who think writing is just tops
:iconashescry:
=ashescry Jan 9, 2009, 3:11:42 PM
    Nicely done, even if I had to squint to read it.


--
Y es todo lo que me queda tu amor
Solo fotos y recuerdos.
:iconconorschild:
`conorschild Jan 9, 2009, 3:13:52 PM
I've made it bigger now =P

--
conorschild: overusing commas since '73 seconds ago

~thingsareprettyokay

#getLIT for people who think writing is just tops
:icondammitmel:
@dammitMEL Jan 9, 2009, 3:22:01 PM
It's perfect. This will be a HUGE help.

--
<eskirinabsolute> I
<eskirinabsolute> LIKE
<eskirinabsolute> LARGE
<eskirinabsolute> POSTERIORS
<eskirinabsolute> AND I CANNOT PREVARICATE.


<conorschild>with anemones like that, who needs friends?
:iconashescry:
=ashescry Jan 9, 2009, 3:24:46 PM
It's so pretty!

I totally missed the download button, but I prefer how it looks on the gray background anyhow.

And your *WordCount lost a colon. :heart:

:thumbsup:


--
Y es todo lo que me queda tu amor
Solo fotos y recuerdos.
:iconconorschild:
`conorschild Jan 9, 2009, 3:27:37 PM
Oh, my mother tells me every day :)

--
conorschild: overusing commas since '73 seconds ago

~thingsareprettyokay

#getLIT for people who think writing is just tops
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