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Formatting of Entries

Posted: Fri May 03, 2013 4:54 pm
by Deb Porter
Hi Challengeers.

Just a quick reminder to avoid using anything too fancy when formatting your Challenge entries. This is in the rules:
Formatting, if any, should be kept to the most basic HTML. In other words, italics, bold, underlining and centering. Any other formatting (for example, different fonts, font sizes, colors, shaped text or images) used in Challenge entries may be removed. This is to ensure entries are being judged on the quality and creativity of the writing, not the quality and creativity of layout and design
There is an entry this week with shaped text. It was submitted in the final hours of the Challenge, so I wasn't able to do anything about it (because I was fast asleep here on the other side of the world), so it won't be disqualified. However, I just want to make sure everyone is aware of this rule so we don't get a flood of entries with fancy formatting, images, whistles and bells in the weeks ahead (which is why we brought in this rule in the first place. It was getting a little out of hand.)

Love, Deb

Re: Formatting of Entries

Posted: Fri May 03, 2013 6:07 pm
by tomoral
:thankssign And I was gonna do a building on fire for sizzle! :lol:

Re: Formatting of Entries

Posted: Fri May 03, 2013 6:17 pm
by Deb Porter
tomoral wrote::thankssign And I was gonna do a building on fire for sizzle! :lol:
LOL ... wouldn't surprise me. Image

We brought the rule in a few years ago because the formatting was making it impossible to really judge those particular entries fairly (the playing field became uneven). The final decider was when a really talented young writer submitted a children's story with loads of pictures he had created himself. The story was very basic, but of course the pictures meant it was very creative. But then, this was the Writing Challenge, not the clever formatting and pictures Challenge. So we had to take it back to basics.

Love, Deb

Re: Formatting of Entries

Posted: Fri May 03, 2013 7:36 pm
by KennAllan
Sometimes even the simplest of things can get'cha. I remember my entry, "Deliver Us From Kittens," when all my long dashes were turned into "¾."

Lesson: Always preview/check your entry BEFORE hitting the Submit button.

Re: Formatting of Entries

Posted: Fri May 03, 2013 8:59 pm
by judi
Now I'm curious. How does one fancify formatting?

Re: Formatting of Entries

Posted: Sat May 04, 2013 2:11 am
by Deb Porter
Kenn, you aren't the first one to get bitten by a formatting glitch (not your fault).

Judi, it's just using HTML code to layout the pages in a fancier way. We don't mind italics, bold or centering, but shaped text, images, colored font, fancy fonts, different sized font fits the fancy formatting rule.

But feel free to use italics, bold and centering on your entries. Here's a FAQ to help you:

http://www.faithwriters.com/Boards/phpB ... =35&t=3697

Love, Deb

Re: Formatting of Entries

Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2017 10:59 pm
by pcimeisr
I am not sure how to get italics to transfer over. I saw something about using certain keys like left arrow with an "I" in the middle and a right arrow. I don't know how to do this and if that is the way to get a word document to show italics. does that mean you put left arrow before the word you in italics and then the right arrow? I read where it isn't professional to use all caps or bold or underline to emphasize a word. Than you for your help.

Re: Formatting of Entries

Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2017 11:03 pm
by Deb Porter
pcimeisr wrote:I am not sure how to get italics to transfer over. I saw something about using certain keys like left arrow with an "I" in the middle and a right arrow. I don't know how to do this and if that is the way to get a word document to show italics. does that mean you put left arrow before the word you in italics and then the right arrow? I read where it isn't professional to use all caps or bold or underline to emphasize a word. Than you for your help.
It's a simple bit of HTML code (simple once you know what it is). Here's the FAQ to help you:

http://www.faithwriters.com/Boards/phpB ... =35&t=3697

Re: Formatting of Entries

Posted: Sun Apr 30, 2017 12:14 am
by pcimeisr
Thanks! I will try that code next time need to emphasize a word.