Another easy way to ensure ASCII text is, in addition
to saving the file as ASCII/Text in Word,
WordPerfcect, WordPro, et al, to load the file up in
DOS EDIT Windows. And yes, I use this technique on my
100k+ stories.
This servers two major pruposes.
First, it will guarantee the acceptable line breaks in
either column 70 or 72, since you may have to manually
enter a NewLine character. You just need to pay
attention to the column count at the lower left of the
screen. Before you protest the extra work, I have
noticed that many of the major word processors do not
preserve line breaks. I admit, I may be doing the
wrong things, though.
Second, it forces you to look at your story again and
do any last minute editing. Things such as grammar
and spelling are caught more readily, since you are
concentrating on the format. This is especially
helpful with hyphenated words. It also allows you to
catch the special characters that may have snuck by in
the previously mentioned methods.
Edit also allows you to send the text as an in-line
attachment easier than the "big boys." This way, you
don't have to detach the file, or open a second
window, to read it.
For you Macintosh and Linux users, I have yet to find
an appropriate alternative, though the problem does
not seem to occur from your sectors.
Hopefully, this, and the other suggestions, will make
everyone's experience more enjoyable.
Bryan Neef
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