I think you're right, Katerina. Where did you sell your story to, btw?

I wonder whether anyone can recommend an up-to-date book, website or blog that gives accurate information on the presentation of a manuscript? It would be nice to know what people prefer to receive, just because it makes life easier for both them and me to be singing from the same hymnsheet.

I wonder whether the advice that I read was correct for the American market, rather than the UK one?

Alex

The thing is, I suspect it changes quite radically between markets...

What is more useful, I suspect, is to set up your document to be very quick and easy to do global changes. Word styles does this perfectly for me in older versions of Word but I had a go on the latest Word where they have hidden and complexificationised everything I was previously using in the name of dumbing down...

Grrr.

I wish Microsoft would give an option for "don't $@&# about with the features that used to suit me perfectly and now cannot be found without actually belonging to the team of developers who screwed about with it". :~

G

I know exactly what you mean, Gaius. It isn't even easy to give help to anyone who is having trouble with the new user interface. Instead of being able to say 'Go to the Format menu and select the Styles option..." you have to muck about trying to describe what the pictures look like on the screen, and which bit of the picture they have to click to do what they are trying to do.

My first encounter with Word 2007 was back in that year. I hated its new user interface on sight, and nothing I've seen since has changed my mind. The cynic in me thinks that it is down to Microsoft wanting to throw up a smoke screen to prevent experienced users from working out whether they've fixed any bugs or shortcomings from previous versions. The only Office software that has actually improved in 2007, in my view, is Outlook, which is ever so slightly better and faster than the 2003 version.

I've made a conscious decision to stick with Office 2003 for the time being. Once Microsoft give me no choice but to switch to something different, I will move to OpenOffice (unless I have to use Office 2007 for professional reasons, as in my last contract).

Alex

Hi Jem,

The Weekly News - they've bought several short stories from me now. They like tales with a twist, which I seem able to write for some reason - must be the warped mind!

Kat

Katerina, I can't do those at all - leastways I have done about six and then dried up.