five simple tricks to better your fiction writing.
Sure, I could do that. Its an extra step and it requires me to find said program. Someone once suggested that I get an entirely different word processing program just so I can submit stuff to dA efficiently. I dont find that acceptable, nor is it a solution.
On top of that, I then have to weed out the HTML tags that dA does not support, after Ive gone and gotten the raw HTML of my document. Ive tried for hours, there is simply no clean cut way to do this.
This is unrealistic, and it breaks the chain of thought that I need when Im writing. I need to worry about plot content, about characters, about grammar and sentence structure not where an italics tag should go when I submit it to dA.
This isnt even a workaround, this is a cop-out. And I do submit my work elsewhere. I would love to be able to share it on dA as well, if it werent such a headache to do so.
dA supports PDFs as a download option. I find this inconvenient, because then I have to either tell my readers to download that instead (and still submit my story as text), or simply submit a sentence or two giving the instructions. Thats ridiculous. PDFs are not embedded in the deviation viewing area, so they are not a viable solution.
There's a Greasemonkey script for Firefox that allows one to format a comment or a post by clicking buttons (called deviantPLUS), and I have it installed already. It does not work with the literature submission area though, unfortunately. It's also still manual HTML, just automated slightly, which is nothing more than a bandaid on the problem.
Its simple: one uploads a document to dA, and dA imports said document into a WYSIWYG editor (What You See is What You Get). All formatting is kept. This is different from being able to upload documents! I know the reasons behind disallowing that kind of thing. No, this is a way for the documents to be easily rendered for submission.
Think its impossible? Think again. Im going to redirect your attention to a site called FictionPress.com. They implement this very thing. I am very well aware that dA is not FictionPress, but there are countless websites that do, in fact, implement this. And it makes sense. Multiple document formats would be accepted, no manual HTML, voila.
Another option is "Paste From Word" or a simple "paste formatting" option, where one can copy their document and paste it into dA's submission area and formatting is kept. This can be done - Booksie.com does something like it.
One of the things Ive remedied this with is a flash document structured like a PDF. I use Print2Flash [link] to accomplish this. Adobe has similar software, though it is not freeware (Adobe FlashPaper). Here is an example: [link]
Look at that, its embedded into the deviation viewing area and everything. Its convenient, the file size is small (the entire chapter was around 700kb), and you can even have your choice of formatting.
What it does is essentially take a snapshot of each document page, turns it into an image and compiles it into a flash document. Want to see a website that uses this concept? Visit [link]
I think its very possible for dA to create its own engine for this. It might take a little work, but it will be worth it. You submit a document, and dAs engine converts it to this format simple.
Indeed, this is a very, very simple fix. It is possible to embed a PDF within a webpage. Why not have it that way? Its easy, and it works. The only issue is that PDFs are sometimes tough on slower computers.

Devious Comments
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Lynnette Murry AKA DeadlySilent
Literature has just has much (if not more) merit than visual art. It's a shame that few people see that merit.
And I agree, it'd be nice if we could just share our work, period, without having to jump through hoops to do so.
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Thurrs sum srs up in my bsns
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The text above was written by a robot made by an atomic space monkey.
I'm hoping this news article gets some attention. I've tried to suggest this at least three times in the suggestions forum, but it got bumped off the page with 0 replies
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Thurrs sum srs up in my bsns
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I love writing just as much, if not more than I do drawing, and my deviations reflect it - and YES, it's a FLIPPIN' HEADACHE every time. If you just want an INDENT, a FRICKIN' INDENT TO MAKE IT READABLE - agggh. D:
Also. xD Lookit my poems, especially my more recent stuff - all the experimental visual format messing-with and whatnot - it takes almost as long to format it in HTML as it does to WRITE THE POEM ITSELF! ;_;
So yes. Wholehearted agreement.
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... And while you're at it, keep the nightlight on inside the birdhouse in your soul.
FAQ #666: Does Complaints have a chat room?
You bet your sweet bippy! #TheComplaintsTavern
Lit and writers really are under appreciated.
Wow, it's like you had to write an entire webpage for just one poem XD It looks nice, though! But I can almost feel how frustrating it must have been to get it like that
Thanks for your support
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Thurrs sum srs up in my bsns
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I frickin' hate the submission system for literature; i mean, half the critiquers on my stories told me that I needed to use italics instead of capitals.
I merely responded that I WOULD use italics if I knew how.
Eventually, someone explained it to me, but it made me angry because the submission policy made ME look bad.
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Punknera is no more! I am now *ATrue.
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