This week: Formatting Stories: A Proper Invitation Edited by: JACE  
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Hi, I'm JACE .
Welcome to this issue of the Noticing Newbies newsletter. Join me as I take you into some nooks and crannies of Writing.Com that you may not have found time to check out yet. This newsletter is about and for you. And for you seasoned members, I hope you'll find something you can take from my ramblings. 
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I had a different subject chosen for my newsletter this month. But while searching through the READ A NEWBIE links for items to display below, I decided to change focus. For whatever reasons you decided to join Writing.Com, one almost certainly involves placing your work in a Static Item for others to read.
You display your work because you want others to read and possibly review it. I submit you want to know how you stack up against other writers, and you want to improve on your writing skills. Let me be brutally honest. Folks will pass up reading your work if it's not presented in a "palatable" manner. Perhaps not everyone will pass ... but many will.
What do I mean by palatable?
Reading from a computer screen is different than from a book. Then again, most books have been edited ad nauseum and are presented in a more finished format. Some (and I don't just mean newbies here) feel the need to dump all their work in the main body of a Static Item with little regard for formatting. Formatting is NOT the same as editing your work for clarity and flow. For example, placing all your work in one huge paragraph is daunting for a reader. Most will pass on to another, more easy to read story.
White space is critical when reading from a screen. Break that large paragraph into small, manageable and logical paragraphs. And place a line of white space between each paragraph. Perhaps you're planning to return and format the story properly. Hopefully it's before other readers pass you by.
I suppose I should have started with the Title block. Your title should reflect what your story is about. Don't say things like "This Is A Work in Progress." Most readers here know you'll be massaging your story. The same thing goes for your Brief Description. Think of this as a billboard, designed to get a reader to take a chance on your story. Don't say "I need comments to help me improve." They know this. How about something like this: "Envy can be a dangerous emotion ... or a powerful motivator."
Ensure your item rating is proper. Clicking on the Question mark after the Intro Rating takes you to a place that explains the rating system. Also, filling out the genre boxes will help readers search for and find your items. You can use up to three genres. Keywords will help refine those searches as well.
Unless they're needed to enhance a poem or story, don't use a lot of different fonts or colors in the same story. Such things tend to take the reader out of your story. On that note, select a font and size that makes your story easier to read. Like Goldilocks, too hot or too cold is not good. Pick a medium size font--check out your saved product. You'll be able to tell if you got that right.
Do you have dialogue? Each person's dialogue should be placed in its own paragraph, properly punctuated.
I said earlier that formatting is not the same as editing. Proper presentation of your story is what brings the reader to your table. Hopefully they'll stay long enough to comment on your offering. It's those comments that will help you edit and improve your story.
Best of luck in all your writing endeavors.
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Check out this forum designed to assist Newbies.
Then drop in on these Newbies. Take a moment to review this offering ... or something else in their Port. Welcome them to WDC through a scribble in their Notebook.
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Thanks for spending time with me today. At the bottom of every newsletter is a section entitled
followed by a text box. If you liked what you read (or if you didn't), please take time and drop me a line. I'd love to hear your ideas.
From the mailbag:
From NaNoNette  : A few months ago, I stopped being a fan of members or items. I still have favorites. I think that the jockeying for fans is a double edged sword. By keeping my favorites to myself, I don't open up the door for weird thoughts like "Why is she her/his fan but not mine?" I rather interact more personally and without any baggage of, well, favoritism clinging to me.
An interesting take, Annette. I'll have to consider that myself.
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Noticing Newbies: June 15, 2022 Issue [#11413]
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