how people write fanfic

[tielan]

Query for those who write with the intent to publish on web platforms ie. AO3, once upon a time DW/LJ, other fic archives.

Do you code the HTML as you go, writing it out on the page? Or do you do the HTML coding only when you post the fic?

edit: Wow, I feel completely odd writer out now. I write everything in a word processor, and copypasta into AO3, hand-coding for DW/LJ...

I mean, I once created an MS Word macro that coded bold and italics and underline based on the formatting but that was back in ye olde dayes of LJ when you'd post the entire story on LJ...

Comments

[scribblemyname]

The first

[theladyscribe]

Used to be code as I go, but now I use the AO3 posting script on gdocs. It works really well for the basics (bold, italics, etc.), though it doesn't do bullet points or links.

[beatrice_otter]

I do the html coding only when posting. I write in Word, and then do find/replace to insert the coding. I explained the process here: https://beatrice-otter.dreamwidth.org/318344.html

[the_rck]

As I type. I touch type, so it's not much work to add the italics.

[skieswideopen]

I code as I go. I tend to use HTML sparingly, so I don't find it interferes with my reading and editing.

[umadoshi]

I code in the italics and occasional bold as I go, but any other code gets added later on.

[edenfalling]

I code italics as I go. Anything more complicated gets added in the final editing pass, right before I post.

[kore]

I am older than dirt so I write it all out in notepad and hard code the HTML, then cut and paste it into the HTML window on AO3, because I hate both GDocs and the AO3 RT interface. (I never liked the LJ/DW rich text thing either. I am a WYSIWYG kind of girl.)

[schneefink]

I would like to code as I go because it's easier, but I don't because I want to see it how a reader would see it to know what effect it would have. (Yes I'm sure there's a workaround to do it in a smarter way but it doesn't come up often enough for me to look for it.)

[havocthecat]

I code the HTML as I go in Word, writing it out on the page. I think it comes from not wanting to bother with putting code in later.

I never bothered with a macro either. Too much work. (I realize macros are, ultimately, less work. But I would have to set it up on every iteration of Word on every work computer and they have a habit of wiping them and not restoring settings from backup and I'm laaaaazy. And I used to write fic at work a lot more.)

[nrgburst]

I write in word, then copy paste to Ao3 which formats most of it automatically, and finally copy paste the nicely HTML formatted stuff to DW so I have a copy here.

[frith_in_thorns]

I code as I go. Actually I handwrite fic in notebooks. I handwrite my html tags in.

[grav_ity]

I used to type the HTML into my documents, so the formatting would show up on LJ.

Then I would copy/pasta the POSTED lj entry to AO3.

ff.net changed at some point, but when I started you had to copy in the HTML and now I think you can do it without.

My dreamwidth is set to buttons, and I still type the code half the time out of habit. I should change the setting...

I don't post fic on tumblr.

[raine]

I used to code the HTML as I went, but then I discovered Dreamweaver would format the Word doc for me, and I quit doing that. I only code when I reply to comments on AO3 or in DW; the rich text editor on AO3 is good enough for what I want it to do. The exception is when I decide I want an uncommon HTML format, like arrows for a horizontal line.