Formatting Options

1. 85

   DzyMsLizzyposted 8 years ago

   While I realize that Hub Pages is not a poetry-first website, focusing instead on articles, I still wish we could have a return to the days when we, as authors, had a bit more creative freedom in how we arranged our words on the page.
   
   If you will please take a look at this poem: http://dzymslizzy.hubpages.com/hub/-Beh … lter-Walls , you will see what I am talking about.
   
   This particular poem is currently un-featured for lack of engagement, and I will not revise it, because the moment I do, ALL of the text will be slammed back to left-aligned, spoiling the focus and emphases given to the lines by their current arrangement on the page.
   
   I have other poems I've published recently, and they all look and feel very different than they do on paper in my originals.
   
   Even if you don't want this to be available in all kinds of articles, perhaps you could consider adding "poetry" to the article types available, and allowing this kind of formatting therein?
   
   The only other way I can think of to accomplish this option would be for me to scan in my originals (a royal pain in the rear), and post them as pictures instead.  However, that is less desirable for several reasons, the most obvious of which it that it would be virtually a 'zero-words' article, and be rated as sub-standard.  Then, there are the assorted edits and scribbles that appear on my originals, and no one wants to see that--nor do I care to share them, as some are personal commentary.
   
   Please, folks, let us have some creative freedom in playing with line and word spacing and/or give us a sprecialized poetry article format that would allow for that option.
   
   Thank you.

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   1. 54

      janderson99posted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Hi,
      
      Have you tried using a minimal format table. Cumbersome but it might work.
      Text is set out in columns with only the horizontal lines showing.
      
      

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      1. 85

         DzyMsLizzyposted 8 years agoin reply to this

         I have never heard of this, let alone seen anything resembling such here on Hub Pages. 
         
         Where do you find this tool?

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         1. 54

            janderson99posted 8 years agoin reply to this

            Use the table capsule. If you are familiar with tables in word documents and Excel you can create a table and save it as a CSV file and then up load the file into the Table capsule. Otherwise you can start with a blank table and add text to it. This is the example I created. You can add more columns, center the text etc. It may be too complicated but give it a try.
            
            

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            1. 85

               DzyMsLizzyposted 8 years agoin reply to this

               Ah--ok, thanks--I'll try that, and see how it works. 
               
               (But the lines still show, right?)  Not sure I like that... 

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               1. 54

                  janderson99posted 8 years agoin reply to this

                  It is probably not suitable. Just for fun I had a go at formating your poem using the table option. Not a lot of control and the lines stay. The other option I guess is to take a screen shot of your formatted text and to have it as an image in your hub. Strangely I rather like it - easy to read and comes in chunks. Cheers
                  
                  

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                  1. 85

                     DzyMsLizzyposted 8 years agoin reply to this

                     Yeah--I just tried it with one of my shorter poems...I really don't like the lines.  Thanks for the suggestion, and trying to help, anyway.
                     
                     Ironically, the kind of play with spacing that I like to do is not all that easy in a word processing program, either.  It can be done, but it is a pain in the drain; it goes against the 'standard formatting' built into that software, as well.
                     Makes my yearn for my old typewriter!  I have one poem that I will HAVE to run through the scanner, and post as a photo, because there is NO way to play with the spacing the way I did back when I first typed it out.

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                  2. 84

                     Venkatachari Mposted 8 years agoin reply to this

                     Hi, now I am able to see these tables here itself. I was not seeing them previously. It took so much time to load. I was trying to open them by copy pasting in browser all this time.

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   2. 87

      bravewarriorposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      I agree; there should be a poetry format. Many of my poems have unusual spacing when I create them in Word. I do it for emphasis.
      
      As far as the poem you referenced above, I read, commented, and tweeted. Perhaps that will help to boost engagement.

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2. 84

   Venkatachari Mposted 8 years ago

   Janderson, I thought of viewing your links. But they are not working. Even I tried by cpoy pasting it in url. But the page shows Error 404

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