Ugh! Word processors. Microsoft word processors. THIS is why I wanted a Mac. Unfortunately, I am too comfortable with Word and too lazy about learning Pages to actually use my Mac processor...plus, no Mac at the regular work place (where I might occasionally jot some ideas or do a touch-up) so MSWord is the convenient medium for my writing projects.
But, O does it bite sometimes!
After close to 5 hours I FINALLY put my B/X Companion together in a semi-finished form...well, a readable form anyway, not a printable one. I had written in chapter by chapter so it was saved to various files (though with universal formatting except for the charts and such), so putting it together into one 64 page document (well, 62 pages with a couple blanks for artwork) was a necessary next step...not to mention headers and page numbers.
O You Bitch!
Finally, though it's done and ahhhhhh...it looks so nice. Almost good enough to print out. Oh, but not quite yet... Urk! I hate delayed gratification!
: )
Had a "team meeting" today and spent the entire hour drawing some fairly inspired (for me anyway) sketches, some of which may well make it into the Companion. Not that I intended to get all "Siembieda" on everyone, but the thing needs sprucing...till the submissions start pouring in, my own artwork might have to stand in. Time to get the wife to teach me how to use the scanner.
I have mentioned I am techno-challenged, right? : (
Anyway, threw the document into a .pdf file and am emailing it to the good Doctor (he who shall be doing maps for the accompanying module). He will be the first person besides myself to read its mysterious pages. Pros: he's excited and likes D&D. Cons: he knows shit about B/X (well, he does own Labyrinth Lord, having been hipped to it by Yours Truly, but it's Not The Same, you know?). Oh and he and I don't always see eye-to-eye on things. Ah, well...I need some feedback and he wants to read it. Plus, he's probably too broke to buy a copy.
Mmm...let's see, other good news? Yes, actually. One of my co-workers is a bit of an entrepreneur on the side, and I hit him for a place to buy boxes. Turns out he knew one: an arts-and-crafts kind o paper company specializing in packaging that's near my work and sells boxes for $.23 a piece. Now THAT'S what I'm talking about! It's open till 6, so I'll be checking it out after work tomorrow. : )
I'm starting to get a good...scratch that...a GREAT feeling about this project, and it's kind of scaring me a little. One of my reasons for calling this blog Blackrazor is the soul-sucking properties this hobby can have on a person. But now I find myself confronting a different kind of void...one where I've never before ventured...private enterprise! Ha! Again, not that I plan to quit my day job or anything, but I AM having a tremendous amount of fun. I see why Gygax thought this beat the hell out of selling shoes....
; )
I'm with you on MS Word. I had to do an almost 200 page software manual in it. I finally did each chapter seperately and in turn made lots of little PDFs. I then joined all the PDFs into one big file. My doc had lots of bullet formating that went haywire when I originally tried to merge it into one big document. Nightmarish. Good news on the boxes.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Actually, by the end of the day I got the doc I wanted (the MSHelp page helped...though I miss having a "help" button in Word), but I wanted to vent and blow off a little steam.
ReplyDelete; )