Reprinting web based stories

[Trab]

I supposed I should preface my actual comment with another comment, just to clarify.

The stories I like to read, which are mostly accessed via AD, are on websites. Now I don't know about all of you others, but I don't like to perch my iMac on top of my chest while lying in bed reading. So, I take all the material, chapter by chapter, and put it into my MSWord as one long document. I read the story, then carefully cross shred all the pages. Although technically I'm breaking copyright rules, I don't really feel I'm doing anything wrong. (This is comment #1. Feel free to comment on this if you wish.)

Since "Someday Out Of The Blue" is now finished, I thought I'd start to read it. I quickly realized that it is too long to do at the computer, so saved the whole thing into a .doc file. There's something 'wrong' with this one. I have no idea why, but the formatting is completely stripped off the story. There is no new line. No new paragraph. It is one huge clump of text with spacing only after the periods. This is completely (to me) unreadable. (This is comment #2.) If anyone can clarify why this happened with this one particular story, as opposed to others like TSOI, I welcome the knowledge, and even moreso a solution. I WANT to read this story, but I simply won't be able to fit it in during the day sitting at the computer.

BTW, I thought it would have been more appropriate asking this on the web whiz section, but surprisingly, I cannot post even a question there. Is that section strictly for posting information from our web specialists?

[dude]

Moved this one and fixed the access parameter for Web Wiz Forum!

[Graeme]

I can't comment on #2 as I've never tried to do what you're saying.

As for #1, I personally don't mind you doing what you say, but other authors may. While it's a technical breach of copyright if the author has explicitedly stated you are not allowed to make copies in any form, I'm realist enough to accept that what's done for personal use is not significant.

[Jason Rimbaud]

Hey Trab,

Having a few things posted online. My feelings are as follows

Number 1: Do not reproduce my work on any website without

obtaining my permission.

Number 2: Do not download with the intention of "pirating" my

work and claiming it for your own.

Number 3: Please do whatever it takes for you to enjoy reading

my work. If that includes downloading and printing a copy for

your own enjoyment, and to save your bum from hurting, I say

go for it.

Though I'm not sure I agree with the shredding part, I don't know

about you but I re-read my favorite books several times. Save

some trees and keep the copy, you never know when you might

want to re-visit a particular story.

Cheers,

Jason R.

[JamesSavik]

Trab-

I'm so delighted (and astonished) when someone reads my work that I'm not real picky about how they go about reading it.

Jason's three points are well taken. I doubt you could go wrong following them.

JS

[TalonRider]

Some stories, I read on the computer. Other stories I save to word, change the margins, to conserve on paper and read them. I have several stories that I keep in note books so that I can go back to them anytime. I'm on my third note book for the Scrolls.

[clay49]

If you are using Foxfire as a web browser, and save a file as text it strips all formatting from the file. Use the copy and paste and you will be ok. IE will not remove the formatting from text files.

[DesDownunder]

I agree that downloading and printing for personal use would not worry me.

I would be delighted to know that my work was being read.

I copyright my work, hence the little c in a circle by the title.

I started saving the stories to my hard disk when, some years ago, an author lost his files and requested if anyone had any of his pages to please send them to him so he would have copies.

All of which brings me to my own somewhat not quite legal practice. I usually save each chapter of a story to a folder of the story's name. I do this by going to file/save as/ then choose Web page, HTML only.

Now as I am the only one with access to my computer and have only ever provided other people with the web site to go and read the story I do not really feel I am doing anything wrong.

As I have become adept at reading on my 19" screen I don't print them out. Oh dear am I bragging about size?

As the page is already in my Internet Explorer cache, I consider all I am doing is giving myself easier access to it.

So I took one of my saved pages of "Someday Out Of The Blue" opened it in Internet Explorer, went to Edit/Select All then copied by right clicking the selection and chose Copy.

I opened a blank word document and clicked paste.

Yep worked perfectly for me.

(Word 2003 on Windows XP SP2)

If Little Buddha does not want me to save his story I will of course abide by his request.

[Trab]

I would NEVER post someone's work on another site without permission, and I sure as hell would never claim it as my own. That would be disgusting behavior, not to mention criminal.

As for printing it up and then shredding it, yes, it would save trees to keep it, but I seldom read a book twice, but if I do, it needs about a 10 year hiatus, and I just don't have that kind of room. The number of books I'd have in 10 years would kill me. But, because I respect the copyright of the author, I always shred the manuscript before putting it into the paper recycling box. If I didn't, I would (in my mind) be violating the copyright by distributing it, even though the likelihood of recycle workers actually taking it out is next to infinitisimal.

Des, I tried what you suggested, and it didn't work. I'm using Safari as my browser and MS Word for Mac. I HAVE found a way though. Ironically, each time I go to paste the copied chapter, I need to go to Edit, then Paste Special, then select Unformatted Text in order to save the formatting. If I select Formatted Text (the default) then it promptly strips the formatting when I complete the paste. Go figure.

Anyway, I now have a way to do this, and I thank you all for your suggestions and comments.

PS. I run through 45,000 sheets of paper per year and have my own high volume laser printer and cerlox binding machine. I told you guys I was an avid reader, but I don't think anyone realized just how avid.

[colinian]

I like to read stories once all chapters have been posted. I like to have them on my local disk drive to go back to without having to search the internet for them. I have the same formatting problems so here's what I do (WinXP Media Center Edition 2005):

Open MS Word 2003

Open Notepad

Open the web page

Highlight the story

Right-click on one of the highlighted lines and select Copy

Switch to Notepad

Right-click in the Notepad window and select Paste (or do Edit - Paste from the menu)

Press Ctrl+A (or do Edit - Select All from the menu)

Right-click on one of the highlighted lines and select Copy

Switch to Word

Right-click in the Word new blank document window and select Paste (or do Edit - Paste from the menu)

Save the document naming it the title of the story in my Other's Stories folder

As new chapters are posted, use this way to copy them into the same Word document

I know this sounds messy, but it's really pretty fast to do, and it eleiminates all of the strange formatting problems when copying from a web page to MS Word. Then I can go back and read the entire story whenever I want to. I don't bother printing the stories, I read them on my screen. No trees cut down and ground up to make paper, no cheimcals dumped into the environment, nothing to shred.

Colin

[TalonRider]

Looks like we all have different ways of saving a story.

From the webpage, I do a save as to the folder I want the story in.

I open Word, then open the file.

I change the format from the webpage to that of a word doc by clicking one of the buttons in the lower left hand corner.

And since the font is usually white on the webpage, I change the font color.

I then change the margins, add the header to include the page numbers, save it as a word doc and I'm done.

[colinian]

Looks like we all have different ways of saving a story.

From the webpage, I do a save as to the folder I want the story in.

I open Word, then open the file.

I change the format from the webpage to that of a word doc by clicking one of the buttons in the lower left hand corner.

And since the font is usually white on the webpage, I change the font color.

I then change the margins, add the header to include the page numbers, save it as a word doc and I'm done.

How do you handle multiple chapters? One Word doc per chapter, or do you merge them?

Colin

[TalonRider]

How do you handle multiple chapters? One Word doc per chapter, or do you merge them?

Colin

I usually do them seperately. If it's a story that's been around for awhile, I'll 3 chapters at once.

[JamesSavik]

(WinXP Media Center Edition 2005):

Open MS Word 2003

Open Notepad

Open the web page

Highlight the story

Right-click on one of the highlighted lines and select Copy

Switch to Notepad

Right-click in the Notepad window and select Paste (or do Edit - Paste from the menu) <<Press Ctrl+A (or do Edit - Select All from the menu)

Right-click on one of the highlighted lines and select Copy

Switch to Word

Right-click in the Word new blank document window and select Paste (or do Edit - Paste from the menu)

Save the document naming it the title of the story in my Other's Stories folder

As new chapters are posted, use this way to copy them into the same Word document

Colin

You can skip the notepad step and dump the results directly into word. It will retain the formatting that the text had on the web page.

I've got an HP Mediacenter running XP/mediacenter edition and it rocks.

JS

[colinian]

Colin

You can skip the notepad step and dump the results directly into word. It will retain the formatting that the text had on the web page.

I've got an HP Mediacenter running XP/mediacenter edition and it rocks.

JS

JS,

I've found some web pages that, when the text is copied directly into Word, it results in a real mess. I've also tried Paste Special and pick Unformatted. But, again, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, especially the font and line spacing. I found Notepad as a work-around always works for me. Even though it's an extra step, I never have to go back and redo the paste. I HATE to have to redo anything, and I'm willing to take extra steps to avoid redos. Yeah, I know, that's dumb, but that's me!!

Colin

[Trab]

That's NOT dumb. It's logical. You have a formula/procedure that works all the time, so you can avoid worry and frustration. What's wrong with that?