G. X. Bradbury's picture
G. X. Bradbury from Corvallis, OR is reading The Modern School Movement: Anarchism and Education in the United States, by Paul Arvich June 15, 2013 - 10:48pm

I've always been a Book Antiqua/Bookman Old Style kinda guy. I think it just has kind of a classic typewriter feel to it.

Chacron's picture
Chacron from England, South Coast is reading Fool's Assassin by Robin Hobb June 16, 2013 - 8:22am

Times New Roman. Hate all the others.

G. X. Bradbury's picture
G. X. Bradbury from Corvallis, OR is reading The Modern School Movement: Anarchism and Education in the United States, by Paul Arvich June 16, 2013 - 10:59am

Why?

Chacron's picture
Chacron from England, South Coast is reading Fool's Assassin by Robin Hobb June 16, 2013 - 11:18am

None of the other fonts read naturally to me on a screen. I'm not against people using them if that's what works, but when I download stuff from the workshop the first thing I do is select the whole thing and change it to Times size twelve if it isn't done that way already. In print there are plenty of fonts that work for me, although I don't usually know what they are. I actually don't tend to buy any book unless I know what the typesetting's like. I've picked up plenty and put them back after finding their in a font that I know I won't get used to.

ReneeAPickup's picture
Class Facilitator
ReneeAPickup from Southern California is reading Wanderers by Chuck Wendig June 16, 2013 - 4:26pm

I am not a font snob, but I do everything in TNR now because it's what's used for submissions. For whatever reason, Word defaults to Cambria for me, and I don't mind it, except that if I forget to change it going in, I have to change the font at the end before sending my work out.

Renfield's picture
Renfield from Hell is reading 20th Century Ghosts June 16, 2013 - 4:50pm

Word always defaults to Calibri for me. Anyone who uses Scrivener on PC, does the font/font size not inexplicably change every once in a while for no reason? I always export and format in Word. TNR 12 point, I like the header/byline to be in something like Century Gothic though, which I think is subtle enough not to annoy people. Green text on black in fullscreen mode.

Dino Parenti's picture
Dino Parenti from Los Angeles is reading Everything He Gets His Hands On June 16, 2013 - 6:40pm

TNR these days for the same reasons as Renee: it's what most journals request. Used to be Book Antiqua, but I've grown tired of changing fonts each time I want to send out a story.

G. X. Bradbury's picture
G. X. Bradbury from Corvallis, OR is reading The Modern School Movement: Anarchism and Education in the United States, by Paul Arvich June 17, 2013 - 11:06am

TNR used to be the default for Word, but at some point it changed to Courier, which I can't stand. And they made it 11 point, instead of 12. I don't know why they did this, but it sucks. The letters are quite plain. No accents to them. Boring.

Tim Johnson's picture
Tim Johnson from Rockville, MD is reading Notes From a Necrophobe by T.C. Armstrong June 17, 2013 - 11:49am

Times New Roman. Hate all the others.

This. Ain't nobody got time to mess with typefaces! I don't like most other fonts because they are typically too expressive. They create a feeling that doesn't exist in my words.

@ G. X. Bradbury, you can change your default font in Word. I think Calibri or Cambria is Word's new install default.

sean of the dead's picture
sean of the dead from Madisonville, KY is reading Peckerwood, by Jed Ayres June 17, 2013 - 1:40pm

Calibri & Cambria was a really horrible band, and I never understood how they got so popular.

avery of the dead's picture
avery of the dead from Kentucky is reading Cipher Sisters June 17, 2013 - 2:07pm

TNR 12!  Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!

 

because of why everyone else said...

Jack Campbell Jr.'s picture
Jack Campbell Jr. from Lawrence, KS is reading American Rust by Phillipp Meyer June 17, 2013 - 2:14pm

Copperplate Gothic Bold or nothing at all. Everything looks more epic.

John Loeffler's picture
John Loeffler from Brooklyn, NY is reading Gallatian Canyon by Tom McGuane June 17, 2013 - 3:10pm

Courier New 12 point with ragged right margin. It just looks professional to me. I don't need my font to be fancy, it is a vehicle, not a flourish.

Shannon Barber's picture
Shannon Barber from Seattle is reading Paradoxia: A Predators Diary by Lydia Lunch June 17, 2013 - 5:34pm

I default to Times New Roman 12pt or 14if I'm tired.

G. X. Bradbury's picture
G. X. Bradbury from Corvallis, OR is reading The Modern School Movement: Anarchism and Education in the United States, by Paul Arvich June 17, 2013 - 7:40pm

@Jack - That's intense, dude. I'd feel like my word processor was always angry with me for writing.

jyh's picture
jyh from VA is reading whatever he feels like June 17, 2013 - 7:49pm

Jack mainly writes eye charts.

Jack Campbell Jr.'s picture
Jack Campbell Jr. from Lawrence, KS is reading American Rust by Phillipp Meyer June 17, 2013 - 8:07pm

It's not the writing of eye charts that is tough, it's the re-writes.

Dwayne's picture
Dwayne from Cincinnati, Ohio (suburbs) is reading books that rotate to often to keep this updated June 18, 2013 - 3:02am

@Renee & Renfield & Bradbury - This Microsoft article on how to change your default font. Took me forever to find the first time.  http://support.microsoft.com/kb/291291

This Microsoft article on how to turn off orphan control works on pretty much every thing regarding default spacing, page layout, automatic indents, and all that.  http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/office/forum/office_2010-word/how-do-i-disable-widows-and-orphans-control-for/a3ed7025-77e3-4ab5-94f1-b3112ba15523?msgId=730353d5-4078-429a-bdb8-81abe64594e0

@John -

I don't need my font to be fancy, it is a vehicle, not a flourish.

I think you are absolutely right, well said.

Courier New 12 point with ragged right margin.

I use the same font as John, Courier New 12 with a ragged right edge. It is monospaced (Times New Roman and most the other ones I've used are proportional) which for me at least makes it easier to catch errors. That might be why it looks more professional to you, although I had to do research to find it and you just noticed. I also go for 160% view, since that is big as it can on my screen and still show all the  text and comments.

@Bradbury

I'd feel like my word processor was always angry with me for writing.

I like to think it is mad I haven't written more.

Jack Campbell Jr.'s picture
Jack Campbell Jr. from Lawrence, KS is reading American Rust by Phillipp Meyer June 18, 2013 - 7:22am

In all seriousness, I write in whatever is default. In fact, I generally write first drafts on an Alphasamart NEO. It doesn't have selectable fonts. By the time I am on an actual comptuer, I am usually in the re-writing stages and want to be in standard manuscript formatting. When I do write first drafts on my laptop, I just use the default. When I want to write, I want to write immediately.

However, none of that is as interesting as Copperplate Gothic Bold.

G. X. Bradbury's picture
G. X. Bradbury from Corvallis, OR is reading The Modern School Movement: Anarchism and Education in the United States, by Paul Arvich June 18, 2013 - 4:19pm

@Dwayne - Thanks for the link!

I like to think it is mad I haven't written more.

Touche, sir.

Dwayne's picture
Dwayne from Cincinnati, Ohio (suburbs) is reading books that rotate to often to keep this updated June 19, 2013 - 6:32am

Welcome. It is my computer that is mad, not me.

EDIT: It looks like this.

Bob Pastorella's picture
Bob Pastorella from Groves, Texas is reading murder books trying to stay hip, I'm thinking of you, and you're out there so Say your prayers, Say your prayers, Say your prayers June 20, 2013 - 6:13am

Most editors request TNR or Courier. Be wary of trying a different font for submissions just because you like it better, especially if they request a certain font. Don't give them a chance to reject on principle of not following directions. 

ReneeAPickup's picture
Class Facilitator
ReneeAPickup from Southern California is reading Wanderers by Chuck Wendig June 20, 2013 - 1:00pm

Thanks, Dwayne!

Dwayne's picture
Dwayne from Cincinnati, Ohio (suburbs) is reading books that rotate to often to keep this updated June 20, 2013 - 2:09pm

@Renee - Very welcome.

@Bob - Except for Renfield's use of a different font for his title, I think we are all just talking about the font we work in, not what we send off.