An Experiment
Okay, here's a little experiment. I'm tinkering with a new stylesheet for the story, one that I think is more readable than the current one. It also lets me simplify and standardise my HTML to a considerable degree. But it's very different-looking to the current one.
I've created an alternate copy of chapter 9 of the story, using the new stylesheet. You can find it here. Please, if you have a few minutes to spare—take a look, and tell me what you think.
Better? Worse? What could improve?
posted by Angus @ 10:08 pm
8 comments
8 Comments:
I like it. The only thing I would suggest is maybe making the text box wider because it's very narrow right now, leaving lots of empty border space.
-Lynz
Lindsay—That bit's deliberate, though. The eye can read a narrow column of text a lot more easily than a wide one, which is exactly the main problem with the current stylesheet. If you have a wide window and the text goes all the way from let to right, then your eyes spend all their time zig-zagging. If the text is narrower, then your eyes move mostly down; it becomes more relaxing on the eye, and you're less likely to get lost.
At least, that's the theory. ^_^
The question becomes, how wide should the column of text be? I've set it to around 80 characters, which is actually still wider than in the average book.
It does leave a lot of border space, yes, and maybe I should try to fill that with something: a muted pattern, or a background picture that isn't going ot be distracting, or some such. But the main objective here is readibility.
I'm oldschool about fanfics-- I love a .txt document. But this is pretty nice, it makes for an easy read. Yeah, there's that big void on either side, but I agree with you, Angus, it's easier to read. 80 seems fine to me, I wouldn't make it much bigger unless I had to.
When's the next chapter coming out? I'll sell you my soul. Half my soul. For the next chapter. and you get the other half for the chapter after that. Then you can have my firstborn and maybe my hotter, younger sister for the one after that.
Ok, I went and looked. Then I went and looked at the original html version. The new one is much easier to read. I've be reading the text versions as I do most of my fic reading on my Palm.
Maybe you can use the space on either side to put links to next and previous chapters, or to skip to a specific chapter. Some color variation would be nice or maybe a background? Not that I noticed the color 'til after I read the chapter.
It looks good this way. The nav bar is a good idea, too. : )
Louise
Well, the nav bar (i.e. links to other chapters, etc) would be there if you were reading in "Frames" mode, of course. ^_^
I've added a background graphic: rather trite, at least for now, but hopefully not too distracting. If anyone has any better suggestions, or can create a Sailor Moon-related one (I'm no artist or I'd do it myself), I'd be grateful...
I like the background colour of the html version, because it makes it easier to read for longer periods at a time than the normal black on white of the .txt.
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