Widows & Orphans Eliminator

[Steve E]

I've noticed a large number of widows and orphans in my writing. It doesn't really bother me but I know it bothers other people (like acquisition editors) for some strange reason. Other word processors (e.g., MS Word, Nisus) provide the option of eliminating them (widows and orphans, not editors—still...). So, despite the horrid name, could we have a widows & orphans elimination option at some point?

 

Public Service for those who night not know printer's jargon.

widow - a last word or short last line of a paragraph falling at the top of a page.

orphan - the first line of a paragraph being the last line of a page.

 

Say, how about a glossary of writing and Storyist jargon for the Help File? Something that, for example, might elaborate on the functional differences between a Section name in the Project Panel versus a Section name in the manuscript.

 

Thoughtful Thoth.

[marguerite]

I've noticed a large number of widows and orphans in my writing. It doesn't really bother me but I know it bothers other people (like acquisition editors) for some strange reason. Other word processors (e.g., MS Word, Nisus) provide the option of eliminating them (widows and orphans, not editors—still...). So, despite the horrid name, could we have a widows & orphans elimination option at some point?

 

Public Service for those who night not know printer's jargon.

widow - a last word or short last line of a paragraph falling at the top of a page.

orphan - the first line of a paragraph being the last line of a page.

 

Say, how about a glossary of writing and Storyist jargon for the Help File? Something that, for example, might elaborate on the functional differences between a Section name in the Project Panel versus a Section name in the manuscript.

 

Thoughtful Thoth.

 

I second this request! After 15 years as a nonfiction editor, I have a visceral reaction to widows and orphans. I would love to wipe them out.

Best,

Marguerite

[pjl]

Third the request. I don't know how hard it is to implement, probably a tough nut to crack, but it would eradicate the need to take the writing into a secondary application to rid ourselves of widows/orphans.

 

PJ

[Steve]

I've noticed a large number of widows and orphans in my writing. It doesn't really bother me but I know it bothers other people (like acquisition editors) for some strange reason. Other word processors (e.g., MS Word, Nisus) provide the option of eliminating them (widows and orphans, not editors—still...). So, despite the horrid name, could we have a widows & orphans elimination option at some point?

 

Supported in 1.4 and later. I tried to phrase it better, but the best I could do was "avoid widow and orphan lines." Apologies to both widows and orphans.

 

-Steve

[Steve E]

Supported in 1.4 and later. I tried to phrase it better, but the best I could do was "avoid widow and orphan lines." Apologies to both widows and orphans.

 

-Steve

I would have gone with "Eliminate Widows & Orphans". True, it's harsher but it's more to the point.

 

No apologies, dagnabit. I yam what I yam.

-Thoth.