Help, It Won't Take My Narrative

[rands1]

I'm trying to paste my narrative in. When I try to save it, it states that it is too long. I don't understand, I'm using 10 pt for font size, I have only about 4 half pages. It says that I am over by 3708 characters. I tried to call the help desk, but they no tech help today. I have to call back tomorrow. I tried to save 4 pages, but it says that I am ove by 322 characters. I don't have any pic or tables in it. Can someone help me before I put my head through the desk?

[hoserbt]

go to the end of the narrative and hit the delete button a bunch of times, look for the character count to come down. I did the cut and paste thing and accidentally highlighted an empty page and the spaces counted. Good luck let me know if this worked.

Bryan

[rands1]

Thanks Bryan, I tried that butit still said that I was over. I am using Microsoft word. I know how to get the word count, does it have a chartacter count? I would like to see if it is the same as the feds.

[onebugle]

rands1,

Open up your document. Click on the tool bar. In the tool bar is "word count". This is where you will find word count along with character count. Remember spaces are counted as part of the character count for the feds.

You are also using 10 pt for size which means more characters per page than 12 pt which I use.

[AC1503]

I think the application program will convert pasted text into Arial 10 pt fonts.

[rands1]

OK now I am down to 18963 according to microsoft word. This is counting all spaces. But when I paste it to the narative, it says that I am over by 104 characters. What gives. Is someones counter off?

[hdavid66]

You might have a bunch of extra spaces between word or extra blank lines ("Enter" keystrokes) at the end of the narrative.

If you look near the bottom of the textbox where you paste the narrative, before you actually paste the narrative it will tell you the maximum number of characters allowed.

The DHS computer does not count pages, it counts characters. The computer counts EVERY keystroke as a character. That means every space, every letter, every number, all punctution and every blank line.

If you have thoroghly checked for extra spaces and there are none then you will have to take some text out of it some how and shorten it by the number of characrters you are over.

There is no other way.

[hdavid66]

As an aside to this - make sure you proof read the entire narrative AFTER you paste it into the application. Sometime spacing and paragraphs get screwed up in the pasting process.

[BC79er_OLDDELETE]

Might be the red flag to knock it down a couple of pages too. Everyone has their way of getting things done and they all work but I haven't written anything over 3 pages of MS Word 12pt font in 3 years maybe longer. Not too many Peer Reviewers can get to 5 pages in 5-8 minutes along with comprehending and scoring. Anywho, back to the grindstone, another hour before bed then up at 5 again....gets easy after a month if anyone wants to know...

[WebFire]

And the font size doesn't matter to the grant application system. It only makes your word doc appear bigger/smaller.

[kd7fds]

I always paste it from Word into Notepad first. Make it look good in notepad and then paste it into my application

I found when I tried to go from Word the application, it screwed up my spacing sometimes.

[onebugle]

Other areas that can save you some characters.

If a paragraph ends with a line with 1-3 words, look at the paragraph to see where you can condense wording to incorporate those words. Try to end a paragraph with a 1/2 to full line.

Use abbreviations where possible, especially the department name, after they have been mentioned the first time. Using the full name through out the narrative uses up valuable character numbers.

ex. North West South Volunteer Fire Company (NWSVFC), then use the abbreviation in the rest of the narrative when you need to mention the department.

ex. Rapid Intervention Team (RIT)

[utfd704]

If you tables etc Tab insted of space multiple times, someone told me this in a seminar I attended this year, (Thanks Kurt)