Hello all, well I have more or less asked the question in the title. The question is now,as I am no longer writing long hand or manually, is it no longer a manuscript, or as not typewritten is it no longer a typescript? So now in the digital world we all move in, (virtually anyway) should we... do we now use the term when approaching agents "escript" The spell check accepts it so is it already a term accepted and used by agents and publishers. I would like to be as accurate as I can now I have I thing got my letter saying what the agent wants to here, everything in the book with hardly any words saying it! Ahh
So what do you think, looking forward to your thoughts.
Regards as always Paul
Glad to help, Paul.
Lorraine
Hi Jimmy, thanks for the input. Yep I follow your thinking and as I said manuscript does mean by hand. However, the word typescript did or has become a word used quite commonly when submitting. I checked out escript and it is a method of using computer language. Please nobody explain pc language lol. So I think I will just use manuscript as the term when grovelling to the agent. My thanks again to you both it was just a question of am I up to date with terminology. Seems I am ahead!!!
with thanks Paul.
To answer the question:
Words change meanings. “Manuscript” means literally “written by hand”. But when is the last time that an author submitted a work written by hand??? [There is an excellent Catalan sci-fi novel, of which the title would translate as “Mecanoscript Of The Second Origin”… except that the word “mecanoscript” doesn’t exist. It doesn’t exist in Catalan, either, although now it probably does, because this is one of the most famous books originally written in Catalan – and back when Franco was trying to stamp the language out. (After an alien attack on Earth, only people who were underwater at the time have survived the vibrations that destroy buildings and living things.)]
Even after authors send in their works via brainwaves, I’m sure that “manuscript” will still be used to denote an unpublished literary work.
“Awful” used to mean “full of awe”. Would you ever use it to mean that now?
“Democracy” USED to mean “rule [or strength] by/of the common people”. I rest my case.