45 Comments
founding

I'm not sure if links work on substack but I found this www.ransomizer.com

I might use ransom note text for dialogue spoken by a particular character. Or maybe everything told by an omniscient narrator.

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The way I've done it in the past for cards etc has been to go through a few magazines and cut out a selection of letters I'd need, then arrange them on the paper without sticking them down, photo that paper and then print out the photo. That way you can keep re-using the cut out letters for the various cards.

The reaction my efforts got though was probably "what a cheapskate, he didn't even want to buy a proper greetings card"!

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As just about every typing program gives you a ridiculous amount of options, many looking very similar, I think this font has every right to become part of that arsenal. Thinking back to all the books I've read in my life, I really can't recall this type of thing being used unless it was actually depicting a ransom note.

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You can use MS Word Macros to do this. Create a new Macro under the Developer ribbon. Use the following code and modify FontList and FontSize list as you see fit. Once you are done typing up your ransom note, run the Macro on the whole document to apply it.

Code:

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Sub RansomNote()

Dim oDoc As Document

Dim oText As Range

Dim nList As Long, nSize As Long, iChar As Long

Dim FontList As Variant, FontSize As Variant

Set oDoc = ActiveDocument

Set oText = oDoc.Range

FontList = Array("Arial", "Times New Roman", "Calibri", "Century Gothic","FightClubSoap")

FontSize = Array(12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 69)

nList = UBound(FontList)

nSize = UBound(FontSize)

For iChar = 1 To oText.Characters.Count

oText.Characters(iChar).Font.Size = FontSize(Int(Rnd() * nSize))

oText.Characters(iChar).Font.name = FontList(Int(Rnd() * nList))

DoEvents

Next iChar

End Sub

-----

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You could use it to show what your character is doing without having to say it. For instance, your main character speaks, thinks, and acts (in most readings), right? So you could use this typeface when the text represents the characters thoughts, eliminating the need for clunky and boring language such as: "thought Michael"

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Interesting choice of letter to use for this graphic haha

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Why did your assistant do the one you posted, is it a stock photo or did it just take too long?

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Wait, so without a program you changed individual letters ONE AT A TIME for a master copy????

I’m framing mine. 😉

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founding

I got a bookmark last year. I broke the head off the turtle bead so I had it custom framed with the letter and tissue paper. I got my new bookmark the other day. Cannot wait to get this one custom framed as well. Thank you for the mints. The glitter balls were an excellent touch. Thank you ever so much.

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