Editing Why does this keep happening?

[Avarice_Of_The_Seven]

I also use Google docs and experience the same thing. For me this works: I copy a chapter to a plain text editor (like Notepad) and then copy+paste from there into SH. You'll lose Bold/Italics formatting, but otherwise the text is OK.

Optional: after pasting the text into SH, quickly scan the chapter for any remaining extra lines (easy to spot). Those are Enters between paragraphs, and may require you to hit Enter again (because SH ignores those).

I tried your method and it worked! thanks a lot!! praise be to you!!!

Why the Gap Appears​

When you press Enter (or Return) in Google Docs, you are inserting a Paragraph Break.

• In Google Docs: If your document is formatted with "Single Spacing," pressing Enter often just moves the cursor down one line.
• When Copying: However, when you copy this text, you are copying the hidden code for the paragraph break. Publishing platforms (especially websites and apps) are often coded to interpret every paragraph break as a full vertical space, creating that extra gap you see.

Your "fix" (continuing the sentence directly without pressing Enter) works because you are avoiding the hidden Paragraph Break code entirely.

How to Fix the Gap Problem​

The best solutions involve "cleaning" the text by stripping away the hidden Google Docs formatting before pasting it into the final destination.

1. The "Plain Text" Method (The Safest Solution)​

This method forces the text to lose all invisible formatting, leaving only the characters and basic line breaks.

• Step 1: Copy from Google Docs
  • Highlight and copy your text as you normally would.
• Step 2: Paste into an Intermediate App
  • Open a plain text editor, such as Notepad (Windows) or TextEdit (Mac, making sure it is set to Plain Text Mode).
  • Paste your text here. This scours away all the hidden Google Docs codes (like paragraph breaks, font styles, etc.).
• Step 3: Re-copy and Paste to Publisher
  • Select and copy the now-cleaned text from Notepad/TextEdit.
  • Paste it into your final publishing platform (where you were seeing the extra gaps).

2. The "Paste as Plain Text" Shortcut​

Many browsers and applications offer a specific option to paste without formatting. This is the quickest solution if available on your publishing platform.

• Option A: Right-Click Menu
  • Right-click in the text box of your publishing platform.
  • Look for an option like "Paste as plain text" or "Paste without formatting."
• Option B: Keyboard Shortcut
  • Instead of the standard paste (Ctrl+V or Cmd+V), try the "Paste without Formatting" shortcut:
    • Windows/Chrome OS: Ctrl + Shift + V
    • Mac: Cmd + Shift + V

3. Adjusting Your Google Docs Habit (The "Soft Break" Method)​

If you still want a visual separation in Google Docs without creating a full paragraph break that causes the gap, you can use a soft line break (or soft return).

A soft break moves the text to the next line without inserting the code for a full paragraph break.

• Instead of pressing Enter...
• Press: Shift + Enter

The text will look like it moved to the next line in Docs, but when copied, it's often treated by the publishing platform as a simple line wrap, not a huge gap.

Advice Summary​

To eliminate the unwanted gaps, you need to strip away the complex formatting Google Docs embeds when you press the regular Enter key.

My strongest advice is to use Solution 1 (The Plain Text Method) for your final copy-paste. It is the most reliable way to ensure consistency across all publishing platforms.
Sorry If it's too long, I just had to point out all the areas and give multiple options for you to try.

I could've asked the AI too, you know. I just don't trust it much after I got scammed

 

[OokamiKasumi]

Moved.

 

[EMatthews18]

I tried your method and it worked! thanks a lot!! praise be to you!!!

I could've asked the AI too, you know. I just don't trust it much after I got scammed

Good to know. I can post that to my plain text app whenever my story is done. This way my stuff isn’t as clunky when I post it on here. Since mostly I do it through a phone, the typing process

 

[ks.light]

My guess: Google Docs has more sophisticated text formatting tools. SH less so. To SH, a paragraph is a paragraph and the underlying code representing a paragraph is spaced the same, no matter what. Google Docs (or any other word processing software), gives you more control over the space between paragraphs, the space between lines in the same paragraph, how far your indentation is, if and when your words break, etc.

Therefore, if you heavily format in Google Docs for paragraph and line spacing, it isn't going to copy and paste over to SH and look the same.