Add note on line length to contributing guide

CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -8,8 +8,8 @@ There is a code of conduct. Please follow it in all your interactions with the p
 
 ## Pull Request Process
 
-1. Make sure your code passes all tests and conforms to the style guide. You can check that the code
+1. Make sure your code passes all tests and conforms to the style guide. You can check that the
-   conforms by running `flake8` from the root of the project folder.
+   code conforms by running `flake8` from the root of the project folder.
 2. Please provide a complete description of the changes in the pull request, and a summary that can
    be copied into the [CHANGELOG](CHANGELOG.md). Remember to reference any issue related by
    providing the issue number.
@@ -22,20 +22,35 @@ There is a code of conduct. Please follow it in all your interactions with the p
 
 In the interest of fostering an open and welcoming environment, we as contributors and maintainers
 pledge to making participation in our project and our community a harassment-free experience for
-everyone, regardless of age, body size, disability, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, level
+everyone, regardless of age, body size, disability, ethnicity, gender identity and expression,
-of experience, nationality, personal appearance, race, religion, or sexual identity and orientation.
+level of experience, nationality, personal appearance, race, religion, or sexual identity and
+orientation.
 
 Please see the [CODE_OF_CONDUCT](CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md) file for the full text.
 
 ## Code Style Guide
 
-The source code of novelWriter broadly follows the [PEP8](https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0008/)
+The source code of novelWriter broadly follows the [PEP8](https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0008)
 style guide , but with a few modifications and exceptions.
 
+### Line Length
+
+For this project, source lines should stay within the 79 and 99 character limits described by PEP8.
+79 characters is often too restrictive, so 99 character lines are acceptable when that is more
+practical. Readability has priority. Generally, if a code statement requires multiple lines, the
+lines should wrap at 79 characters, not 99. If wrapping can be avoided by going to 99, then that is
+preferrable.
+
+For text files, the text should also be wrapped at 99 character. The exception is markdown image
+tags and urls.
+
+Please do not submit PRs that re-wrap existing source or text unless this has been discussed
+beforehand.
+
 ### Linting with flake8
 
-An excellent tool for checking Python code for errors and coding style is `flake8`.
+An excellent tool for checking Python code for errors and coding style is `flake8`. The
-The documentation is available [here](https://flake8.pycqa.org/en/latest/).
+documentation is available [here](https://flake8.pycqa.org/en/latest/).
 
 The `setup.cfg` file in the root of this project has the following settings:
 ```conf
@@ -57,20 +72,26 @@ not conform to the standard.
 
 ## Ignored Errors
 
-Some errors are ignored in novelWriter, for various reasons. In addition, novelWriter uses camelCase
+Some errors are ignored in novelWriter, for various reasons. In addition, novelWriter uses
-function and variable names due to this being the standard for the Qt libraries, and also because of
+camelCase function and variable names due to this being the standard for the Qt libraries, and also
-the author's personal preferences.
+because of the author's personal preferences.
 
 The reason behind the other ignored error codes are listed below. Many of them are due to PEP8 not
-permitting column alignment as opposed to many other coding styles. I find them useful in regions of
+permitting column alignment as opposed to many other coding styles. I find them useful in regions
-bulk value assignments. There's a reason why tables are more readable than lists. They should be
+of bulk value assignments. There's a reason why tables are more readable than lists. They should be
 used sparingly though.
 
 The ignored errors are all `pycodestyle` errors, and they are documented
 [here](https://pycodestyle.pycqa.org/en/latest/intro.html#error-codes).
 
+My main objection to PEP8 is the universal rejection of column alignment of blocks of code. In
+particular when assigning variables and populating dictionaries. The PEP8 rule stands in contrast
+to conventions from other code styles, like for Go. I have always used column alignment to a
+certain degree in all programming languages I use, and I firmly believe it improves readability,
+but should not be overused.
+
 **E203:** whitespace before ‘:’  
-**Reason:** Column alignment. It is natural to align dictionary columns along the `:` character.
+**Reason:** Column alignment.
 
 **E221:** multiple spaces before operator  
 **Reason:** Column alignment.
@@ -78,7 +99,7 @@ The ignored errors are all `pycodestyle` errors, and they are documented
 **E226:** missing whitespace around arithmetic operator  
 **Reason:** This doesn't actually follow the PEP8 recommendation of grouping longer equations by
 operator precedence like `2*a + 3*b` instead of `a * a + 3 * b`. Generally, don't use spaces around
-`*`, `/` and `**`, but do use spaces around `+` and `-`. For appending strings, the spaces can be
+`*`, `/` and `**`, but _do_ use spaces around `+` and `-`. For appending strings, the spaces can be
 dropped. Don't use the `+` operator for appending multiple strings. Use formatting instead.
 
 **E228** missing whitespace around modulo operator