Writing Tips—A Writer’s Dozen—Archive

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Twelve tips for writers who use Microsoft Word

By Grace—First Posted March 2008

1. The first thing a writer needs to do is to set up the way your manuscript pages will print.  This tip may be basic for many who use Word but is part of this list for those who are new writers and may not know how this is done.  Open a new document in Word and go to [File] on the Task bar.  Open [Page Set up] and set the margins for the document.  Line spacing and paragraph indents are set up by going to [Format], then to [Paragraph].  Page numbering and the header where you put your name and manuscript title so that they are at the top of every page are set by going to [View] on the Task bar and clicking on [Header and Footer] which will open the Header field.  Type in your name and title the way and where you would like them to appear, then click on the icon to insert the page number where you want the numbering and click on [Close].  Format the typeface and font size you want to use either in [Format] then [Font] from the Task bar or by using the Format Tool bar which should open when you open the document.  If you want to use this Tool bar and it is not open, it can be opened by going to [View], then to [Toolbars] and checking the [Formatting] option. You love to go to office supply stores to fondle (and buy) notebooks and pens.

2. Submitted manuscripts should have the same number of lines on each page.  To insure this, it is necessary to turn off the Widows/Orphans control that is a default in Word.  This default causes single lines that might be printed on the next page to attach itself to the paragraph on the first page which will result in an inconsistent number of lines per page.  To make sure that this does not happen, go to [Format] on the main Task bar and click on [Paragraph].  Open the [Line and Page Breaks] tab and uncheck the [Widow/Orphan] control and click the [OK] button. Your TBR pile is growing faster than you can keep up.

3. Rather than have to recreate the page set up each time you start a new manuscript, save the set up as a template.  Just set the parameters for your manuscript: margins, spacing, header, paging, typeface and font size (remembering to turn off the Widow/Orphan control) and then save the page set up as a template by using the drop down box in the [Save as Type] field.  Chose the [Template] option in this box and type in what you want to call the template (Manuscript or Book template) in the above [File Name] field.  Word will automatically choose to save the Template in the Templates section of Microsoft which makes it harder to find when you want to use it.  Instead, it is a good idea to save it in the same folder you have created to store your manuscripts.  This will make it more easily accessible when you want to use it. You know what NANOWRIMO is.

4. Find it a chore to type in a long name for a character?  Speed up your typing by creating a short cut for long names and save your fingers.  Go to [Tools], then to [AutoCorrect Options].  Make sure the [AutoCorrect] tab is open and in the [Replace:] field, choose a 2 letter short cut for the name you want to replace, being careful not to use anything that may actually be a word.  For example, if your heroine is named Henrietta, using the first two letters would not be advisable because every time you typed the pronoun ‘he,’ the program would change it to Henrietta.  Use something like hn instead.  Type this into the [Replace:] field and in the [With:] field type in Henrietta, click the [Add] button, then click the [OK] button.  Now, every time you type hn followed by a space, the computer will replace it with Henrietta, saving you time when you are typing your manuscript. The sales clerks at your local bookstore know your name.

5. The AutoCorrect option can also be useful if you habitually misspell certain words.  If you look in the drop down box beneath the [Replace:] field, you will see that Word already corrects some of the most common errors people make when typing, but if you have your own foibles, you can use the Replace option to add your own common errors to the list by putting your own particular misspellings into the [Replace:] field and the corrected version in the [With:] field and add them to the list as above. The local coffee shop reserves a table close to an electrical outlet for you.

6. One of Word’s most useful tools for a writer is the Reviewing Tool.  To turn on this feature, go to [View], then to [Toolbars] and click on [Reviewing].  The Reviewing tool bar will then appear above the document. There are several handy features available on this tool bar.  The first is the Insert Comment tool.  This is the icon that looks like a file folder.  It allows you to insert notes to yourself within the manuscript.   For example, you might make a note to check a research fact or to remind yourself to add another piece of information later.  Clicking on the [Insert Comment] icon will open a balloon to the side of the manuscript where you can type in your comments.  To return to those spots where you have inserted comments, just go to the beginning of the manuscript and click on the [Next] icon and the computer will take you to the comments or changes in order. You eavesdrop constantly.

7. The Track Changes option in the Reviewing Toolbar is useful when you are unsure of something you would like to change – perhaps a word that you are unsure you want to use in place of the one you actually have used.  By clicking on the [Track Changes] icon, you can replace the word with another, and it will retain the original word in a comment pane in the margin and show the changed word in red.   Later, you can either accept the change or go back to the original word and reject the change by clicking on the appropriate icons.  Depending on the version of Word you are using, you may have click the [Accept] or [Reject] icons a couple of times to complete the action.  Remember to turn off the [Track Changes] button after making the change or every change you make in your manuscript thereafter will do the same thing. You buy scripts of movies and TV shows, and read them, often along with the show.

8. The Reviewing Tool is also very useful for making comments and changes when a fellow writer asks for feedback on a manuscript.  You can return the work with comments and changes that the other writer can read and accept or reject as they choose. You have a notebook and pen in every room of the house, and in some closets as well.

9. Do you save each chapter of your book in separate files and then have a hard time when is comes to printing the pages with consecutive numbering or do you save the entire book in one file and then have a hard time going back to work on a particular chapter or section of the book to make changes?  Both these problems can be avoided by using the Master Document feature in Word.  To create a Master Document, first create a folder to store the book in, using the working title as the file name.   Open a new document and go to [View] on the main toolbar and click on [Outline].  The Outline Tool Bar will oven just above the document.  Type in Chapter 1, Chapter 2 etc. pressing [Enter] after each chapter title.  When you have the number of chapters you think your book will be, go back and place your cursor on each of the headings and click on the [Subdocument] icon.  This will make each of the Chapters a separately controllable document within the master document.  In the Chapter 1 space, you can then create you page set up and header for the entire document as you would any document, remembering to apply the changes to the entire document.   Once you have everything formatted and set up as you want them, save the document in the file you have created for it.  When you look at the file you will see that each subdocument (chapter) is listed separately in this file and you can work in each chapter as you wish and when you are ready to print the entire document, just open the master document, expand the file and you should be able to print the entire document.  One tip:  It is necessary to insert a page break at the end of each chapter so that the next chapter will print on a new page.  To insert a page break, go to [Insert] on the main toolbar, then to [Break] and make sure the [Page Break] option is selected and click [OK].  Since setting up a master document can be difficult and time consuming, you might want save a Master document format as a template as in #3.  You can also add existing chapters into a Master document by using the [Insert Document] icon. You read grammar books for fun.

10. The Outline Tool can also be used to store research information.  Create a Master document with subdocuments for each piece of information you research.  For easy storage and look up, the outline can be collapsed to headings only which makes it easier to scroll through to the information you may want to access later.  You can also index and cross reference which can be particularly useful for research information storage.  Since both these features are too complicated to explain here, use the [Help] feature to guide you through the process. The people in your head are as real to you as the people around you.

11. Sometimes having your work read to you can help you detect errors and Word versions after 2002 can read your work back to you as long as you have speakers.   To open this option, go to Tools, then click on Speech.  A window will open to configure your microphone.  This can be cancelled as it is not needed unless you want to train your computer so that you can read what you want inputted rather than type it. (See #12)  This step, however, is the shortest way to open the language tool bar.  The Language Bar will appear at the top of the screen.  Click on the tiny down arrow to the right of the [?] on the Language tool bar to display the options and make sure that [Speak Text] and [Pause Text] are checked.  This will make those options show on the tool bar.  All you then need to do is to highlight the text you want to be read to you and click on the [Speak] icon and the highlighted text will be read to you.  The voice is somewhat weird, but there are 3 voices to choose from. If you wish to change the voice, go to the control panel of your computer and click on the [Speech] option.  Click on the [Text to Speech] tab and you can change the voice. When desperate, you read the back of the cereal box.

12. If you would like to dictate to your computer and have it type in the text, that is possible with Word as well.  You need to have a microphone and you need to train the program to your speech patterns which can take some time, but this is possible if you want to work this way.  To start the process, go to [Tools], click on [Speech] and follow the directions to configure your microphone and to train the program. And sometimes, you park your butt in a chair and actually write.