I’ve been using Microsoft Word since it was known as WinWord 1.1. I guess you’d consider me a fan. While the tool is not perfect, I’ve grown so accustomed to it that it has become second nature. Through this blog and social media, I would like to share some of its basics (and eventually some of its more advanced options) to help authors (and other artists) organize their manuscripts and documents.

Use Word’s Styles to Move Around Your Manuscript with Ease

First and foremost, use Word’s Styles—specifically, Heading 1, Heading 2, and possibly others like Heading 3. Format your body text using another style (Normal, Body Text, or whatever you prefer).

Also important, you need to work with your paragraph markers turned on so that you can see non-printing characters, make changes faster, and avoid formatting issues.

Use Show/Hide Button to Show Non-printing Characters

Now, if I’ve already lost you, don’t worry. Over the next few weeks, we’ll take it slow and I’ll show you how to use Microsoft Word with ease.