format headache

More information, please

Diane, we need to know more.

What program are you using?

And are you using a template?

If you are using Microsoft Word, please click in some paragraphs and look at the top of the screen to see what the paragraph style is called.

If you are using Word, it may be that you have a different paragraph style that starts on that third page.

Again, if you are using Word, click FORMAT | Styles and Formatting. This ought to open a Styles menu. Then select all the text in your document and click on "Clear Formatting" in the Styles menu that should have opened up.

You can create a special style for your work (is it a novel?) with the first line indented and double spacing in the paragraph.

Give us some more information.

Do you have a button with what looks like a backwards P on it? That will show non-printing formatting characters like space, tab, and paragraph marks. That can help sort out a few things, extra tabs can play odd tricks. If no button, use Tools > Options > View -- Formatting marks, check All

Also go into View and choose Outline view. You might have accidentally set some outline levels beyond body text; that can fart things up good.

What version of Word do you have? (helps a lot with talking you through menus -- if it's 2007 half of us are lost)

A simple template

Okay, I whipped together a simple template for you. I think it will be easy to use. (And I think it will work all right; I had to work really fast.)

You will need Microsoft Word (I used Word 2003; the template will probably work with most versions of the program).

You will need Courier New. I hate that particular Courier, but everybody has it. You can change to another font, which I explained how to do in the template itself. (I typed out one page, like the first page of a novel, to explain basically what is going on.)

I only used two styles. (There are a few others in the template, but you can get by with just two.) I kept it very simple.

Those two are:

1. Chapter (for your chapter numbers).
2. Manuscript (for your double-spaced paragraphs, first line automatically indented).

It is best to put the template into the directory/folder with your other Word templates, BUT you do not have to do this. The template will work, no matter where you put it. You just have to remember where it is if you do not put it into the default folder, which is buried way, way deep in the hierarchy of files.

To use the template, just double-click it, or use OPEN. This creates an empty document based on the template. You will not destroy the original by using it.

When you come to the end of a chapter, you will want to enter a page break, so the new chapter will start on a new page. You do that with the INSERT menu on the Main Menu.

Try it out, and we will help you if you need help.

I am going to put the template on my website tonight, at this location:

Simple novel template for Word

If it does not download for you, send me an email so I can send it by attachment.

Tomorrow I will try to redo my index, so it will be listed in the downloads index itself.

Give a man a fish...

The problem, as I see it right now, is that 1. copying the mis-formatted work to a new template is simply going to carry the mis-formatting over. The problem needs to be found and fixed. 2. Using styles is fine, but it is better NOT to do so when preparing a MS. A "chapter" style that is merely underlined and centered is hardly worth the effort to create. It only complicates things for someone who is already in a pickle. Also, some publishers prefer tabs.

Rant aside, there are some useful tips in the template

My guess-- something got wonky with the tab settings. Go to Format--> Paragraph (I know this is the command in Word2003, and I *think* you'll find the Home Ribbon, the Paragraph Group and then the little blue arrow by Paragraph to open the same menu in 2007.) Oh, yeah, select ALL affected (or just all) text before doing so.

The middle of the Format Paragraph dialogue box has the settings for indenting. Get rid of any settings. No hanging indent, no first line indent, nothing.

Also, check the ruler at the top of your document. The ruler is along the top edge and looks kind of like a ruler you'd use for measuring. (View--> Page Layout, View--> Ruler, if not turned on.) You will see little blue triangles-- they may be lined up. Highlight the text and set the little blue arrows both to the edge of your text. If there are any little black L or upside-down T shapes, click to select and drag them down off the ruler. This should get rid of any funked up indenting.

Word likes to be helpful sometimes by setting your document to automatically indent each paragraph. Or your indent got screwed up another way (and yes, it can be screwed up for just a couple paragraphs, but not the whole doc.)

dianeP-- Word2007 is a radical change in MSWord. Word 95-2003 are fairly similar in most aspects, esp. menu commands. Not too many people have Word2007 and thus can't help with the whole new and vastly different commands.

To find out what version of Word you have, you can open Word and go to Help--> About Microsoft Word. The top line of that box will say what you have. My desktop has MS Word 2003.

diane-- check your tabs. See my post above.

If your doc is set to have a Special Tab for the First Line Tab, then it will automatically indent the first line of each page (including an extra indent). Does that sound like your problem?

diane-- if you look again, the Home Ribbon is Word2007 thing. =) In Word2002, you want the Format Menu.

First, select your whole document (Press Ctrl+A)
Then, go to Format--> Paragraph. You'll see a dialogue box like the one below.


Does yours look like this? Check Outline level and Special Indents.

I'm not giving up! =)

Great ...

Glad to hear you finally figured it out.