didn't, couldn't, wouldn't, shouldn't?

Just an opinion, but I think the average brain can handle n't as well. Everyone has a writing style that fits them and if your reader likes your story they will just see that as your style. I am unpublished but I love to read so take the opinion for when it is.
Good luck with your story. I love a good romance every now and again too.

Jester

I never use contractions in exposition but feel free to in dialogue if it suits the characters.

Steve Lenaghan said:

I use a lot of n't words which my spell check rejects with the green underline of indignation.

I am coming to learn the mind can handle the full spelling, or so I am told. It's the way I think and talk, I might not be right, heaven forbid I could err.

Click to expand...

Go into Tools, Spelling & Grammar, Options, Grammar Settings, look under Style and uncheck the Contractions box.

n't

I use n't words often. I write to sound natual, both in dialogue and exposition.

Marlys is correct, and there are several other things you should uncheck while you're at it. Go through the list, and uncheck everything that interferes with your writing style.

I think if you "add" each once, the choice also remains in spellcheck indefinatel....indefanitl....for a really long time.

It's my understanding that readers in the UK and Canada are more at ease with fewer of the -n't contractions in exposition. (I'd find the AW thread where I read that, but I'm just way too lazy.) If you're writing for American readers, or using a narrative voice that's informal, they're fine. Click "Add to Dictionary" once and they're greenlighted indefinitely.

(I've never figured out how to remove something from the user-created dictionary. Anybody know?)

I don't use Word's grammar checker at all, although I do use the spell-checker before I let anybody see my writing. 99% of what grammar checking found was written that way on purpose. However, if you're prone to certain kinds of typos, I understand it's a godsend. (Catching THe, for instance.)

Maryn, who likes to think all her 'mistakes' are deliberate

typos

Maryn said:

However, if you're prone to certain kinds of typos, I understand it's a godsend. (Catching THe, for instance.)

Maryn, who likes to think all her 'mistakes' are deliberate

Click to expand...

Grammar check can work pretty well, once you set the options properly. It's especially good at finding passive sentences.

As for typos, if you make the same ones over and over, it's best to place them in Word's Autocorrect.

I tend to type ; instead of ', which means I frequently type couldn;t, wouldn't, shouldn;t, can;t, don;t, and won;t. So I set autocorrect to fix these automatically. You can program in any and all typos you regularly make, and they'll be fixed as you make them.

Steve Lenaghan said:

But it won't fix them. ​

Click to expand...

No, but it will tell you the rule used to determine whether something is active or pasive, and it will offer suggestions.

scarletpeaches said:

I never use contractions in exposition but feel free to in dialogue if it suits the characters.

Click to expand...

Same with me. They give a real feel to dialogues.