Open Office Formatting (Was: Formatting Short Stories)

So, the submission guidelines say either RTF or doc format (that seems fairly common). I'm using Open Office. When I save the document to either of those formats, it loses the header.

I know I need one (a header with my name and the story title and page number). What do I do, insert it on each page by hand? Will that mess up if whatever they're reading it with reflows the text? Should it be holding the headers and I'm just lost somehow?

I know, I'm sure this is a ridiculous question, but I can't seem to figure out what to do.

Oh, I'd be happy for someone to move it if I've posted in the wrong place. Sorry about that.

I must be doing something really wrong then. It warns me I maybe lose formatting and then when I reopen the files, there's no headers (everything else seems fine).

I seem to be in extra stupid mode tonight (maybe I'm more nervous about the idea of submitting something than I think). Maybe tomorrow it will just fix itself.

Well, so, my problems didn't just magically disappear overnight.

It may be that I have an older version of Open Office, but I searched and found other threads here where people are having similar issues. And they said upgrading didn't help.

Are you sure OO is saving your files properly? One person said they looked fine when reopened in OO, but an editor told her the headers and paragraph format was stripped when opened in Word.

I checked out the Live Account thing, but it looks like they're discontinuing that Jan. 21st and I don't want to get into the middle of some mess. Especially a partly pay-for mess. It looks complicated.

I downloaded a version of Abiword that someone else recommended, and can now get a doc file that retains proper formatting *except* headers. The headers are there when I open the file in Word (I have one of those freebie copies on my computer that has expired, so I can look at the files in it, but not edit), but they're on the left instead of the right. And the one that is not there on the first page in Abiwrite OR Open Office (those two programs seem to read each other's files fine) is there in word.

So I have all headers on the left and a header on the first page. Not good

Abiword gives me a decent rtf file (proper paragraphs and all), but it doesn't have headers. Does rtf even recognize headers? If the market I want to submit to accepts rtf files, will they maybe be realizing they won't receive a header?

If I were to create a doc file in word, with headers, and save it as an rtf file and open it in word pad or something, would it have a header? If I opened it back up in Word, would it have a header?

Any other suggestions for me? I don't really know what to do. I love computers, but sometimes I hate them very much

Well DOH. The minute I typed all that I found the answer!

In Open Office, to make two header styles that will save to a doc file, you have to insert a manual page break after the page with the first style. When I did that - it saved out just fine.

The problem was that I didn't want a header on the first page. I set up a first page style (it's automatic in open office). So only that first one was being exported and all the rest showed up blank. When I inserted the manual page break, it picked up the header that is on the second page (and put them where they belong and everything). So now I have a perfectly good doc file

Now if I just had anything to say in a cover letter... "here, read this, let me know if you like it..." doesn't seem quite the thing.

So you mean you type the header in yourself? I was tempted to do that, but a little concerned about pages reflowing for whatever reason and causing the headers to be in the wrong place. Never had to worry about that on a typewriter. A page ends when you pull the paper out