“Dear Dad, I am writing this letter slowly, because I know you don’t read fast.”

When it comes to writing documents, letters, stories, or articles, everything can be typed out on a WordPad program, an Office Document Program, and they even have specialized programs available for playwriting! Depending on what you are willing to spend, will depend on how many features are available for you to use. When it comes to the end result of appearance, any kind will do, but it may take more imagination and patients to get the same results.

            Every computer comes with some kind of word pad program. And because of this, I thought this would be the best program to start working with. The program can be found by clicking on start, and is commonly located in the Accessories folder. If you still do not find it, you can click on start, and from there (depending on what operating system your computer has running on it), click “run” (or in the search for programs and files block), and type in wordpad. If you still have problems, click on start, and then click on “Help and Support”. From there you can use the help center to locate the program.

            Since typing is something we all do when email and texting, I’ll just go into some quick concepts to consider.

Saving Your Work

            It is going to be hard to start finding the right words to say, or even carry on from where you start, so to have your work close without saving, especially when you are not finished with it, can be really frustrating to know you have to start over. So, no matter whether you plan to draw up a document, write a story, or simply write a letter, the first thing is to save the file before you even start. I typically make the file name with mm/dd/yy_filename format to show when I started it (and the filename is something in one or two words to identify it).

            Another good tip is after typing or reviewing each paragraph save the newly written paragraph. In the file menu, click save, or use the keyboard shortcut, by holding down the Ctrl key, while pressing the “S” key on the keyboard.  Ctrl+S will almost always tell your computer to save the file on almost every program.

Get Your Thoughts Typed 

            One exercise everyone learned when using a typewriter was to watch the page as you type, to catch the mistakes as you go. This way, you can correct a misspelling or word as it happens, and while there was space preceding the word. With the computer, it is just the opposite. You can focus on your thoughts, and even the keyboard, and type away. When reviewing your thought afterwords, you can make corrections, and add words or another sentence, and even a few sentences, with just placing the cursor where you need to add in. Even removing words and sentences is easily done by highlighting the beginning and end point to be erased, and then hit the “backspace” key on the keyboard. Making such huge corrections on the typewriter meant rewriting the whole page. Typically, people wrote out their thoughts, and then typed them.

Eliminate the Noise

            The older WordPad programs always opened with just enough tools to use (at the top, and below the Menu Bar), and any additions to you work, such as inserting pictures or even a letterhead, you would have to search and learn where they were in the Menu Bar; after your thoughts were down, of course. The newest versions actually open with these icon shortcuts of insertions you can use, but may become distracting while just starting. In the older versions you could right-click on the Menu Bar to find additional toolbar features. In the newer version of WordPad, if you click to the right of the Home and View tab, you can hide these additions, until later, and focus on collecting your thoughts. Sometimes, even when in the middle of your project, you look up, and you lose focus on what you are doing, and get curious to what a button or two does. I am the first to want you to be more curious about what is available, and always make time to experiment. This is alright in between breaks, or when you are learning about the features (and have time to do so), but again, not while in the middle of that though in progress. Thus, it is why I call it noise. The newer version purposely did it, because no one knew they were there on the older versions, and the programmer wanted it more noticeable. I guess, “Six of one, and half a dozen of the other” is fitting.

Learn Keyboard Shortcuts

            I already showed you Ctrl+S, as a “shortcut” to saving a file, and this works with almost any program. When working with many programs the following shortcuts will work on most programs, and almost any word documenting program, especially while typing away (you have to use these short cuts to turn on the features before you type, and use the function again to shutoff the feature):

• Ctrl+B
  • If you are an experienced typist, you pretty much know what words or sentence you want to put emphasis on, so before you type it, use this  keyboard shortcut to turn on the “Bold” feature, and where you want it to stop typing bold, repeat the shortcut again.
• Ctrl+I
  • Just like the “Bold” feature, this creates the next words and sentences in italics.
• Ctrl+U
  • This shortcut will underline the next series of characters (and spacing), until you use the shortcut again to turn it off. So, remember to turn it off or everything will continue to be typed with a line underneath.

Keyboard Shortcuts for Sentences and Paragraphs (Using the mouse to highlight)

            Typically when reviewing your work, you might want to go back to a word, sentence, or paragraph, and enhance its meaning by making it bold, or in italics. You can use the mouse to highlight the characters you wish to change, and use the following keyboard shortcuts (which are also available by right clicking on the highlighted area (the mouse shortcuts). All shortcuts do the same function, and can be found in the edit menu. The reason why they are called “shortcuts” is so you don’t always have to go from keyboard to mouse, and through the steps of going up to the menu bar, and down the File or Edit menu. It is meant to be considered a process of convenience, eliminating a step, or focusing on one device at a time (keyboard vs. mouse):

• Ctrl+C
  • Highlighting a word, or sentence, and using this shortcut, will allow you to paste it elsewhere. May come in handy for poetry, or when there is a line you wish to copy from one document and paste it in another.
• Ctrl+X
  • Use this shortcut to cut a line, sentences, or paragraph, and move to another part of the body, or eliminate completely.
• Ctrl+V
  • This shortcut is used when you click the cursor in the body of your document where you desire to paste what you had already copied or cut in the steps listed above this shortcut.

        From time to time, I have also found that the keyboard shortcuts will work, when other programs do not offer you these options (to cut, copy, or paste). There is a large amount of keyboard shortcuts, but if you type, these are the six common shortcuts you will use often, and with other programs. If you want to know more, and are using an office version of any program, go down the menu listings, and to the right of each function, the keyboard shortcuts are listed. Start mastering these shortcuts in your daily use of the computer, and then if you want to know more, you can always use the help box, or Google keyboard shortcuts.

Finishing With This Blog Concept

      Always reread your work. It made sense when you started, but throughout the process to completion, there may have been interruptions, or you may have decided to take breaks in between. You may also come up with something to add to it. And there is also having the opportunity to make sure it has the right feeling, theme, and positive result. In short, once you send it to someone else, it cannot be taken back.

      It is from here, you can check out the menu bar to include a theme, a simple picture, add headers and footers (Edit menu), and in the Toolbar (which you will have to right-click on the menu bar to bring back), there is an icon for spell check, to find errors you simply missed.