The Motivational Editor

Helping Writers Go from Unpublished to Published

Technology How-To's

A Better, Easier Way to Create a Page Break

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For the indie author, correctly formatting the elements of your manuscript, such as a page break, is essential (unless of course you pay someone else to do it).

Page Break

If you’re seeking traditional publication, all publishers have submission guidelines. Those guidelines often include such items as what font to use (e.g. Times New Roman), what font size (12 pt.), and to double space. Most people have no difficulty with creating those settings in Word.

But two consistent issues I see in the majority of manuscripts submitted to me, are using multiple returns to create a break between chapters and using a tab for the beginning paragraph indent.

While these aren’t make or break problems, they cast a degree [Read more…] about A Better, Easier Way to Create a Page Break

Customizing the Scrivener Toolbar

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Making Scrivener work for you—rather than the other way around—can start with customizing your toolbars. Scrivener offers a lot of tools to make things easy. As you discover them, you’ll want the ones you use most, on your toolbar for easy access.

Customizing the Scrivener Toolbar

 

Last time we were talking about snapshots and I promised to tell you how to add that icon to your toolbar. So let’s get started.

[Read more…] about Customizing the Scrivener Toolbar

How to Use Snapshot in Scrivener

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Using Scrivener Snapshots

In my pre-Scrivener days of writing, I used MS Word. It got the job done, but when it was time to revise I got paranoid.

  • What if I didn’t like all the changes I had just made?
  • What if I liked most of them, but not all?
  • What if deleted an entire scene, then two days later realize I needed that scene after all?

So I learned work arounds… [Read more…] about How to Use Snapshot in Scrivener

How to Split and Merge Documents in Scrivener

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Scenes are the building blocks of your story. So let’s take a quick look at the definition of a scene.

Jack M. Bickham, in his book Scene & Structure, defines scene this way:

It’s a segment of story action, written moment-by-moment, without summary, presented onstage in the story “now.”

James Scott Bells says in Plot & Structure:

Much of the time a scene takes place in a single location, and almost always is played out in real time.

A scene has a goal, conflict, and a climax in miniature, [Read more…] about How to Split and Merge Documents in Scrivener

How to Use Readability Statistics to Improve Your Manuscript

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As writers, we all know how important it is to make our story as strong as possible. We also know that we each have our specific weaknesses in writing.

Maybe for you that weakness is grammar, or spelling, or passive voice.

Maybe you are too wordy.

Today, I’m going to show you how to use MS Word’s readability statistics to help clean up those kinds of errors.  [Read more…] about How to Use Readability Statistics to Improve Your Manuscript

How to find overused words in your manuscript

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Every writer has words she or he uses too often. I call them crutch words. Words like “well, smiled, laughed, however, tears, cried” etc., in addition to adverb usage.

These words aren’t easily spotted when you revise simply because you’re looking at other things like character and plot development.

So today I’m going to show you how to find those words whether you use MS Word or Scrivener. [Read more…] about How to find overused words in your manuscript

How to Create the Smartest Indent for a Manuscript

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With all the manuscripts I edit or proofread I’ve learned many writers don’t know how to create a proper indent to their paragraphs.

While I can’t unequivocally say that publishers prefer writers use the first line indent, I can say you’ll look like a savvy writer if you do.

The first line indent is formatting that removes the need for the TAB KEY at the beginning of every paragraph. It is the formatting the publisher will eventually use in preparing your manuscript for publication. If you self-publish, this indent is a formatting essential.

Here’s how to create the “first line indent.” [Read more…] about How to Create the Smartest Indent for a Manuscript

15 Keyboard Shortcuts to Make Your Writing Faster

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writing challengeI want to accomplish as much as I can when I’m writing, so I utilize keyboard shortcuts. Many of these MS Word shortcuts translate over to other word processing programs such as Scrivener (the one I use).

Here is a list of MS Word keyboard shortcuts to help you save time as you write your stories.

  • Copy selected text = Ctrl key + C
  • Paste selected text = Ctrl+V
  • Cut selected text = Ctrl+X
  • Save document = Ctrl+S
  • Undo action = Ctrl+Z
  • Redo action = Ctrl+Y
  • Select all text within a document = Ctrl+A
  • Move to beginning of next paragraph = Ctrl+down arrow key
  • Move to beginning of previous paragraph = Ctrl+up arrow
  • Move cursor to beginning of next word = Ctrl+right arrow
  • Move cursor to beginning of previous word = Ctrl+left arrow
  • © using Word = Ctrl, Alt + c ( symbol appears immediately), Alt+0169, using Scrivener (symbol appears after you release the Alt key)
  • ® = Ctrl, Alt + r (Word, symbol appears immediately), Alt+0174 (Scrivener, symbol appears after you release the Alt key)
  • Select a portion of text from cursor to wherever you point your mouse = Shift key+left mouse click
  • Display Help = F1 key

Have some fun while in Word. Experiment with the Alt key and number combinations and see what you get. 

Do shortcuts help you save time or just confuse you? Leave your comments below.