Top 10 Microsoft Word Tips for Writers

When you use something every day for years, you start to think you’re getting pretty good at it.But if you’re like most writers, you’ve probably been using Microsoft Word to write a few pages, save them, and maybe print them out.

If you’re working with an editor, clients, or other writers, then you likely use Track Changes or Comments all the time, too.

You could do those things for years without even scratching the surface of Word’s features.

But who cares, right? You use Word for exactly what you need to do.

Until one day, a weird dotted line appears across your page. Try as you might, you cannot remove it.Or you insert a photo and your text formatting goes haywire.Or you know you misspelled someone’s name in your document, but you don’t realize it until you’re 25 pages in.
Or, *gasp*, your client forgets to use Track Changes. (See #7 and thank me later.)

Luckily, there are ways to fix all these problems – and we wrote blog posts with instructions.

We even threw in a couple neat tricks to save you time. Check out our Top 10 here, in random order:

  1. #1.Format Painter

    If you’ve ever copied content from one document and pasted it into another, you’ve probably had to go back to fix the formatting so that it matches. Format Painter makes that tedious task a little faster. Read more

  2. #2. Using Tables to Format Images

    Have you ever tried inserting a bunch of images into a document by just clicking on Pictures in the Insert tab? The answer to the chaos that inevitably ensued is none other than Tables. Read more

  3. #3. Removing Mysterious Formatting

    Recently, we had a long document that had several dotted lines running across the page. We had no idea how they got there. Several writers tried to remove them, but it wasn’t until months later that one of them succeeded. Here’s how she did it: Read more

  4. #4. Spell Check in Other Languages

    Word’s spell check feature is multilingual! And you can unleash its genius with just a few clicks. Read more

  5. #5. Readability Statistics

    Writing something for the general public? Then you’ll want to aim for about a 5th grade reading level. Turning on the Readability Statistics feature in Word will let you know if you’re in the right ballpark for your audience. Read more

  6. #6. Read Aloud

    For the best proofreading job, you’ll need to read the document aloud. So, you can read until you’re hoarse – or you can get Word to do it for you. Read more

  7. #7. Compare Documents

    Need to compare two versions of a document for all those secret, un-tracked revisions?
    Thank goodness it’s easier than you think! Read more

  8. #8. Customize the Ribbon

    Save time and clicks by organizing all your favorite features in one area of the toolbar. Read more

  9. #9. The Control Button

    You’re on deadline and don’t have time to take those fingers off the keyboard, so commit a few ctrl functions to memory. Read more

  10. #10. Alphabetize

    Here’s a bonus tip so quick that it doesn’t need its own blog post. Use the AZ button in the Home tab to quickly alphabetize any list. Just highlight the list and click this button:

Do you have other Word tricks up your sleeve? Let us know in the comments.

Word Tip of the Week: Use Your CTRL Button

This week’s tip isn’t specific to Microsoft Word – but it sure makes typing in Word a lot faster.

Learning a few control button commands will keep your fingers on the keyboard instead of drifting over your computer’s touchpad.

Here are a few of our most-used CTRL button functions:

 
• CTRL A to highlight all
• CTRL C to copy to the clipboard anything you’ve highlighted
• CTRL V to paste whatever you copied to the clipboard
• CTRL Z to undo
• CTRL Y to redo
• CTRL ENTER adds a page break
• CTRL H to search and replace

 
Stay tuned for more tips to make you faster in Word!

 

 

The Finesse of Dealing With Difficult Clients

We all dread those emails.

The ones where you can almost hear the client yelling at you through the computer screen.

When those emails arrive, it’s hard not to immediately jump on the defensive and start to fight back.

However, addressing those situations in a professional and polite way is imperative to maintaining good client relations.

But how do you do that?!?

Try to see things from another perspective

Sure, it may sound cliché, but there is a lot to be said for having a bit of empathy in these situations.

Often, a client is upset about something that could be easily remedied, if you just take the time to try to understand exactly what the issue is. Tweet this

It’s also important to remember that there are sometimes communication breakdowns when relying on emails. – Things frequently come across differently than how they were meant.

So, pick up that phone and make the call. Chances are that a quick conversation can iron out any issues, and your project can be back on track in no time.

Image by Azmi Talib from Pixabay

But what if they start to yell?

Unfortunately, this happens more often that we’d like.

You call a client, intending to address their concerns, and they immediately start to get volatile.

Once again, your defense mechanisms kick in, and you find yourself fighting the urge to get caught up in their anger.

Doing that will only escalate the issue, though, so take a deep breath and follow these tips:

  • Listen


    Many problems arise when people feel like they are not being listened to or heard. Resist the urge to immediately talk back, and just listen to the problem from their point of view. This does not mean that you have to sit there and let them yell at you, though. If their tone and language become borderline abusive, it is important to respectfully remind them that you want to hear what they are saying and try to find a solution, but you cannot do so unless they stop yelling.
  • Acknowledge & Empathize

    Let them know that you realize they are upset and that you really do care and want to resolve the issue. Simply stating “I understand,” and then re-iterating what you believe to be the problem will show them that you are listening and trying to see where they are coming from.
  • Stay Calm

    Do not engage in petty arguments or finger pointing. Keep a low voice and maintain your composure. Do not fuel the fire—just state the facts and focus on finding a solution. Keep in mind that it is not personal, and do not react emotionally.
  • Accept Responsibility

    Nobody is perfect. Be willing to admit to any wrongdoing on your part and offer a way to make it right.
  • Propose a Solution

    Try to come up with a way to fix the issue that all parties can be happy with. But don’t make compromises you are not okay with just to make the customer happy.
  • Follow Up

    Once you are done with your call and have come to some kind of resolution, be sure to send a follow-up email. This will ensure that everyone is on the same page and can alleviate any other possible issues in the future.

Photo by Moose Photos from Pexels

What if they refuse to take your call?

Sometimes a client gets so upset that they refuse to speak with you on the phone.

They send you an angry email, but your calls go straight to their voicemail.

This is when good written communication comes into play.

Again, it is important that you don’t get caught up in their anger and respond in an emotional way.

Before you even hit the “reply” button, carefully read through their email again, and try to understand EXACTLY what the cause of their frustration is.

Once you have re-read their email (and taken a few deep breaths), get ready to draft a reply using these steps:

  • Acknowledge

    Tell them that you see that they are upset, and then explain your understanding of the problem, based on what they told you in their email. As tempting as it may be to just ignore their snide remarks, failing to address the main issue will just make it worse.
  • Propose a Solution

    Are they upset because they don’t like something you have written? Offer to go over the things they did not like, so you can understand what they were unhappy with, and re-write those sections. Are they panicking because a deadline is approaching? Re-assure them that you know when the deadline is and that you have a plan to complete the work in plenty of time to meet that deadline. Whatever the issue may be, you almost always can find a way to fix it.
  • Stick to the Facts

    Occasionally a client will get angry because you did not complete something. What they are failing to admit, though, is that the item was not completed because THEY did not provide you the information needed to complete it. If this is the case, politely remind them that while you would be happy to complete it for them, you still need “xyz” before you can do so. If you previously provided them with a list of deliverables that they promised to send you, this is a good time to send that list again and let them know that once you receive the outstanding items, their project can be completed.
  • Keep a Polite Tone

    This can be tricky to do in an email. Too often your words can be construed as rude, even when you did not intend them to come across that way at all. Be sure to read, and re-read what you write, to ensure that nothing you have written could be taken the wrong way.
  • Suggest a Phone Call

    The quickest and best way to resolve any issue is to get on the phone and talk it out. At the end of your email response, it’s always a good idea to suggest that you set up a time to talk, so that you can be sure that everyone is on the same page. The client may still refuse to talk to you, but it is always worth a try.

Know when to walk away

You’ve emailed, you’ve called, and they’re still upset.

You’ve proposed solutions, but they are not responsive to your efforts.

They seem set on being angry, and it’s clear that nothing that you do is going to change that.

It happens.

Occasionally there are those clients who will never be happy, no matter what you do.

In those circumstances it is okay to recognize that they are this type of client, and be okay with walking away.

It’s not worth compromising yourself (or your sanity) to bend over backwards, trying to make them happy.

In the end, you can only do so much. And that’s okay.

Crafting Tourism Industry Content

By Jennifer Babisak


The award-winning television drama “Mad Men” fed viewers much more than a weekly dose of suspense and eye-candy. Though the focus sometimes drifted more to Don Draper’s sexcapades than his creative mind, the show still gave an intriguing peek into the inner workings of an advertising agency.


The Art of Emotional Appeal

The tourism industry would do well to pay attention to some of the marketing strategies that Sterling Cooper Draper Price employed during the show’s seven seasons. For instance, Don was a master of crafting emotional appeal. “This device isn’t a spaceship, it’s a time machine,” he said of a Kodak slide projector, “It’s called a carousel. It lets us travel the way a child travels, around and around and back home again to a place where we know we are loved.”

The efficacy of such emotional appeal applies to much more than slide projectors. Emotive appeals work particularly well in the tourism industry, where destinations have spun their wheels with straightforward marketing techniques, targeting consumers’ rational purchasing-power, for far too long.

Vacation Time and Stress-Management

Americans have a track-record of exceedingly poor stress management. In addition to financial and health stressors, the widespread use of smartphones has brought twenty-four hour workplace connectivity and an unending barrage of horrific news headlines. You would think a chronic stressful lifestyle would send employees running for the hills come vacation time. But a recent Harris Interactive survey presented the startling finding that American employees only use 51% of their eligible paid vacation time and paid time off.

Yes, you read that correctly. Chronically stressed employees are leaving vacation time sitting on the shelf. They want vacations, need vacations, and have the means to take vacations. All that lacks is an effective tourism industry appeal, motivating enough to cause Americans to break through their fog of stress and take the action of booking a vacation.

And guess what? Bulleted lists reciting a destination’s most recent million-dollar renovations won’t spur the apathetic consumer to action. What these potential tourists- ripe for the persuading- need is carefully constructed marketing content brimming with emotional appeal.

Emotional Content Standouts

Major destinations are waking up to the value of using emotional appeal in marketing campaigns. Most notably, Las Vegas employed the incredibly successful tagline, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas,” refining its image as a hedonistic escape from the boundaries of daily life.

vegas2And the longest running tourism campaign in history, “Virginia is for Lovers,” began back in 1969. In the ensuing years, Virginia has capitalized on the marketing value of those words- posturing itself as a romantic getaway filled with warmth and charm.
But emotive content goes beyond concise taglines. The New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau recently launched a campaign to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. The CVB sent out an emotionally-charged series of e-mails, thanking travel industry professionals for their coverage of the city and highlighting its advances in the decade since Katrina.

The president of the CVB kicked off the campaign with an e-mail containing this message: , “So as we look back at what happened here 10 years ago, we want to give thanks to all of you who took us in when we had no place to go, helped us tell our story when we had no voice, helped us rebuild our homes and our city from ruin, celebrated our victories, showcased to the world what makes our city so special, and those of you who simply came to be our guests as we put the pieces back together. In the next nine days leading up to the 10th anniversary of Katrina, we will be sending you a short video, showcasing some of the improved aspects of New Orleans.”

Tugs at the heartstrings, right? And it creates, or renews, an emotional attachment to the city, drawing visitors in more than a simple list of “improved aspects” ever could. Note in his message where he thanks writers who “helped us tell our story.” That’s the goal of effective emotionally driven tourism content– telling the unique story of a destination.

Finding the Right Words

So how do you find the magical, emotive words that will lure droves of tourists to your destination? It’s actually a combination of careful research- discovering where your intended audience and your unique offerings intersect- along with meticulously crafted written content:

  • Evaluate where your revenue lags. Do you need to boost business during the week or on weekends? During peak times or off-season? Having a concrete goal in mind will help you focus on the proper audience.
  • Pinpoint your ideal tourist. Based on your revenue assessment, you should know whether you’re looking to attract more mid-week business travelers, family weekenders, or retired snowbirds. Familiarize yourself with the profile of your intended audience.
  • Discover the desires of your audience. What motivates these people to travel? Are they seeking escape, adventure, serenity, or relaxation? Hone in on a specific emotional motivation.
  • Review the offerings of your destination, searching for particular experiences that will appeal to your audience’s emotions. You don’t have to highlight your destination’s entire range- specific and well-defined focus on an emotionally appealing experience is in order.
  • Carefully craft your content, highlighting your chosen experiences in a fashion likely to appeal to your chosen audience. Take care to tailor your writing style to the vernacular of your audience. Genteel retirees aren’t likely to respond well to copy littered with hipster slang, while millennials magnetize to key-words tailored to their generation.
  • Maintain consistency across all modes of communication. Don’t cast your destination in one light on Facebook while presenting a different image in print brochures. Find your identity, articulate it well, and stay true to your message.

Such a strategy holds great potential for payoff. After all, the travel and tourism industry has an annual economic impact of around $6.5 trillion U.S. dollars, worldwide. And a Choice Hotels International survey found that Americans plan to spend 8% more on leisure travel and 5% more per trip in 2015 than they did the previous year.

With carefully-crafted, emotionally-driven content, you can ensure that a good chunk of those $6.5 trillion dollars lands squarely on your destination’s doorstep.

Misused Quotation Marks are “Bad”

When it comes to writing, there are dozens of rules just begging to be broken. Some are flexible and give you a little wiggle room — like hyphenation or deciding whether to use the comma before the “and” in lists.

But there are other grammar rules that you just don’t break. You don’t tweak them; you don’t adjust them to suit your personal preferences. Ever.

Case in point? Quotation marks.
Continue reading “Misused Quotation Marks are “Bad””

Cool Stuff for Every Writer

There’s tons of cool stuff available for writers on the web these days – some of which you may not even know existed. Listed below are a few of my favorites to help you think, organize, create, manage, and most importantly, write.

The Narcissistic Typewriter.JPG


Photo by deglispiriti

Buzzword: This is a free online word processor from Adobe. It runs just like any other word processor – just through a web processor. As long as you are connected to the internet, you can access your Buzzword documents. Cool features include a “share” button which allows you to share your document for edits with other buzzword users without having to email. Additionally, the same version of the document is available to all viewers no matter what edits are made – a definite plus for documents that go through multiple edits with multiple collaborators.

WriteWith: Just like its name says, this web application allows you to work on documents with others, in one functional program, without having to email. It was designed by two news editors who recognized the need for an efficient program to allow collaborative work and project management. WriteWith lets you upload documents directly to the site, assign tasks to other users, edit docs and see the changes immediately. It even keeps a history of all the edits you’ve made – just in case. This program is great for group projects and is extremely efficient.

Wrike: This project management software will send “to do” reminders to your whole team, create tasks from your email, and will create easy-to-read Gantt charts of project timelines. Also, different parts of the plan can be communicated to employees depending on their parts in the project. It’s a great way to keep your whole team on the same page while offering one, simple collaborative environment. One word – efficient.

Mozy: This program is awesome for copywriters, or any writer for that matter, who must save multiple drafts of multiple projects. The free version of Mozy lets you store up to 2GB of your docs online. This means, if your computer crashes, your office gets struck by lightning, or you simply want to make some room on your hard drive, your documents will always be safe and accessible online.

FreeMind: This is super cool mind mapping software that helps you brainstorm, map out your thoughts, keep track of projects and timelines, and lets you change fonts and colors. Basically, you can organize your thoughts any way you want. Sure, this is a good tool for creative writers, but it’s also great for other types of writers who lack organizational structure otherwise.

Draw More Traffic to Your Website

Question: How do I draw more traffic to my website?

Answer: Write and publish articles online. Not only will pull more traffic to your website, but you gain credibility by establishing yourself as an expert in your field.

For example, if you are trying to attract people to a website promoting your Kickboxing Academy, then you would write articles like How to Throw a Punch, 10 Reasons to Try Kickboxing, Self Defense Techniques, and so on. Anything and everything having to do with Kickboxing is fair game – even How to Start Your Own Kickboxing Academy.

Since you are the expert, assert yourself as such so that your readers know your website is the real deal.

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Question: What do I do with the articles after they are written?

Answer: There are tons of free, online article posting sites where you can submit your articles, and webmasters can use them as content for other sites. Some article posting sites include www.ezinearticles.com, www.articledashboard.com, and www.shorttext.com. These are just a few, but a simple Google search will give you lots more.

Question: What happens to my articles after they are posted?

Answer: Webmasters can use your articles for their sites as long as they don’t change any of your content, and they give a link back to your website. While they get free content, you get to keep your copyright on the material, tell a bit of information about yourself and your site at the bottom of the article, and get a link back to your website. The more sites that pick up your article, the bigger the boost you will see in traffic to your website.

Web Writing: It’s Ok to be Redundant

Websites need to be written to accommodate a wide audience of readers – the on-the-go information gobblers, the meticulous fact verifiers, the image-minded visual learners, and the web savvy personalities who love interactive tools. This is why demonstrating important information on the same page so that it accommodates many different learners is actually a good thing.

There are several ways to reinforce your message so that it appeals to different learners. For instance, perhaps you want to show how much money your widget will save customers. You can demonstrate this point by:

1. Just writing it. Perhaps the headline in your copy will read “Our Widget Saves 32% Over Others” — and then expound on that idea in your copy.

2. Making a chart showing how much money your widget will save over those conventional widgets, for the visual learners.

3. Adding an interactive tool to your page, like a calculator where customers can type in how much they’re currently spending on widgets versus how much they could be saving. Some readers really gravitate toward interactive tools.

4. Creating graphics that illustrate how cost-effective your widgets are (maybe a graphic of a widget handing someone money – the sky’s the limit here).

By demonstrating the same information – namely, your widget’s money-saving value – in four different ways, you have effectively communicated your message by accommodating many different types of learners. Though it may seem redundant, you can grab the attention of more people by offering the same information in different ways. If a reader missed the headline, interactive tool, and graphic, but you were able to catch his eye with the comparative chart, that’s effective web communication.