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Technology Bytes
Author: Susan K. Edwards
Original Publication Date in Love Notes: June 2003
While most of us bless the day word processing was invented, that pesky
computer can often leave us pulling out large clumps of hair as we battle it for
domination over our documents. I offer this column in hopes of saving you from
losing that battle.
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Q. I get stuck using my favorite same old boring words. As a result, my work
starts to look like I’m using the same old boring words…over and over. Any
suggestions?
A. Help is on the way. Many of the latest word processing software packages,
including Microsoft Word, have some language tools you can install. They include
the familiar spell check, but there is also the grammar check and a thesaurus.
They can be found under the TOOLS menu under LANGUAGE. If you do not see them,
you may not have installed them when you installed your software. (To remedy
that situation, go back and reinstall that option.). Assuming you did install
it, you can find the thesaurus at TOOLS>Language>Thesaurus.
To use it, simply highlight your same old boring word and pull down the menu
and activate the thesaurus. It will offer a variety of other words for your
choosing. If you don’t find what you like, you also can choose one of those
choices and ask it to look up that word or phrase. It’s a lifesaver if your
brain is hard-wired into a limited vocabulary.
Q. I want to add a graphic to my document, but every time I do, the picture
gets stuck in the middle of the text and I have a hard time getting it to move
to where I want it. What can I do?
A. Microsoft Word, and I suspect the others, don’t really like to mix text
and graphics. So the best way around that problem is to simply insert a “Text
Box” first and then drop your graphic into it. The text box adds a “layer”
on top of the text and acts a separate entity allowing you to move it around the
document with ease.
To add a text box, pull down INSERT>Text Box. You will get a “cross hair”
curser. Using your mouse, simply drag and release to create a box. You can
resize later, so don’t worry about size now. Then highlight the box, and
insert (or drag and drop) your graphic into the box. Resize and add text
wrapping. (Make sure the text box is selected, then pull down FORMAT>Text Box
and click on the tab>Format. You will have several choices on how to wrap the
text.)
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Do you have a technology problem you would like to have answered? E-mail your
questions to Susan at: susan@inhousepro.com.
MCRW member Susan K. Edwards has more than 25 years of experience working with
computers and software and currently owns her own marketing company, Inhousepro.
She has self-published her first novel, The Gift, and finished a second, Surrender,
a contemporary romance. Visit her site at http://www.inhousepro.com
for more information.
Love Notes, the official monthly newsletter of Music City Romance
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