Creating paragraph, character, list, outline, and header and footer styles help you create visually pleasing documents, whether you publish them digitally or in hard copy. Go directly to the pros for learning best practices in creating Microsoft Word styles.
For years I’ve used Microsoft Word styles to format documents for both myself and clients. Styled documents are easier to scan and read quickly.
When a client asked me to create a style template for her book, I thought I’d brush up on the best practices for creating styles. Being a long-time user of MS Word with many a fit thrown in frustration with its moodiness, especially in long documents, I wanted to create as stable of a document as possible.
Most Valuable Professionals (MVPs)
MVPs are not employees of Microsoft, just really knowledgable and kind folks who know a lot about Microsoft products, and who happen to like to share what they know. Here are links to MVP resources that I used to create styles for my client’s book template. I learned more about Microsoft–its quirkiness and how to work around it–during this project than any other.
The Word MVP Site
The Word MVP Site–Formatting and Layout FAQ
The Word MVP Site–Word’s Numbering Explained
Shauna Kelly, Word MVP
* be sure to read Shauna’s "Managing Pagination" article; page breaks can make a Word doc unstable
One more for the road…
Here is an excellent resource on the nitty-gritty of what styles are and how to use them.
Understanding Styles in MS Word by Charles Kenyon, Attorney at Law
The main point is this…
How you use Word’s functionality–in this article’s case, how you create styles–matters, for Word allows you to perform a task several ways. Some of those "ways" can create havoc. To avoid that, seek out best practices for using Word. The Word MVP Site is a good starting place to learn them.
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Good luck with formatting your document using MS Word styles. I have a lot more resources–shoot me a note if you get stuck.
Related Posts
When Microsoft Word Behaves Badly–What to Do
Editorial Style Guides–What Are They?
Editorial Style Guides–Types and How to Create One
Rita Braun writes and edits B2B publications for people who research, teach, market, and sell. Take a look at her portfolio here, and contact her here.
