Word Processing Tips
Throughout this writer’s resources, but most frequently in Composing, you will find suggestions to help you make the most of a word processor as you write. You do not need a word processor to write, of course, but most prefer to work on one. The word-processing tips are labeled WPTips and are found in the blue shaded boxes in the text. The tips are not meant to be exhaustive, nor are they a substitute for the directions and advice offered by your computer manual; rather, the tips serve as a bridge between the instruction in writing and the many ways a word processor can facilitate the composing process. Here, to begin with, are some general word-processing tips.
WPTips
Saving Files
The best tip anyone can give you about using a word processor is this: always save your work as you compose. If you do not have an automatic save feature, make it a habit to press the save key periodically. By doing so you will not lose your work because of a general power failure or because your computer crashes.
Backing up Files
Almost as important as periodically saving your files is making a backup copy of your finished work. Preferably, do this on a diskette and not on your hard drive; if your hard drive fails, you can simply run the diskette on another computer.
Saving Drafts
Rather than revising the same draft over and over again, keep each draft intact. Copy your file and designate it filename I, filename 2, filename 3, and so on. The point is that if you want to return to an earlier draft at a later stage, you will have it. An earlier organizational pattern or a particular phrasing may have been the best after all.
Shared Computers
If you plan to use any shared computer like a school’s or library’s computer lab, check the hours it is open, and keep in mind that others will probably want computer time just when you do. Leave enough time in your schedule to be flexible.
Keeping Supplies
Keep a supply of spare diskettes on hand in order to make backup copies. Change the ribbon or toner cartridge in your printer regularly. (It is a good idea to have a spare cartridge, too.)
