Why would you manually create a table of contents when MS Word can do it automatically? Here’s how:
Insert a blank page
Write Contents on the top line
Find your first headline and highlight it. Then go to the style box (this is the box right before the font box) open the drop down menu and click on Heading 1. Go through your document and mark all of your headlines with Heading 1 in this way.
Go back to your empty Contents page. Place the cursor where you want the table of contents to appear. From the Menu Bar choose Insert > Reference > Index and Tables. Click on the Table of Contents tab. Then click OK.
Your table of contents should magically appear on the page.
To Change the look of your table of contents:
Click anywhere on the table of contents to highlight the whole thing.
From the Menu Bar choose Insert > Reference > Index and Tables. Click on the Table of Contents Tab. In the dialog box there’s a format drop down menu at the lower left corner. Open it and choose the style that you want. Then click OK. Your table of contents should have changed to the style that you chose.
The table of contents can now be automatically updated every time you make changes to your document. To update, right click anywhere on the table of contents and then click on the update option.
A personal blog is just that; personal. You don’t need everyone to read it. Although the statistical data may be interesting, Google Analytics, Feedburner and Technorati were meant for the use of companies. What really matters is that your blog is there in case someone wants to know you better. It’s a great way to look inside someone’s persona. A blog can reveal personal characteristics of its author. It can tell if you are humorous, serious, warm, cold, snobby or down to earth. The reader may also infer things like hobbies, interest, dislikes and make conclusions about the the author’s level of intelligence.
A potential employer may read your blog before deciding to give you an interview. The girl or guy of your dreams may read your blog before agreeing to a date. If you ever find yourself in front of a Judge, your blog may be enough to sway Her Honor your way. People that matter to you will read your blog.
Of course, it would be nice to have a blog that has heavy traffic. It would also be nice to be rich and famous. There are a lot of things that would be nice but not necessary. Relax and enjoy the freedoms of blogging. The chance to share information and speak your mind.
This CNN article is a must read for everyone. As I was reading, my immediate thought was “I already knew that”. It’s amazing that it took the government a few years of research to figure out that multitasking is counterproductive. It takes time for your brain to switch from one task to another.
“In effect,” says Meyer, “you’ve got writer’s block briefly as you go from one task to another. You’ve got to (a) want to switch tasks, you’ve got to (b) make the switch and then you’ve got to (c) get warmed back up on what you’re doing.
If you were thinking about writing multiple stories at once, don’t. According to the research, you will finish them faster if you write one story at a time. This news is a personal victory for me because I always failed at multitasking but was too embarrassed to admit it. Yes, I was lying through my teeth at job interviews about this silly multitasking buzz word. Did anyone else do that? Well, now you don’t have to. Print the CNN article and take it with you.
Americans are reading less so what does that mean. I think that means the publishing industry has to make some changes. For example, they won’t publish a book as a novel unless it’s 80 to 90 thousand words. I personally think that’s ridiculous considering that most people would rather read a shorter book. If the book is longer then put the other half in a second book. They would even make more money that way.
I also think publishers make it too difficult for new writers to emerge as authors. They make you go through an agent but all the research I’ve done said that some literary agents are devious and deceitful. As a virgin writer, how can you be certain that your agent is real.
That fact that it’s so difficult to get published means that there are less new authors. This means that readers have less new books to choose from. If you would look at the best sellers list at amazon.com and track it for a month, you will see that that list doesn’t change much. Why? My guess is that there are no new books for the old best sellers to compete with. No wonder readers aren’t reading anymore.
Another big reading discourager are schools. Teachers should stop forcing kids to read genres that they don’t like. For a long time I didn’t like reading because I thought it was boring. I discovered reading was fun when I could finally pick my own book. The book I fell in love with was the Hobbit by JRR Tolkien. My next favorite was Stephan King’s Needful things. I enjoy fiction and that’s what I write. I realize that there are certain classics that schools must force upon students but after those books are covered each student should be allowed the freedom to choose their own book.
I’m thankful that the problem is lack of interest and not illiteracy. Americans can read, we just need to promote reading as a fun habbit. That’s not such a difficult task, is it?
Every writer has a target audience. We write with these people in the back of our minds because we want them to like our work. This is normal and perhaps useful behavior but we must remember that no matter how hard we try not everyone will like our work. Since we don’t know the audience personally we can’t predict their taste. It’s like trying to serve one dish that your whole family will like; unless you’re a family of one, that is an impossible task. So, how can we write to please the most people?
I believe it was Peter Jackson who said that he only makes movies that he likes because if he likes them then other people will too. I think it’s so wonderful that he said that because it’s the best way to go. A writer should write first and foremost for herself. If you like what you write then other people will too. This doesn’t guarantee that you will please everyone but it’s more important that you’re happy with your own work.
In order to write to please the most people you have to trust in your own good taste. Even though we all have different taste I’d like to think that the majority of us can identify quality work when we see it. If you’re doubting that you have good taste I can assure you that your taste is impeccable. How? You’re reading my blog so you must have good taste!