Help Please! Formatting disaster

[Rachel Caldecott]

I'm not sure what has happened. From about page 20 of my WIP, each paragraph appears on a different page. I can't seem to get it back to normal. The only thing I can think is that before xmas I copied and pasted chapter by chapter into the free version of Grammarly (something I don't normally do). Even using the Pilcrow (show and hide thingy) doesn't help. Plus my Word programme is in French and I'm not sure what I should be looking at to reformat the whole document. Having been ill over xmas (and depressed about writing) I suddenly felt better enough to restart... only to find the m/s is playing silly buggers with me. So HELP!!!!

 

[Leonora]

What version of word is it?

 

[Rachel Caldecott]

2003 apparently

 

[Emily]

Nooooooooooo I'm no help other than to empathise I'm afraid. Stupidly awful things keep happening when I go near a computer. And I hope you are feeling better on every level...

 

[Leonora]

I used to have that, but can't remember enough to help. My only thought is to select all, copy, then open a new blank document and when you paste it in (by right clicking on the mouse) you should get three or so options. One is text only, losing all the formatting. If you choose that, you can then reformat the new document to double spacing etc.

 

[Rachel Caldecott]

OK. I'll try that. Thank you. It was a very annoying start to the day. Every single line of dialogue ended up on a new page.
Maybe I should have a strong coffee first before tackling the beast.

 

[Robert M Derry]

I would abandon Word, particularly if it's 2003, it's gutting to lose hard work to bad tech.

I prefer Google Docs because it's cloud based; so you can access your manuscript from any device + it doesn't matter if your main PC dies as it's up there in the cloud. It's free as well. You can download anything you've written as a Microsoft Word file, so when you want to actually want to send it out to agents/publishers you can. You may still end up in some formatting battles once you've downloaded it.

Someone recommended Scribner to me recently, although it's not online, it's a better application than word for writing novels.

There's quite a few other applications out there, that you might want to consider switching to. Word 2003 is unsupported by Microsoft now and if you're running it on a Microsoft XP computer, that hit end of life a couple of years ago and isn't patched by Microsoft any more to prevent viruses; that's how the NHS PC's got the Wannacry virus a couple of years ago. So you might want consider some new tech as Microsoft XP computers are really exposed to viruses now and if it gets one, there'll be no way to fix it.

Chromebooks (Click Here) are really cheap laptops and run well, so that might be an option; although they don't support Word, which you will need eventually to send out to agents/publishers. So if you do get a Chromebook, you'd need access to a PC with word on it, just so you can download the MS to that PC and reformat it in Word and send off.

Hope this helps. (Sorry for rambling, I'm a nerd once I get started, I can't stop!)

 

[Rachel Caldecott]

Sheeesh! If I didn't feel old before.... Thank you. I will wake my 19 yr old son and get him to translate

 

[Amber]

It sounds like you have page breaks and/or section breaks in your manuscript. It might be fastest to get rid of the formatting altogether.

You could select all (Ctl-A) and copy (Ctl-C) and then open a new document. Click on the new document to make it active and then go to Edit and Paste Special. Have it paste the text only. No formatting.

Then you want to format it. You would select all (Ctl-A) and then right click and choose paragraph formatting. Double space, 12 pt font, and indent the beginning of each paragraph (except in the UK I think you might do it different).

Or, there might be a way to remove the Page Breaks or Section Breaks altogether in a search and replace type of edit but I don't know how right off the top of my head.

You can see what's happened by clicking on the paragraph mark in Word. Let me find a YouTube video. This one is good:

MS Word Reveal Formatting

EDITED

The other thing it could be is that you have a large margin either before or after each paragraph. Now that I've read your description of the problem again, this possibility seems more likely.



Above is a document with these settings under paragraph:



You see where it says 288 pt? That's 4". That's what I typed into the document. I think that might be what happened. Also look at the line spacing box. Whatever is happening, sounds like it's happening after the paragraph.

 

[Rachel Caldecott]

I would abandon Word, particularly if it's 2003, it's gutting to lose hard work to bad tech.

I prefer Google Docs because it's cloud based; so you can access your manuscript from any device + it doesn't matter if your main PC dies as it's up there in the cloud. It's free as well. You can download anything you've written as a Microsoft Word file, so when you want to actually want to send it out to agents/publishers you can. You may still end up in some formatting battles once you've downloaded it.

Someone recommended Scribner to me recently, although it's not online, it's a better application than word for writing novels.

There's quite a few other applications out there, that you might want to consider switching to. Word 2003 is unsupported by Microsoft now and if you're running it on a Microsoft XP computer, that hit end of life a couple of years ago and isn't patched by Microsoft any more to prevent viruses; that's how the NHS PC's got the Wannacry virus a couple of years ago. So you might want consider some new tech as Microsoft XP computers are really exposed to viruses now and if it gets one, there'll be no way to fix it.

Chromebooks (Click Here) are really cheap laptops and run well, so that might be an option; although they don't support Word, which you will need eventually to send out to agents/publishers. So if you do get a Chromebook, you'd need access to a PC with word on it, just so you can download the MS to that PC and reformat it in Word and send off.

Hope this helps. (Sorry for rambling, I'm a nerd once I get started, I can't stop!)

Son woke up. I mentioned "A friend at Litopia recommended Google Docs..." and straight away he agreed and set me up! Blinded me with nerdy stuff for about 5 minutes before shuffling off again. So thank you. (He also said rather pointedly, that I need a new computer).

 

[E G Logan]

Hi, Rachel

First of all, I agree with Leonora on starting a new Word doc. I'd say that's worth a try before you do anything else.

I really do sympathise, because while my Word is US, used as both UK and US English, my MacBook is Italian. This often causes glitches, even though I have the latest version of Word, as I need it for work.

Sons are useful, but as they get older they get harder to grab with questions. I'd say you have a window of about two years -- once he gets a place of his own, you'll have to invite him round for dinner to get him to look at your computer.

best regards,
EGL

 

[Carol Rose]

You seriously need to update your version of Word, for one thing. Yes, I know it costs money, but after a few versions, the things simply don't work right any longer. That's pretty much true of any software across the board.

However, there are other options to write in, as many have (and will in the future) point out.

BUT... speaking as one who once had issues with compatibility on the editor's end... you may want to invest in Word anyway because that's the standard and they all use it. Sometimes, using another program, even if you can save the document as a Word document, does not match up on the other end when the editor opens said document in their Word program. Just so you know.

 

[Robert M Derry]

Son woke up. I mentioned "A friend at Litopia recommended Google Docs..." and straight away he agreed and set me up! Blinded me with nerdy stuff for about 5 minutes before shuffling off again. So thank you. (He also said rather pointedly, that I need a new computer).

Great, we sons are useful. Still, I know there'll be a day where I'm on the recieving end of;

"Dad, why are you still using the Windows 2034 version of the VRX interface? Don't you know that the Amazonflix superversion 2050 is so much better? Once you're jacked in it basically downloads your ideas and writes the novel for you."

"But I like the writing part!"

Daughter/son rolls their eyes. "God, dad you're so old!"