Need relatively simple template for writing a novel.

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Have Word 2004 for the Mac. Have been warned NOT to use Word's Master
Document. Would like to know if anyone has already put togetehr a template.
All suggestions gratefully received.
 
G'Day Ted,

You will see many warnings that Master Documents can become corrupt,
but follow some simple precautions and you will be ok!

Use the Master Document is a means to an end - a convenient framework
for linking the parts and itself containing nothing except Cover/Title pages,
a TOC and, occasionally, an Index.

Maintain the sub-documents (chapters) quite separately. The Master
Document, to me, is a disposable item that can be re-created if necessary.
Moving content between sub documents while viewing them from within
the Master Document CAN lead to problems.

As an example, open a New Document in Word;
Type "Title Page"; Press Enter; Insert>Break>Page Break;
Type "Contents": Press Enter; Insert>Break>Page Break;

You now have three pages with the insertion point at the
top of page three.

File>Save As... (suitable Name) in the same folder as the
other sub-documents. (I have a Template for just this purpose.)

View>Outline;
You will see another Toolbar (Outlining).
Hover the Mouse over button 4 from the right-hand end
("Insert subdocument")

Click and choose the first of the sub-documents.
It will be inserted, and the cursor will move to the end.
Repeat for all other parts in correct order.

Save!!

Now! The Master does not "contain" the subdocuments - it
is linked to them and reads each one as needed.

Through the master document, after expanding the subdocuments, you may:
Add and format your table of contents
Paginate the entire Document
Create cross-references across the entire Document
View the entire Document
Print the entire Document....

It is best that you maintain (edit) each document (chapter) separately -
however do note that you CAN edit within the Master, and the changes
will be saved to each individual document.

Again! Avoid moving content while in the Master Document. If you
encounter problems, be prepared to scrap the Master Document and
re-create it. That said, I have use Master Documents for years without
any problems.

See Word Help for "Master Documents".
 
Hi Ted,

A novel doesn't need a Master Document anyhow--for pure text, you won't even
need section breaks, just do it all in one file.

A template won't really do much for you, but see these various resources:

Creating a Template - The Basics (Part I)
http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/Customization/CreateATemplatePart1.htm

Suzanne Barnhill has a manuscript template here:
http://home.earthlink.net/~wordsintotype/Template.htm

Creating a Template (Part II)
http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/Customization/CreateATemplatePart2.htm

See also:

So You Want to Write a Book with MS Word
http://daiya.mvps.org/bookword.htm

See here for Google/Entourage gateway to newsgroups for MacWord, MacExcel,
and other MS programs for the Mac:
<http://www.microsoft.com/mac/community/community.aspx?pid=newsgroups>

And if you really want to, you can look for a template here:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/default.aspx
 
Thank you, Pat, for the thoughtful and detailed set of instructions. I'll
give this approach a shot. Best, Ted
 
Hi Daiya,

Thank you for your suggestions. I am working my way through them and also
through Pat Garard's thoughts about using the Master Document feature
CAREFULLY.

I await the day when Word will come forth with something simple for
templates in general and novels in particular. Memory fades but I think that
Wordperfect made this kind of thing simpler. Perhaps Word will take a cue
from its one-time rival.

In the meantime, I am trying to see how I can integrate the Outline feature
into a precursor for the actual novel draft. This of itself makes me crazy
now and then, as I will seek to--for instance--insert BOOK II after Chapter
4's (4e) and then when I try to start Chapter 5, have to fight the first
subset being called (4f) instead of (5a). I know there's a simple
solution--but also that I am excellent at avoiding such.

In any event, I appreciate your good work. Best, Ted68
 
Hi Ted
Have Word 2004 for the Mac. Have been warned NOT to use Word's Master
Document. Would like to know if anyone has already put togetehr a template.
All suggestions gratefully received.
Click to expand...

How large a novel are you planning to write?

That seems to be a document with only a handful of body text styles, one
or at most two heading styles, basically next to no
illustrations/pictures/graphics -- you won't need any more to write (you
can setup the whole thing at the start with flashy headings and stuff,
but let's leave that aside for the moment).

If that's what you need, a master document seems an unnecessary overhead
*by far*. If you stick to a basic set of styles, Word can handle such a
document with 1000 pages _easily_.

2cents
Robert
 
Hi Ted,

You really don't need the Master Document misfeature for a novel. In fact,
for a novel, I wouldn't even mess with Word--I've heard people compliment
WriteRoom, Jer's Novel Writer, and Ulysses, I think, as Mac programs that
get out of your way and let you compose in peace. Once the novel is done,
reformat it--you'd probably need to anyhow, to send it out in a publisher's
required format.

If you stick with Word--

For the Book 1, Book 2, Chapter 4, subsection a, subsection b, issue--you
need to set up your heading styles to carry outline numbering as explained
here:
http://shaunakelly.com/word/numbering/OutlineNumbering.html

The problem is, Word is such a powerful program that it just isn't simple.
It might have been simple around version 2, but now you can do so much with
it that simplicity is long gone. The WinOffice side is currently working on
making it *look* simple, but that's a feat of engineering and UI design, and
who knows if they will be successful. And those changes won't come
wholesale to MacWord.

Daiya
 
Hi, Pat --
Is there a way to view a Master Document as an entire entity upon file open,
w/o showing the separate subs?
 
I am following this thread bc I have a manuscript project with a master sub
set up. I lost you at this point

File>Save As... (suitable Name) in the same folder as the
other sub-documents. (I have a Template for just this purpose.)

Was I to close the document? Then in a new document do "view>outline ? I
was getting an error message that the master document was part of the sub
document (I think that was the message). I'm not following, obviously. Can
you clarify?

View>Outline;
You will see another Toolbar (Outlining).
Hover the Mouse over button 4 from the right-hand end
("Insert subdocument")

Click and choose the first of the sub-documents.
It will be inserted, and the cursor will move to the end.
Repeat for all other parts in correct order.

Save!!
 
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