Part I
Your Introduction to Word
In this part . . .
Word processing may seem routine these days, but that hasnât always been the case. Being able to dance your fingers across a computer keyboard and have your prose lit up by teensy dots of light on a screen is, well, sort of magic. It most certainly beats the pants off using a typewriter. For me, itâs better than trying to communicate using my nearly illegible handwriting. Routine or not, word processing is a blessing.
Historically speaking, word processing is the culmination of an evolution that began 10,000 years ago, when the first humans started scrawling those âLook what I killed! Arenât I cool?â cave paintings. Today, you can communicate these simple messages with technological power unrivaled in human history. This part of the book introduces you to that technology.
Chapter 1
Hello, Word!
In This Chapter
Starting Word
Deciphering the Word screen
Quitting Word
Setting Word aside
You canât do squat with a computer until you start the thing. Likewise, you canât even write the word squat on a computer until you start a word processing program. Because you bought this book and not Pencils For Dummies, the program you need to start is Microsoft Word. This chapter tells you how to get Word started and begin your word processing day. Let me also mention that reading this chapter is a far more enriching experience than reading Pencils For Dummies, which is barely a pamphlet, albeit one thatâs charmingly illustrated.
Getting Word Started
There is no single way to start Word. The Windows operating system is all about offering many different (and, often, confusing) ways to get things done. Rather than bore you by listing all those ways, I figure you just want to find the best way to start Word for how you use the computer. This section offers three solid choices.
Before you can use Word, your computer must be on and toasty. Log in to Windows. Start your computer day. (But â seriously â donât put bread into your computer and expect toast to appear.)
Make sure youâre seated, with a nice, upright, firm posture as you use your computer. They tell me that your wrists should be even with your elbows and that you shouldnât have to tilt your head forward. Shoulders are back and relaxed.
Donât freak out because youâre using a computer. You are in charge! Keep that in mind. Chant silently to yourself, over and over: âI am the master.â
If you need help starting your computer, refer to my book PCs For Dummies for quick and accurate turning-on-the-computer instructions. You can stop chanting âI am the masterâ now.
The good, yet unimaginative, way to start Word
Without fail, the place to start any program in Windows is at the fabled Start button. It may not be the fastest or the most interesting or most convenient way to start a program, but itâs consistent and reliable â both good qualities to have in a computer. Obey these steps:
1. Click the Start button.
Use your computer mouse to click the Start button, which is often found on the left side of the taskbar and at the bottom of the screen, adorned with the Windows logo.
Clicking the Start button displays the Start menu.
2. Choose Microsoft Word 2010 from the list of programs.
As luck may have it, you might find the Microsoft Word 2010 program icon (shown in the margin) right there on the Start menu. Click the icon to run the program. Otherwise, keep plowing away in Step 3. 3. Choose All Programs to pop up the All Programs menu and choose Microsoft Word 2010.
If you donât see the Microsoft Word 2010 icon or program name, you must obey Step 4, which is almost certain to work.
4. Choose the Microsoft Office item (submenu) to display its contents, and then choose Microsoft Word 2010.
Behold! Word starts! Watch in amazement as the program unfurls its sails on your computerâs monitor.
Donât let Wordâs appearance overwhelm you! I describe what youâre looking at in the section âLooking at Word,â later in this chapter.
If you canât find Word anywhere on the All Programs menu, it may not be installed on your computer. This book is specific to Microsoft Word, not the Microsoft Works word processor or any other word processor. (See the section âFoolish Assumptionsâ in this bookâs Introduction.)
Supposedly, every program ever installed on your computer has installed its icon in a spot somewhere on the All Programs menu.
I refer to the program as Word, though its icon may be labeled Microsoft Word, Microsoft Office Word, Microsoft Word 2010, or another variation.
The better ...
