Surviving and Thriving - Work Habits

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• Page 3 and on:
• These pages allow you to rough out your chapter scene by scene or event by event. Use one per chapter

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  How To Instructions!
• I would like to point out here that if you do not see any of options mentioned in the how-to, but you do see a double down arrow looking symbol at the bottom of the menu item, selecting the double down arrow will show you all available options for that menu selection.
  
  Starting with a new Word document, click:
  'Format'
  'Font'
  Change:
  'Font' to Arial
  'Size' to 36
  'Style' to Bold
  Click 'OK'
  
  Click:
  'Format'
  'Paragraph'
  Change 'Alignment' to Centered.
  
  Hit {Enter} four (4) times. Type 'Book Title', hit {Enter}.
  Click:
  'Format'
  'Font'
  Change the 'Font Size' to 26 and click 'OK'.
  Type 'Author: Name'. Hit {Enter}.
  
  This makes up the title page for the template. Now I wanted to create a
  bulleted "Chapter Points" section so that I could give a very informal
  outline of where I am going.
  
  Hold down the Control Key {Ctrl}, hit {Enter}. This puts us on a new
  page by inserting a hard page break.
  
  Leaving the 'Font Style' alone, type "Chapter Points". Hit {Enter}.
  Change the 'Font Size' to 36 and click 'OK'.
  Click:
  'Format'
  'Paragraph'
  Change 'Alignment' to Left.
  Click:
  'Bullets and Numbering'
  Select the Bullet style that appeals to you
  'OK'
  
  If the entire document becomes bulleted, this is OK, just type
  {Ctrl} + Z (That is Holding the Control Key {Ctrl} down, hit the letter Z.
  Release all keys). This should resolve this. I am not sure why, but many
  people have complained about this, and I believe it is a flaw in the MS
  Word 2000 program.
  
  Repeat the following steps eleven (11) times.
  Hit {Space Bar}
  Hit {Enter}.
  
  After repeating this, you should have 12 bullet items. If you need more,
  just
  do a {Ctrl}+{Enter} and repeat the above steps for another page. I find
  that,
  for me, twelve is usually too many for a chapter, but it gives me room if I
  needed it.
  
  We need to create a Header and Footer. These appear at the very top and very
  bottom of the pages. Here we will have the Book Name for the Header, and the
  Date and Page count for the footer. We will only need to do this once, and
  Word (and most other word processors) will remember this.
  
  While still on the "Chapter Points" page click:
  'View'
  'Header and Footer'
  
  You should see a dotted line box at the very top, with the cursor in
  it, and one at the very bottom. Make sure the 'Font Size', as described
  above,
  is set to 14. Hit {Enter} and type "Story Board". Hit {TAB} two (2)
  times, and
  type "Title: Book Name". Click in the bottom dotted lined box, and make sure
  the 'Font Size' is 12.
  Click:
  'Insert'
  'Date and Time'
  Select the first option (this should look something like 8/26/2003)
  'OK'
  
  Hit {TAB} two (2) times, and click:
  'Insert'
  'AutoText'
  'Page X of Y'.
  You should see a 'Header and Footer' floating menu somewhere, click on
  the icon
  that looks like an open book. If you are not sure, place the mouse cursor on
  each item for a few seconds. Some text will "pop up" saying what this icon
  does. Do this "hovering" over each one until you find one that says 'Page
  Setup'. Click this one.
  
  Set the following:
  'Section Start' set to 'New Page'
  'Different First Page' should be checked
  'Vertical Alignment' should be set to 'Top'
  'Apply To' should be "Whole Document'
  Click:
  'OK'
  'Close' on the 'Header and Footer' menu, if it is floating.
  Some people may have this already on their toolbar section at the top
  or bottom of Word.
  
  With this setup, we are ready to create the actual storyboards. Hit {Ctrl} +
  {Enter}, and hit the {BackSpace} one time to get rid of the Bullet on
  the new
  page. Make sure that the 'Font Size' is 12.
  
  We need to create an "invisible" table.
  Click:
  'Table'
  'Insert'
  'Table'
  
  Set the 'Columns' to 6 and the 'Rows' to 1. Click 'OK'. You should see a six
  (6) "celled" table on your screen.
  Click:
  'Table'
  'Select'
  'Table'
  The table is now selected.
  
  Click:
  'Table'
  'Table Properties'
  'Borders and Shading'
  'None'
  'OK'
  'OK'
  
  The table should be very light, but still visible. This says that it
  will not
  print the lines, but lets you still see them to type in.
  
  We will use every other "cell" or box. Starting with the first cell, type:
  "Chapter:"
  Hit {Tab} two (2) times
  "Page #:"
  Hit {Tab} two (2) times
  "Date:".
  
  For the more advanced, you can change the size of each cell by moving
  the mouse
  cursor over each vertical separator line until you see a Double Vertical
  Line
  cursor (it will have apposing arrows). Then just Left Click on the line and
  drag it to where you want. You can do this with each one.
  
  Hit {Ctrl}+ {End} to get to the very end of the document (This should be
  directly under the newly created table.
  
  Click:
  'Table'
  'Insert'
  'Table'.
  Make this table 3 'Columns' by 7 'Rows'.
  
  You may want to use the above "Advanced" features to line the two tables
  up like
  you would like them.
  
  Repeated area...
  In the first cell of the new table, click:
  'Table'
  'Table Properties'
  Select the 'Row' Tab
  check the 'Specified Height' box
  In the box directly to the right type '1.68"'
  'OK'
  
  Select the next 'Row', click:
  'Table'
  'Select'
  
  Select the next 'Row', Click:
  'Table'
  'Merge Selected Cells'.
  
  With the cursor still in the cell, click:
  'Table'
  'Select'
  'Cell'
  'Table'
  'Table Properties'
  
  Select the 'Table' tab, click
  'Borders and Shading'
  Select the 'Gray - 50%' color (This should be on the second row,
  fourth from the right).
  Make sure that 'Apply to' is set to 'Cell'
  
  Click:
  'OK'
  'OK'
  
  We need to repeat these steps (See the 'Repeated area...') until all
  cells have
  been changed. Don't worry if you do not have a last cell to "color",
  these are
  just separators I use.
  
  You could repeat ALL of this to create multiple pages, but I like the 'Copy'
  and 'Paste' method, as it save a LOT of time.
  
  If done correctly, but tables should now be one. Click:
  'Table'
  'Select'
  'Table'
  'Edit'
  'Copy'
  
  Hit {Ctrl} + {End}to get to the bottom. If you are already on a blank page,
  skip this part. Click {Ctrl} + {Enter} to create a new page.
  
  Now, everyone, click:
  'Edit'
  'Paste'
  
  Repeat the above two steps (Copying and Pasting) until you have the desired
  amount of pages.
  
  Make SURE you do a save ('File' and 'Save') as 'Storyboard - Template.doc'.
  
  How I use it:
  
  If the template is not loaded, I will load it by opening 'My Computer'
  and going
  to my 'Writer's' folder. I keep a separate folder for my writing, you
  will need
  to open the file from wherever you saved it. If you do not know, you can
  always
  do a search for it.
  
  To search for it, with 'My Computer' open, I hit {F3}. In the 'Search
  for files
  or folders named:' I type 'Storyboard - Template.doc'. In the 'Look in'
  I select
  'Local Harddrives'. Then click 'Search'. It should find it fairly
  quickly. Then
  just double click the template, it should automatically start Word and
  load the
  template in it.
  
  One I have the template loaded, I Rename it to the name of my Book - Chapter
  (How to create "Templates - Chapter 1"), and save it into the directory
  of my
  book as the name I have selected - C:\Writings\How To Create Templates).
  Then
  I change the "Book Name" to be the actual working title I have selected.
  I will
  again 'View' the 'Header and Footer' and change "Book Name" to the actual
  title, and close the floating menu.
  
  I first print out a copy and take pencil in hand. I may or may not use the
  Chapter Points. If I do, I use it to remind myself of what my outline says
  I am supposed to do for this chapter, or I use it to flesh out what I would
  like to do, and then check to make sure I have finished all the points. If I
  don't and they are valid, I will go back over it to check/verify.
  
  I then take each pane (or box) and writer a sentence or two. It can be
  dialog,
  a setting, a situation or a combination. Whatever I feel helps me get it
  out.
  
  At this stage I am not concerned about style, grammar, spelling, anything.
  Just get it out. I can then look at it in the extreme rough. From here,
  I can
  start to flesh out what I am looking at.
  
  I will then type it into the document, with the changes I made.
  
  From there I start typing the chapter.
  
  I may or may not use what I storyboarded, but it will always give me a
  better
  sense of my characters and surroundings, if I don't use it.
  
  So, for me, it is a win-win situation.
  
  Here is a sample of what I Ave done...
  
  (Everything between {}s means one box.)
  
  I changed following completely after I storyboarded it, but it gave me a
  fantastic feel of where I wanted to go:
  ---
  {Middle aged homeless looking beggar walking in cold, drizzly fog.}
  {Late December, Lows in 30s.}
  {Looking around for shelter. Eyes alert for trouble}
  {Sees church, sighs silently.}
  {Walks up stairs to church and tries door.}
  {Door opens. Slowly, quietly walks toward front of church, by pulpit.}
  {Listens for any sounds. Nothing noted. Walks to front of church, by
  pulpit.}
  {Lays down on bench.}
  ---
  
  In the following example, I didn't use any of it but one character's name.
  But it gave me the insight on my two characters...
  
  ---
  {Known Brian for about 15 years. Old, but a very good and close friend.
  Would
  give anything to help him. They are in Brian’s study.}
  {Brian (Waving his servant out of the room) – "You look like hell! But then
  again, with what you have gone through…"}
  {Mike – "Yeah. Not feeling to good. The courts decision… That really hurts!
  What am I supposed to do now?!?!"}
  {Brian – "Well, I know what I would do! But then, I am just a mean old
  coot."
  A definite pause…}
  {Brian – "You know I would do anything to help you, but with my past life
  they watch me carefully. Shoot even old ‘Jeeves’ is part of their
  watchers, I
  am sure of it!"}
  {Mike – "Yeah. But I wouldn’t stand a chance. I have thought about it, but I
  keep coming to the same conclusion. I will start something I have no
  chance of
  ending!"}
  {Brian – "What do you mean ‘No chance of ending? Don’t you know that
  there are
  millions waiting for something to spark a reason for them to fight the
  government?"}
  {Mike (A dull realization slowly comes to life in his eyes) – "The militia?
  They are nothing but small little groups scattered across the US!"}
  ---
  
  The only thing I need to remember is that there is no wrong way to use this.
  I hope someone out there finds this useful.
  
  
  --
  
  Please respond to author@candp-ent.com.
  
  --
  Thank you,
  Christopher Dale
  

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