On Wed, 6 Feb 2013 06:50:16 -0600
Joel Ikenberry <joel_ikenbe...@live.com> wrote:

> 
> To Whom It May Concern:
> I have been adjusting to OpenOffice Writer for a few weeks after losing my 
> Microsoft Word application, and I hope you can imagine how frustrated and 
> confused I am with this new software. As Microsoft Word is what I know, I 
> naturally approached Writer like I would Word. However, there are stark and 
> considerable differences between Writer and Word that I have inevitably 
> encountered. For example, there is apparently no "vertical paragraph 
> alignment" option in Writer, but there is in Word. As a writer, there are 
> many essential tools and options that I need from my word processor that I am 
> not finding or having trouble finding. I do refer to OpenOffice Wiki and the 
> Help Tool, however, there are many things the Wiki and the Help Tool do not 
> explain. For example, they do not explain how to apply a certain page-style. 
> I only stumbled across the fact that a page-style can only be applied by 
> inserting a manual page break. 
> I am struggling with how to format my documents to display various 
> page-numbers. I am a novelist and any guides I discover only pertain their 
> information to technical and business-style document formats. For example, 
> the guides on "headers" always go into great detail about customizing your 
> header and skip over the essential "simple" how-to-make a normal, average 
> everyday header that is not going to be viewed by a company CEO or graded by 
> a business education instructor. I am simply a writer writing a novel, and I 
> need my word processor to apply to me specifically.
> Here is what I need to know how to do:
> 1. Format different page numbers- Title Page (no number)- Dedication Page (no 
> number)- Table of Contents (roman numerals)- Preface (roman numerals)- 
> Prologue through all chapters ( starting at page 1)- Acknowledgments 
> (continuing page numbers)- Appendices/Index (continuing page numbers)2. 
> Create a traditional Table of Contents (like in any other novel, no business 
> topics or sections and complete with a leader)3. Design headers to display 
> book name on one page, chapter title on the next, continuously4. Vertically 
> align a paragraph
> Any information regarding these issues would be most certainly appreciated 
> and duly acknowledged. I am new to OpenOffice Writer, but I know I will be 
> just fine with it once I get my bearings. I also have another question 
> concerning file format and extensions. As a writer, I will have to eventually 
> electronically submit part or all of my manuscript to a Literary Agent and or 
> Publisher at some point and so the file extension will need to be in a format 
> usable by these organizations' software (most likely Word). Is the ODT file 
> format compatible with Word or do I need to save my documents under a 
> different format? This, above all else, is perhaps the most important 
> question because the others are useless without the file being able to 
> proceed. I thank you very much for your time, consideration, all manners of 
> things and especially for the development and availability of this software 
> to simple people like myself. Thank you.
> Sincerely,
> Joel S. Ikenberry                                       

A useful tutorial on Page Numbering is at
http://forum.openoffice.org/en/forum/viewtopic.php?f=71&t=1221
with another on Page styles and Headers/footers
http://forum.openoffice.org/en/forum/viewtopic.php?f=71&t=44607

If you are used to MS Word and wish to continue to work using that method, 
seriously consider reverting to MS Word.  To work in OpenOffice requires a 
paradigm shift in method, but it works extremely well, when you use its 
facilities and forget about MS Word.

You can bring any problems in using OpenOffice to the user forum at
http://forum.openoffice.org/en/forum/
where they will be answered by a knowledgeable Volunteer force.
But remember, OpenOffice is NOT MS Office.  It works differently, and so must 
you.


-- 
Rory O'Farrell <ofarr...@iol.ie>

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