25. Navigating your Google and Word docs easily

Did you know that you don’t have to sit down and write a story from beginning to end? You can start with an idea for a specific storyline or scene, skip the exposition, and get right to the good stuff.
Writing like this will fuel your creativity. But how do you avoid a jumbled mess?
In today’s episode, you’ll learn the advantages of using Google Docs to craft your story whenever you get inspired to write.
With specific examples, Erin highlights the built-in features in Google Docs and Word that will help you organize your ideas and make it easy to jump from chapter to chapter or scene to scene.
You’ll also get easy instructions for formatting Word documents, which will make prepping for submission a painless process. Tune in to get started!
Watch the full video tutorial via YouTube: https://youtu.be/qjbMeZBrrOA

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Discovering the benefits of writing with Google Docs
• Naming your documents for easy filing and version control
• Styling your text to create an automatic outline
• Navigating to specific chapters and scenes
• Using key words to identify the focus of your chapters at glance
• Incorporating unwritten scenes as placeholders
• Changing the default fonts for styles
• Formatting documents in Word

About Erin:

For 15 years, Erin has worked as a magazine and book editor, encouraging each writer’s individual voice and strengthening their writing goals. When she became a parent, she set aside her own writing aspirations to focus on her family. As the years passed, she grew increasingly anxious, depressed, and angry until she realized that she had forgotten who she was beyond being a parent.
Despite fearing her skills had atrophied, Erin started writing again. She first created her blog, Life Beyond Parenting, and then created the Parents Who Write podcast. Erin’s current role as a podcaster and writing coach enables her to help parents pursue their writing dreams.
She earned her MA in Writing from Johns Hopkins University, and she has finished the first draft of a fantasy-romance novel. She lives with her husband and their two young boys in Maryland.
Connect with Erin:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/erinptcanning
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/erinptcanning
• Facebook group: https://facebook.com/groups/parentswhowrite
• Book a free 30-minute consultation call: https://calendly.com/parentswhowrite/30min-meeting

Send us a text

Feeling stuck in your author journey? As an experienced editor, I specialize in helping writers like you, especially parents juggling family and creativity, finish and publish their books.
Take action on your writing dreams! Book a FREE 30-minute discovery call to discuss how I can help you implement these strategies and finally achieve your author goals.
https://calendly.com/parentswhowrite/30min-meeting
Bonus! Book your call and mention this episode for a free publishing check list.