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/qjbMeZBrrOATopics discussed in this episode: Discovering the benefits of writing with Google DocsNaming your documents for easy filing and version controlStyling your text to create an automatic outlineNavigating to specific chapters and scenesUsing key words to identify the focus of your chapters at glanceIncorporating unwritten scenes as placeholdersChanging the default fonts for styles Formatting documents in WordAbout 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-meetingSend us Fan MailREADY TO TAKE YOUR WRITING FURTHER? Join our Patreon community and access our vibrant Discord writing group to get writing prompts, participate in sprints, download free resources, and more: https://www.patreon.com/erinptcanningeditor