Formatting problem or something else?

[MamaCats]

I'm formatting stories to print for binding. I like the chapter heads
to be at the top of the page, so I hit Enter until the heading goes to
the next page top. I've done several dozen successfully using this
method. Yesterday, I needed to add a couple of blank pages to the
beginning (so there would be a blank sheet at the start of the text
block), so I pressed Enter above the title until there were two blank
pages before the title page. Now, when I try to move the chapter heads
down to the next page, it skips down two inches. If I try to delete
spaces to bring it up to the top of the page, it just skips up to the
previous page. It's like those two inches don't exist. What's more
confusing, it doesn't always do this, and sometimes it skips half a
page. I've tried deleting that file and starting over, but now it's
doing it on every file I start to edit. I don't even know the right
question to start looking for the answer!

 

[Jezebel]

Don't use empty paragraphs for formatting. There are simpler and better
ways. If your headings should start a new page, apply a heading style (such
as "Heading 1") and define that style as 'Page break before'. The more
disciplined your are with the use of named styles, the easier is your task
ever more.

 

[MamaCats]

Thanks so much, Jezebel! That seems to have solved the problem. I
didn't know just what a page break was before. Guess if I'm going to be
using Word for more than simple letters, I'm going to have to take the
time to go through a tutorial, even if I won't use 95% of it.
Again, thanks for saving my sanity!

 

[Charles Kenyon]

You don't need to learn it all, but styles are really at the heart of how
Word works. http://addbalance.com/usersguide/styles.htm
http://addbalance.com/usersguide/basic_formatting.htm.
--
Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word

Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide

See also the MVP FAQ: http://www.mvps.org/word which is awesome!
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[MamaCats]

Great information, Charles! This will save me so much time; I just
haven't the patience to wade through a huge amount of data to find
exactly what I need. Especially when I don't even know what I'm looking
for in the first place. Thank you!