Text getting bumped to mid-page at end of chapters

[Deborah]

I have created a large (77,000-word) Word doc that contains a novel.
Each of 30 chapters is separated from previous chapter by a page
break. The text on the last page of each chapter is getting bumped to
the middle of the page.

I can see that a large header space has been created on those last
pages, but I don't know why and I can't figure out how to get rid of
it. If I take out all the page breaks, making the document into one
large chapter, the last page text is still getting bumped to mid-page.

I do not have this problem in my other long Word docs.

 

[Elliott Roper]

I have created a large (77,000-word) Word doc that contains a novel.
Each of 30 chapters is separated from previous chapter by a page
break. The text on the last page of each chapter is getting bumped to
the middle of the page.

I can see that a large header space has been created on those last
pages, but I don't know why and I can't figure out how to get rid of
it. If I take out all the page breaks, making the document into one
large chapter, the last page text is still getting bumped to mid-page.

I do not have this problem in my other long Word docs.

This one is easy. Go to Format->Document->Layout->vertical alignment
and change it from centre to top.

EEK! You are not putting the page breaks in by hand?

You could, if not should, start each chapter with a section break (new
page, or odd page - depending on how the book will be typeset.) Get
your publisher to advise you.

You would do the section break stuff if you were self publishing, add
running heads on even and odd pages, have the Chapter heads poncy and
all that.

If you want it to look really good, keep your styles and settings
simple, hand the MS to your publisher, or any male friend with a
pony-tail, who will arrange to have it properly typeset in Quark or
InDesign. (It is actually amazingly easy to snarf Word text and even
styles into Indesign and have it make all the H&J, page break and
section break decisions for you)