Tuesday’s writing tip for authors

Authors can save frustration and wasted time by using their software programs auto-numbering feature, instead of adding manually entering numbers when creating lists. Why? If you manually enter numbers when creating a list, the numbers will remain the same, even if you add, delete, or reorganize the list. However, if you allow your software program to number your list, the numbers will always appear in the correct order.

Before list, created with manual numbers
Above is an example of a list of chapter titles created using a mind mapping software program like MindManager. The numbers were typed in when entering the chapter titles.

Manually numbered list, after changing topic sequence
After a manually-numbered list is reorganized, above, it’s immediately obvious that the items are no longer correctly numbered. As a result, you’ll have to manually renumber the list each time you add, delete, or change the list sequence.

Automatically numbered list, after reorgnizing sequence
If Mind Manager, or Microsoft Word, had automatically numbered the topics, however, the topics would appear in the correct order, as shown above.

Working with automatic numbering
Here’s how to eliminate the need to renumber lists when adding, deleting, or reorganizing list contents when working with Microsoft Word and Mindjet’s MindManager:

• Microsoft Word. Enter and highlight the items, then select Format, Bullets and Numbers, Numbered, and select the desired numbering style. Or, simply select the Numbered List icon in Word’s Toolbar.
• Mindjet’s MindManager. Select the parent topic, (i.e., the topic containing the word “chapters,” in the example above), followed by Format, Numbering.

Note that auto-numbering is also built into text styles created using Microsoft Word, Microsoft Publisher, and the latest versions of page layout software. This means you can accurately keep track of subheads and captions.

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Visit Published & Profitable’s MindManager Resource Center for more free ideas, suggestions, and tips for working with Mindjet’s MindManager. Download a 21-day free trial here.

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