typewriter-mode

Question

I still cannot find a typewriter-mode in Word. That's quite confusing for even simple writing-software comes with this feature.

Is there a possibility to fix the writing-line in the middle of the page?

This would be perfect, especially in the focus-view?

I have been working with Word for many many years and I really miss this option which one can find in programs like Scrivener.

Word should more concentrate on the basical needs of writers.

Answer 1

Hi Bero,

If I understand correctly what you want, then it seems to me you should be able to accomplish it with a custom template, that you set up. This first line of the first page would be a unique paragraph style with "points before" spacing that places it at the middle of the page.

To do this:

1. Open a new blank document. The insertion point ("writing line") is now at the paragraph mark at the top of the page.
2. Use either the menu bar Format > Paragraph... or the Paragraph Spacing settings on your Home tab, if you have that feature turned on, and set the Spacing Before to approximately 280 points.
3. Add any other formatting for this particular paragraph that you want.
4. Select the paragraph so that the blue selection highlight shows the paragraph and the points before area.
5. From the menu bar choose Format > Style > New
6. Give this new paragraph style a unique name and set the "Style for the following paragraph" to Normal or any other paragraph style you want to use other than this new paragraph with 280 points before.
7. Do not check the Automatically update box and press OK. Then press Apply to the Style dialog.
8. From the menu bar now choose File > SaveAs and give this document a unique name and set the Format to Word Template ".dotx". The file will be saved into your My Templates directory.
9. Now when you open Word you can choose this template when you want to start a new document.

Hope this helps

Answer 2

Hi Everyone, 

I think I've found a work-around for a typewriter style entry where the writing line/insertion point stays around the middle of the page (I like mine to stay about 1/3 a screen from the top).  The Office/Word settings I've used have also minimised the clutter and contrast between the background and the page.  Below is a 'snip'/screenshot of my whole screen working in MS Word 2016.

• So, the main fix is just to use a split window (View/Split Window), typing in the top split, with the split set to wherever is most comfortable for you to type.  The cursor moves down until it reaches the bottom of the split then stays there with the text just rolling upwards.

I found formatting changes didn't carry across when I had the windows split so I in-split the window, made the following formatting and appearances option changes then re-split the window

• First I inserted a blank page at the beginning of my document (filled with carriage returns - i.e. pressing enter).  This blank page means I can select this in the bottom split and, because it's at the beginning of the document it doesn't scroll down as I type so my bottom split always stays blank as in the snip above

The following two steps aren't necessary if you don't mind typing on a white background]

• Next I switched to the Black colour scheme for Office - this gives the dark grey background on either side of the page
• Next I selected all and set the page colour (Design/Page Colour) to "Black, Text 1, Lighter 15%" (the colours are from the default theme).  On my screen, for my eyes, this seemed to match the page colour to the background colour, it also automatically changed most of the text I already had to white (I think I selected all and made all the text white just in case though)

• Then I just selected auto-hide for the windows taskbar and the Office Ribbon tabs and commands as well as making sure I didn't select the ruler or navigator pane in the view tab
• Finally I horizontally split the windows to my preferred typing position and I was ready to go :)

I think that's about it - it seems to work well - having, over the last couple of days, played with Scrivener (and found it did nasty things to my pop-up menu windows), and FocusWriter which I liked except that in this as well as Scrivener, in their full-screen, low-distraction mode, the cursor inevitably dropped all the way to the bottom of the full-screen which is too low for me to comfortably write on my laptop. 

This method has page edges and window-split lines visible which is more than in other low distraction word processors, but to have full Word functionality I'm really happy with this! :D

Cheers all!

Answer 3

Thank you for the answers. "Annotate for Office" doesn't seem to integrate this feature.

Just for the sake of clarity. I am not so much interested in the style or even the noise of a typewriter.

I am searching for an option to fix the writing-line in the middle of the page.

When I write the cursor should not change the vertical position. Only the text should scroll up.

This helps to concentrate and would therefore be a perfect tool for the focus-view.

Not all features of a typewriter are outdated :-)

That's why lots of writing programms have already integrated this function.

But Word didn't. I even could not find it in the 2013-version.

As much as I sympathize with all new developments in the field of cloud and communication, Word should not forget simple improvements.

PS. Maybe it's time to make different Word-Versions, one for designers with all these new style-features and one for writers with good footnote- and reference-tools like Zotero.

a much more simple Word-programm with strong and well integrated add-ons, fitting the different needs of different users.

Answer 4

Why can't (or does it?) it have an option where you can simply place the cursor  to show it where to start writing from??  Why does one have to have a Ph.D. and understand how the Registry works to be able to get anything done on this program?  Of all the Doo-hickies and Gee-gaws they stick on this you would think they could make writing a letter a simple thing and not turn it into a Rube-Goldberg machine!  It seems to me that you have not 'discovered' such a feature either.  This is so frustrating but thank you for the attempt.

Answer 5

AFAIK, this feature is not available in word and there are no news about including this feature in Word as well.

You may provide feedback to MS regarding the same.