Farmata Guisse

In this lesson, we are going to learn how to start from a blank document in Microsoft Word.
Also, we'll explore some of the templates that the newest version offers to make our work
easier.

Introducing: Microsoft Word

For purposes of this lesson, we'll be working with Microsoft Word 2021 edition. You can work
with new documents and templates in other versions, but the appearance and location of
functions might be different than you see here. Feel free to follow along with the steps in
whatever version of Word you have.

Microsoft Word is a word processor developed to digitally simulate the work that used to be
done with typewriters. it was the first word processor to enable the use of the mouse; older
word processors could only be controlled with commands you entered on your keyboard.

New Documents
Working with the newest version of Microsoft Word comes with great advantages. The major
change you'll notice with this versions is that it has a welcome screen when you first launch it:

Welcome Screen

This welcome screen gives us choices like working from a blank document, taking a guided
tour of the new version, or selecting a template so we don't have to start from scratch with our
work.
Blank Document
If we decide to start from scratch, it is as simple as clicking on the blank document option in the
welcome menu:

Start with Blank Document

Once we click on that option, Microsoft Word will open a blank document like it did by default in
previous versions, giving us the empty page to start working on. Remember that all the
formatting options for your titles, subtitles, fonts, margins, etc. can be found in the top part of
the screen by navigating through the different options.

Blank Document
Templates
As we saw before in the welcome screen, Microsoft Word offers a selection of templates that
allow us to start with a certain type of document and then customize it to our needs, saving
some time and effort.

If you don't feel like scrolling through all the templates, you can always find a specific one with
the search bar, which is located in the right top corner of the welcome screen:

Search Bar

If you are using Word for Office 365, the template search is right on the New page:

Word 365 New

Now let's explore a couple of templates and see how we can modify and adapt them to our
needs.

Resume Template
We'll start with one of the resume templates.

Resume Template

As you can see, Microsoft Word will open the new document with the template on it, and with
instructions on modifying it either in the structure of the template or where its content would
normally go. In this resume example, we will easily see where to add our skills and previous
jobs. To change the information in the template, just click where you want to add the new
information and start writing. It's as simple as that.

If for some reason you don't like the template's default colors or the fonts beings, you can
easily change that without having to alter the whole thing. Just look for the design tab at the top
of the screen and select what you want to change:

Design Changes

This is a pretty basic example since there's not much you should change on a resume template.
Now let's see a template that's a bit more complicated.

Brochure Template
If we start from the beginning, in the welcome screen, we will see there's a template called
'brochure.' This template can be useful if you want to create a service offer, a restaurant menu,
a design proposition, or any kind of work that requires more of a visual guideline.

We can make the same kinds of content, color, and font changes in this template as we did in
the resume template. We just need to click wherever we want to add the default text and start
writing, or go to the design tab in the top part of the screen to change things like the template's
general colors.

The most interesting part of using this template is changing the default pictures or graphics.
Every time you select a picture in the template, Word will show a new tab at the top called
picture format:

Picture Format Menu

As you can see in this menu, Word will offer us several options to manipulate the picture, add
artistic effects, and even make corrections to it. Or, if we don't want to work with the pictures
that come with the template, we can always click on 'change picture' and add one of our own:

Change Picture

This will open the file explorer and let us select any picture we want. Keep in mind that if we
add a new picture, we can always use the tools that Microsoft Word offers to manipulate the
picture, such as color correcting it or resizing it.

At the end of all the editing, if we are happy with the results of our work we are ready to save
our document, publish it or print it, according to our needs.

Lesson Summary
Microsoft Word is a word processor used to simulate a typewriter in the digital era.

We can start working with documents in two ways: a blank document or a template. If we start
with a blank document, we will get an empty sheet of paper and we can just start doing our
own typing. On the other hand, if we start with a template we will get the structure of a
document that looks like the final document we have in mind; we just need to follow the
instructions and complete it.
There are several types of templates offered by Microsoft Word, such as resumes or brochures,
and we don't have to strictly stick to the templates - there are several ways to change a
template's design by using the options in the design tab. If our template has images on it, we
can access the picture format tab to replace or manipulate them according to what we need.

Answer the following questions and submit

your finished work by the due date.

1. What are the two main ways to start working with documents in
Microsoft Word as described in the lesson?
From the lesson, I understood that I can begin working in Microsoft Word by starting a new
document to write a story or I can choose a template with format and style already put in
place.

2. How can you modify a template in Microsoft Word according to the lesson?
To edit a sample, I work on the particular document sample, and change the text, layout, or
pictures, then I either create a new document out of it or overwrite the old one. This enables me to
adjust the template to my own use.

3. What is the purpose of the welcome screen in Microsoft Word in the 2021
Edition?
The welcome screen in Word 2021 helps me because it provides me with choices as to where to
begin, with a new, untitled document, with a template of a document I have chosen, or with a
document of my recent work. It saves time to begin work.

4. How do you change the default pictures or graphics in a Word template?

To replace pictures in a template all I have to do is click on the picture I want to change, click on
change picture and be able to upload a new picture from the computer or the internet. This one
allows me to change the appearance.

5. What are the steps to start working from a blank document in Microsoft
Word?
First, I open Microsoft Word. Then on the welcome screen, I select “Blank Document”. This leads to
a new page that is already opened and ready for me to begin typing or even working on my
document.