Organizing a Chapter Index in Word

SKPatterson · Apr 4, 2015

Hi everyone!

Just a question that I'm hoping someone can answer - if there is another thread that contains my answer please link me to it! I don't mean to overlap information.

So here's the deal: I have written each chapter of my novel in separate word documents. I now wish to amalgamate them all into one document so I can begin the editing process. What would make my life easier, however, would be if I could have a sidebar (like a chapter index), that I could click on and be directed any chapter that I want. This would be super helpful so I don't have to scroll through hundreds of pages looking for a specific chapter!

Thus, is there a way to do this? I know in adobe PDF reader there is this function but I'd really like to do it in word since I can edit it as I go!

Just a side: I have Word 2008 and a Mac Air. Not sure if that will make a difference or not. Haha!

blacbird · Apr 4, 2015

First, compile a list of your chapters, however they are titled or headed.

Open a new Word document, copy and paste each chapter, in order, into it. Oh, yeah, ans SAVE it under a new file name.

Now all you have to do, in that new document, is search for the title or heading of any individual chapter. That takes about three seconds. If necessary, you could copy the first five words or so of any individual chapter into a search list, and search, as desired, for that string of words.

Nothing more complicated than that. Don't overthink it.

caw

Matera the Mad · Apr 4, 2015

I'm not familiar with that version of Word, but it is possible to import multiple documents. If your chapter headings are proper headings, you can use Outline View to hop from chapter to chapter.

There seem to be a variety of ways to skin this cat, depending on Word version and point of view. You can start at Microsoft ; this page might be helpful; and you can Google things like Insert multiple Word documents for more...adding 2008 might help sometimes.

dpaterso · Apr 4, 2015

I dunno how this works in the latest version of Word, but in older versions, if you change the style of your chapter headings to Heading 2, then select View > Document Map, a sidebar window opens which will list the chapter headings. These can be selected to navigate to the chapter of your choice. You can switch Document Map on and off as you please.

I said Heading 2 instead of Heading 1 because you might want to use Heading 1 for your novel title. There are Reasons for this, which would become evident if you ever decide to self-pub.

-Derek

cbenoi1 · Apr 5, 2015

http://www.howtogeek.com/73960/create-a-master-document-in-word-2010-from-multiple-documents/

-cb

namejohn · Apr 18, 2015

putting files together as a book

A simple way, explained here using Microsoft Word 2010.
Apply the heading 2 style (or any numbered heading style) to all the headings that will become the chapter titles, or chapter headings.

Put the navigation pane on the screen. To do this check the box in front The words Navigation Pane which are in The Show group under the view tab, in Word 2010.

The chapter headings are in the navigation pane after the chapter headings have the Heading 2 style applied. These are clicked on to have the chapter heading in the document go to the top of the screen, so no scrolling is needed to find the chapter headings.

The outline view, in Word 2010, is used to put several file together to make one file, which will become the book. To get the outline view on screen outline view is clicked on, which is in the documents views group to the left of the show group.

The word, insert, in the outline view is used to put each file into one large file. Of course the one large file is saved by giving it a name and putting it on a storge where it is wanted after putting all the smaller files together. Word 2010 can do the saving itself but it's better for the person putting the files together to do this.

Organizing a Chapter Index in Word

SKPatterson

I'm a fresh fish.

blacbird

Matera the Mad

Bartender, gimme a Linux Mint

dpaterso

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cbenoi1

namejohn