This can be a really short answer, and a fun one — PLAY! That’s right, that thing you’ve been doing since you were in diapers, but may be out of practise with. It sounds funny, but remember when you were a kid and you explored every thing that you could do with a toy (or dad’s briefcase or mom’s vases or your older sibling’s retainer)? Granted, you may have found some things that it couldn’t do and broke it, but now you’re older and more experienced, and it’s harder to do something that you’re not supposed to do to computer programs unless you’re knowledge of them is advanced and you’ve started programming viruses or something.
To explain this process a little bit more, you basically need to go through all of the menu options and figure out what they do. This can be made easier by using the tutorials programmed into the software–any program I’ve come across has a “Help” menu. Sometimes this help menu comes in the simple form of a question mark button in the far right top corner of the toolbar, so keep your eyes peeled. You can also go to the Microsoft web site and read their advertisements for the program, which should have some details about the amazing extent of new features on their latest versions of their product. If you don’t already have Microsoft Word on your computer, you may be able to download a free trial version from the website, but these trials typically either have limited features, or a limited number of hours or days that you can use them before buying them.
If you don’t have your own computer, you can try your local library. Most libraries these days have at least five computers for people to access the internet and usually have Microsoft Word on them. Some of them don’t even require that you have a library card. Also, some libraries and community centers offer free classes on Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced use of commonly used computer programs like Microsoft Word.
So ask around and explore! You don’t have anything to lose, unless you click on and drag your Microsoft Word icon to the “Trash Bin” on your desktop by mistake and then empty it (unlikely). Good Luck!
