Okay, there’s no real shortcut to writing, per se. Writing requires you sit down, collect your thoughts, organize them, and turn them into text.
But as a writer, I sometimes wonder what button or link I inadvertently touched that made my computer do something wacky and unexpected.
Then I realize my knowledge of a set of shortcuts on the keyboard may help me get out this mess. These shortcuts may not be known to other writers, so I share them here.
CONTROL Z. If you hold down your control key and hit the Z key, you will UNDO whatever it was that just happened.
Here’s a whole list of shortcuts. How many do you know?
Control A = Select all.
Control B = Bold.
Control C = Copy.
Control I = Italics.
Control P = Print.
Control T = Open new Tab in your browser.
Control U = Underline.
Control V = Paste.
Control X = Cut.
Control Z = Undo.
If you use a Mac, these short cuts are virtually identical – just substitute the Command key for Control and you’re good to go.
Do you know any other keyboard shortcuts that would help writers on their computers? Please share.
Keeping History Alive—an Interview with Bett Fitzpatrick
In the pre-dawn hours of February 18, 1942, three American warships zigzagged in convoy along the south coast of Newfoundland. Caught in a raging blizzard, the three ships ran aground on one of the most inhospitable stretches of coastline in the world—less than three miles apart, within eight minutes of each other. The Wilkes freed herself. The Truxton and Pollux could not. Fighting frigid temperatures, wild surf, and a heavy oil slick, a few sailors, through ingenuity and sheer grit, managed to gain shore—only to be stranded under cliffs some 200 feet high. From there, local miners mounted an arduous rescue mission. In Hard Aground, based onRead more…