So, in order to get my sweetie-wife the speed she needs for her own internet needs I have purchased a second computer. (A used iMac a little faster than my current system.) I’ll take this second computer as my own and this system I am now using will becomes hers in the bedroom. (Or vice versa I will really leave it up to her.)

Anyway along with this change I will be transition most of my writing from the software I use now, Pages, to MS Word. Le Sigh. Word, and MS in general are not things I an enamored with, however there are a number of really good reasons to make the switch.

Foremost, Word is very much an industry standard and it will make my life easier once I started selling. (yes, I am still expecting rather than hoping to sell consistently someday.)

Also Word has a number of features that Pages either lacks or has in a less well-defined version, such as the ability to merge files and Track Changes. I write my novels in chapter files, each and every chapter gets its own file and them I have to cut and paste together into a final assembly. Word would allow me to do it just by merging files.

rack Changes is something I am just learning how to utilize and I can see the real advantages to it for copy edits, particularly when someone else — such as the wonderful Sweetie-wife — has done those edits. With both os us using Word she can make the changes, I can use track Changes to see and approve or reject and so get a clean copy with less paper used.

Buut I will use more MS product. Oh well.