(Note: This article was originally published to JamieMcSloy.co.uk on July 23rd, 2019. I’m going through an old backup of the site, which has hundreds of posts that aren’t currently uploaded. As I’m working hard on updating the site – and releasing The Vault, letting these old posts be the daily posts for a while. We’re getting very close now, so bear with me. Soon I’ll resume regular posting and then just upload these archives in one go.)
Word Processor LARPing For Multi-Discipline Success
I believe I’ve written before on this blog that if you want to overcome writer’s block, a fun yet strangely effective tip is to change the font on your word processing software to something different.
And I’ve also written about how aesthetics are important; and the more I learn about this, the more important it all becomes.
Finally, I’ve written about turning every process you do into templates.
Let’s combine these for a quick article.
Microsoft Word: TEMPLATISE
(I’m pretty sure templatise isn’t a real word.)
In Microsoft Word, there’s a bar with the styles of the various typefaces on them: Heading 1, normal/body text, paragraphs and quotes.
Not only can you change the fonts globally for the document on these, you can also set them to be the new default.
This is useful if you hate the fact that Word’s default styling is completely devoid of styling.
But it’s also something you can play around with to greater effect.
Example
Let’s say you’re a blogger, copywriter and author.
Chances are, you get into very different moods when you’re writing fiction, a sales letter for a client or a blog post.
And if you have multiple blogs, then you’re probably in a different headspace when you’re writing about preparing for the collapse of the economy, versus, say, how to get a six-pack with bodyweight exercises. Or reviewing the best email marketing software or something.
Here’s what I’ve started doing:
I’ve started creating a document template for each topic with its own specific type-face.
These can by stereotypical or personal in nature, and you can do whatever you want with them really.
So, let’s say you write fiction; in a lot of cases, you can pay homage to the books you find most stylish by simply copying their fonts and spacing. In a lot of books, the typefaces are on the copyright/legal page.
If you copy the headlines, page sizes (e.g. if you’re writing a book with the intention of publishing a trade paperback, set the page size and margins to 8.5×5.5 or 6×9 inches, and the font size and style similar to your genre’s books.)
This is surprisingly effective at “getting you in the zone.”
Then, when it’s time to switch projects to your blog, you fire up a new document template with an Arial font (or whatever your blog is,) and you go to write on that document.
Extension and Intro To Branding
The closer you get to the finished document with this, the more it helps your work along.
If you like, you can use this as a branding exercise: If you have an “elegant” brand, you’ll want to use an Old Face type font that looks like something a Victorian hotel might use.
But if you’re writing something rebellious and political, you might want to use stencil fonts. Tech related? Try some of those space-age fonts.
The weird mind-trick is that different fonts massively affect the meaning of the same words.
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, and you can go from nursery school poster through to family axe murderer just by changing fonts.
Final Thoughts
This isn’t a huge leap forward for man or anything, but it’s one of those little experiments that you can run right now. It’s also something that’ll make a big difference for very little effort; once you’ve set the templates up, they’ll require no further effort and yet you’ll continue to reap the benefits.