Add and Format the Main Text
Now that you have a suitable page set up for a letter, you can add some text (see Figure 1-13). Add the name, recipient address, your address, date, salutation, reference, text, signoff, and your name using the default font and hard returns (i.e. press the Enter key) after each line. You can format sections of this letter by highlighting the text you want to effect and then choosing the appropriate options. To begin with, adjust the size and position of the first element to make it look more like a letterhead by highlighting that and choosing 24 from the Font Size drop- down list (third from the left on the Formatting toolbar). You can also draw more attention to this particular element by making it bold. With the text highlighted, click the B icon on the Formatting toolbar or press Ctrl+B. Finally, select the Centered icon from the Formatting toolbar (or press Ctrl+E) to center the new heading.
Now that you have a suitable page set up for a letter, you can add some text (see Figure 1-13). Add the name, recipient address, your address, date, salutation, reference, text, signoff, and your name using the default font and hard returns (i.e. press the Enter key) after each line. You can format sections of this letter by highlighting the text you want to effect and then choosing the appropriate options. To begin with, adjust the size and position of the first element to make it look more like a letterhead by highlighting that and choosing 24 from the Font Size drop- down list (third from the left on the Formatting toolbar). You can also draw more attention to this particular element by making it bold. With the text highlighted, click the B icon on the Formatting toolbar or press Ctrl+B. Finally, select the Centered icon from the Formatting toolbar (or press Ctrl+E) to center the new heading.
Next you need to reposition your address so it’s flush with the right edge of the page by highlighting the whole address and then clicking the Align Right button or pressing Ctrl+R.
Note You can highlight text using just the keyboard. You can move around the document with the Up, Down, Left, and Right cursor keys, and if you hold down Shift, these movements will select the text. For example, Shift+Right Cursor Key selects the letter to the right of the cursor. However, pressing Ctrl+Shift+Right Cursor Key, you can select the whole word to the right of the cursor. Putting a cursor at the far left of a paragraph and pressing Shift+Down Cursor Key selects the whole line.
Although you can leave the address set right, it might look better set as a single line below the centered letterhead. Highlight the address, and choose Edit --> Cut (or press Ctrl+X) to cut the text to the application’s clipboard. Now click below the letterhead text, and choose Edit --> Paste (or Ctrl+V) to paste the text back in. Obviously, it will be written across a lot of lines, so position the cursor on the left of each line, press Backspace, add a comma between each element, and then click the Centered icon to center the text.
Next, make the Reference section bold, and you’re ready to move on to the main text.
