Writing on a computer isn't such a big deal anymore. In fact, today it's the typewriter that gets the double take. Chances are very good that if you're going to write anything, you'll be using a computer with word processing software, and you'll very likely be using a PC with some variation of Windows and Microsoft Word to help you.

But Word is such a massive program that does much more than merely process words. Do you really need to know all the bells and whistles, the command options and the typographical mumbo jumbo? Probably not. If you're like most Word users, all you want to know is a few answers to some tiny questions.

For this, you've found your book. Word 2002 For Dummies will show you the basics of using this dynamic program and have you quickly doing things like

Saving your stuff
Cutting and pasting a block of text
Quickly finding your place in a large document
Aligning paragraphs
Throwing together a quick yet elegant table
Using a document template
Remember, there's nothing scary about Word. Nothing dangerous. It just may be unfamiliar to you. This guide makes it familiar, providing you with critical information such as

The bare essentials of Word, including moving the cursor, editing text, searching and replacing, marking blocks, and spell checking.
Formatting text . . . characters, lines, paragraphs, pages, and entire documents.
Sprucing up your document with borders, shading, tables, columns, and other interesting goobers.
Creating stuff, from letters and envelopes to greeting cards and labels.
You don't need to be a technogeek to master the workings of Microsoft Word. But you do need some guidance. Let our informative yet not-too-serious computer guru, Dan Gookin – author of the very first For Dummies book and 80 other computer titles – show you the way.