Templates can save you hours, and the only limit there is to the number you have is the size of your hard disk (or your cloud storage). Although Word actually comes with many templates, you'll almost certainly want to create your own. For example, you may want to include your address automatically in your letters. As a writer, you may also want to include other information in every document, such as your name, the title of the story or article, the word count, and the rights offered (such as FNASR — First North American Serial Rights — or FBSR — First British Serial Rights).

When you're creating a template, it's a good idea to think ahead, to the time when you'll be looking for a document. Fill in the Properties section of the document at this stage, and that information will automatically be in every document you create with this template. Just go to File- Properties and take it from there.

It's a good idea to modify the margins in the template rather than in each individual document you create. This is handy to know if you always find that have to adjust the bottom margin, say, whenever you print with an inkjet printer. You can also set the size of the document and whether it is portrait or landscape. Just go to File-Page Setup.

You can have different templates for different kinds of document or article. Also, you can create a new document based on an existing one without going to the bother of creating a template, and you can save an existing document as a template. That will enable you to create a document just like it in the future, simply replacing the text as needed.

You don't have to stick with the paragraph styles provided by Word. If you have created your own, include them in the template so that they are just a mouse click away. In this way, certain types of document, such as personal letters, can have their own distinctive "look".

Enter any text that you always want in your documents, such as your address, formatted to look exactly how you want. Also, include pictures too if you like. Then select File-Save As, and choose the file type "Template".

To actually use your templates, select File-New or, depending on the version of Word you’re using, File-New from template, and then choose the one you want.

Top tips:

1. Templates can also include information that changes, such as today's date or the page number. You can place that sort of information in a header or footer (text that appears at the top or bottom of each page in the document).

2. You can have different templates for different kinds of document or article.