Writing documents with OpenOffice.org Writer

Despite their obvious advantages, WYSIWIG word processors have a fundamental drawback: people get interested in the final layout of the document too soon, and concentrate less on the content, which is exactly the opposite of what one should do when writing a document

An interesting point, and a very valid one. I’ve occaisionally wondered why I don’t write articles straight into DTP software to see how it looks as I’m writing but this is of course the reason why. It’s also why I like using CMS systems for websites rather than fancy offline tools. It forces me to separate content and presentation as much as possible. I think this makes for better writing.
Just like doing a proper plan for a peice of work, holding back on design can be frustrating but is ultimatly the best way
Using the styles in OpenOffice and Word is much like the use of CSS in web articles. I don’t use it that much but always appreciate it when I do