How to Use the Ethical Will Writing Guide ValueWare

Below is a picture of the screen you will see when you begin the program.
PROGRAM PICTURE

The top frame displays outline categories each of which contain several phrases to choose from. 'Values and Beliefs' and 'Lessons and Reflections About Life'' have additional sub-categories that can be opened to see the phrases. Open any category or subcategory by clicking once on the 'plus' sign or double clicking on the category heading. Phrases with '...' at the end denote an incomplete phrase. Click once on a phrase and the full text will appear in the middle frame. Double-click on the phrase and it will appear in the bottom frame too. You can edit phrases in the middle or bottom frame by deleting and adding words as you would in any "Word" document. If you choose 'record your own thoughts below', the cursor automatically moves to the middle frame so you can type in your own ideas.
 

To add phrases to your draft document, click on the "Add Item To Draft" button or double-click on the phrase in the top frame.  The picture below shows a selected phrase in the top frame and the complete phrase in the middle and bottom (Draft Document) frame.
PROGRAM PICTURE

To remove a phrase from the draft document (bottom) frame,  highlight the text and press the delete key.

Saving, editing, and printing your draft

Click the 'Save' button if you want to save your draft. A dialogue box will ask to save your draft in the 'My Documents" folder. Type in a name for the document, for example, Brad's Ethical Will and press enter or click 'Save' on the dialogue box. Your document will be saved in a format called "Rich Text Format" or '.rtf'

When you want to spend more time working on your draft, Click on the "Open" button. This will open the "My Documents" folder. Select and open the draft you want to work on. The draft will automatically appear in the Draft Document frame. You can select, edit, and add phrases from the top frame as previously described. New phrases will be added to the bottom of your draft. You can cut, paste and move text around in the Draft Document frame as you would any word document using the keyboard commands (CTRL + X to cut text, CTRL + C for copying text, and CTRL + V for pasting text). If you attempt to open a file that isn't an 'rtf' file, the program may freeze. If you want to add content from a non-rtf file, open that file outside of the program, highlight the text you want, and copy and paste it into the program using the keyboard commands described above

Click the 'Print' button if you want to print a copy of your draft.

Next Steps

As you went through this process, you probably noticed the heartfelt nature of some of these phrases. Most people chose phrases that have special meaning to them, either because of previous life experiences, or because there's a story behind the phrase you chose or edited.

If you want to revise your draft, a logical next step would be to write down your stories and experiences that relate to the phrases you chose.

For additional resources consider obtaining the book, Ethical Wills: Putting your Values on Paper by Barry K. Baines, MD, which contains a number of specific writing exercises to create more content for your ethical will.. Additional reading resources can be found in the "Ethical Will Information" help page on the Recommended Reading List.

For an overview of ethical wills, information about workshops, and to read more than 25 ethical will examples, visit the ethical will web site, www.ethicalwill.com

Once you have completed your ethical will, consider writing it long-hand on archival paper. Imagine its impact on the person reading your ethical will. Not only will they hear your voice from the heart, they will also be holding the document written in the hand of the person whose voice they are hearing.

Return to the program by clicking on the'x' at the top right portion of this screen.

Use the 'Help' menu in the program for more information about ethical wills.

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