A critical problem in MS Word, is that it won’t let you define the default size of the Footnotes Pane. Word will let you view your footnotes only in that small default window, which you always have to enlarge with the mouse. If you need a larger Footnotes Pane to write or review your footnotes, you can use a Word Macro included in a .bas file you can download from this page.

Assign a Keyboard Shortcut to this macro, in order to easily use it to open the Footnotes Pane in the size that you prefer. This size is expressed in the code by the nPaneSize variable. I have given it the value of 42, which means that 42% of MS Word space will go to the main text, and the rest will go to the Footnote Pane. Change this as you wish!

Please note also that the Footnote Pane works in Draft View, but not in Web or Print Layout, in which cases footnotes are always visible.

Read this post if you are not familiar with importing MS Word macros using .bas files.

Download the Larger Footnotes Pane macro for Word

Being yourself an author or student you will perhaps appreciate especially this feature, that the very structure of the book will teach you how to work. The book contains even chapters on how to prepare a document for professional publishers such as Amazon. Reading Steven Adams' Writing a book or thesis in Microsoft Word you are surprised realizing it makes you want to work -- to think, write, use Word and be creative!