(Whoops! Cut myself off of that last one!)
Last question (for now):
5. How do I get the timing in a measure accurate?! In the stems up, I showing a chord of 2 dotted quarters, then an eighth note, and then 2 quarters. On the same stave, with the stems down, I'm showing a chord of 2 quarter notes and then a chord of dotted half notes. NWC is skewing the timing, making the measure appear 2 beats longer than it is, and of course, it doesn't play rhythmically correct with the rest of the song!
Thanks a bunch!!
Using staff layering, you'll get exactly this as you want.
Otherwise, there is a solution that is not appreciated by some people: it is to decompose your dotted quarter (chord or not) into quarter+eighth, both of them being tied (not slurred). Use / before inserting each quarter to ensure that the tie is displayed for each quarter.
Let me know if this is not sufficient for you.
MAD