how to keep text format when adding new cells?

[hotmud]

Help! I am trying to work in a table dynamically. I will need to add and remove cells as I go. I want to text to retain the styles that I give them. When I add new cells to the table, the existing text forgets the style that I gave it and takes on new styles - as though the cells themselves are keeping the styles, not the text.

(My ultimate goal is that I am preparing a 2-column table that will contain two tables of contents that I need to compare. I'll be adding blank cells so that both, for example, chapter 2's begin in the same row. and I will be removing cells when I determine that the sections are the same. I am using my own styles. The TOCs are no longer "fields." )



How do I get the style to stay with the text and not with the table cell?

Thank you!