The default keystrokes for accented characters are as follows:
Symbols joined by a + need to be held down at the same time;
Symbols separated by a coma need to be hit in sequence, one after the other.

        If you want to change the defaults and use other keystrokes to access accent marks, follow these instructions. You will only need to do this once and the computer you're working on will remember the keystrokes you've set up. However, if you move to a different machine, you'll probably have to go through this set-up process again. 

1.  Go to the "Insert" menu and choose "Symbol" 
2.  Get "Normal text" and then highlight the character you want 
3.  Click on "Shortcut Key" 
4.  Type in the keystrokes you want for that character 

(such as "alt + e" for "é")

5.  Repeat this process for each special character you need