Editing Tips using Word

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Editing your own hard-written manuscript is one of the most difficult and draining aspects of the writing craft. Even if, in a masochistic way, you enjoy the process of tightening and improving your work, you probably still feel that the bulk of your time should really be spent writing new manuscripts, not editing old ones.

I’d like to share some tools that might make your editing process a little quicker and easier. If you use a computer, you don’t need anything more than the word processing package you use to write on. The “How to” instructions at the end of this article relate specifically to MS Word. If you use WordPerfect or Linux, use your Help menu to search for the tools referred to.

I’ve discovered and developed these tools over my nine years of being a writer, and I use them daily while I write and edit. Here are five to get you started.

1.       If you have a document that’s ready for the first major edit, turn the line numbering function on before you print a draft to read through. This allows you to make notes in a separate notebook and insert or delete scenes, using only the page number and line number(s) as a reference. No more asterisks and arrows, or quoting portions of your text so that you can find your place. Tell me how!

2.       Make use of tools, such as AutoText or Macros, that automatically insert more complicated character or location names for you. Add names not recognised by your spell checker to the dictionary. This means you enter the name once, and the same spelling is used throughout the manuscript. You’ll no longer need to check the spelling of character names. Tell me how!

3.       Use footnotes to make notes about character and plot development as you are writing, or comments about editing changes if you’re rewriting. Tell me how!

4.       Insert a table of contents to enable you to find the exact scene you feel you need to work on at a given moment. Tell me how!

5.       Insert a bookmark when you’re about to finish editing for the day so that you can return to the same point at your next sitting. Tell me how!

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How to turn line numbering on and off

Click Page Setup on the File Drop-Down Menu.

Click the Layout Tab.

Click the Line Numbers button.

Check the box next to Add Line Numbering. Uncheck the box to remove line numbering.

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How to add a character to the AutoText feature

Click Insert, AutoText (in Word 2002/03 this drops down to another menu, so click “AutoText…” on this menu)

Type your character’s name in the “Enter AutoText entries here” box.

Click Add.

You’ll learn many more ways to keep track of your characters in the Word 4 Writers course.

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How to record a Macro

Click Tools, Macro, Record New Macro

Give your macro a name in the Record New Macro dialog box

Click OK

Any text you now type and any buttons you click will be recorded as part of the macro (this includes any mistakes you make and then correct).

Click the Stop button on the Stop Recording Toolbar

Run your macro by selecting it on the Play Macro dialog box

Learn how to turn your macro into a button on your toolbar in the Word 4 Writers course.

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How to insert a Footnote

Click Insert, Footnote (if you have Word 97/2000)

or

Click Insert, Reference, Footnote (if you have Word 2002/03)

Select any preferences you have (eg, using symbols instead of numbers to mark your footnotes)

Click Insert

Learn how to browse your footnotes and export them into your planning notes.

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How to insert a Table of Contents

The Table of Contents (TOC) set up relies on Styles being in place, so apply a style other than Normal to any headings, etc, you want included in your TOC.

Do this by highlighting the heading, clicking the down arrow on the Style Drop-Down Menu on the Formatting Toolbar, and selecting a different Style.

Click Insert, Index and Tables (Word 97/2000)

Or

Click Insert, Reference, Index and Tables (Word 2002/03)

Click the Table of Contents Tab

Click the Options button

Assign a TOC Level (eg, 1) to every type of style you’ve applied to text that you want in your TOC. Delete the level numbers next to styles you don’t want in your TOC, like Normal . Using TOC Level 1 for all the styles you want is fine – it refers to the way the TOC will be laid out (TOC Level 2 lines are usually indented slightly).

Click OK to exit the Options dialog box.

Click OK to exit the Index and Tables dialog box and insert your TOC.

If you change anything in your document, update your TOC by right-clicking on it and selecting Update Fields.

A Table of Contents can be temperamental. The Word 4 Writers course contains all the troubleshooting tips I’ve learnt over the years. You’ll also learn how to modify styles to suit your preferences.

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How to insert a Bookmark

Highlight text to use as a bookmarker

Click Insert, Bookmark

Name your bookmark

Click Add

To find your bookmark, use Edit, Go To

Select Bookmark under “Go To What”

Select the name you gave the bookmark from the drop-down box

Click Go To

copyright © Elsa Neal 2005 (Please contact the for permission to reprint this article.)

This article appears in the January 2005 edition of the Inspired2Write Newsletter

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