Monday, June 27, 2011

Editing tools

Sadly, Monday Best is no more. I know, I'm sad about it too. But since I'm cutting back, a few sacrifices had to made :(

On a positive note, my book is coming along. I sent the first few pages to a few people, so I am hoping to have it fully edited in three or four months *fingers crossed*

Of course I may go through and edit once more after that, but I will think about that later.

Two more things - First I wanted to let you all know that my next door neighbor and good friend Krista (who wrote a pretty fun fantasy novel) has started a blog. Check it out here.

Second, the lovely Deirdra at A Storybook World gave me the creative blog award!



Isn't it pretty? I love the fairy green clothes, and the dream catcher. So fun!

Moving on...

As I said, I've sent the first few pages of my book out for people to review. (BTW, if you want to do the same, nudge me below, I'll be glad to exchange.) With this process I've come to realize that many people don't know of the editing tools Word has to offer, so I thought I would shed some light. That way others can take advantage too. It makes editing on the computer so much easier.

There are two very handy tools under the review tab -



The first one is called 'track changes.'



With this tool you can make changes to the document and they will show up in red. The author can then choose to use your advice, or not.

The second is called 'new comment'



With this tool you can add notes to the work you're revising by highlighting then adding whatever comment you choose. In the end it will look like this -


Using these tools can greatly increase your ability to give a good critique. Happy editing!

17 comments:

Lyn Midnight said...

Thank God for you, Jen! I know about Track Changes of course, but I've used it so long ago that I'd forgotten how to insert those comments. Bless you.

And that award suits you great. It's how I imagine my muse looks. ^_^ You are an awesome blogger and an awesome friend. I might take you up on that first-pages offer in a week if you're still doing that. Happy blogging! :)

Amy Romine said...

I am bummed about the cut of the Best hop, but as a fellow writer with deadlines I also completely understand! (At least I got do it once lol!)I am so glad to hear that your book is coming along. And I will be checking back often to read how you are doing! **Hugs!**

Scott Niven said...

Awesome! Even though I work in the tech field, I'm not very Word savvy. Thanks for the tip! (I'll check out your friend's blog too!)

Angela V. Cook said...

I have an older version of Word, so it's a little different, but I did figure out how to do those handy dandy notes ;-) I'll have to give "track changes" a try some time.

I critiqued your first 5 pages, I just want to go through it one more time and make sure I didn't miss anything. :o)

catierhodes said...

Thanks for sharing what you've learned. Word is a complex program with tons of stuff the average user never knows about. I think you could play with it forever and never know everything. :D

Logan said...

Jen - good luck on editing - it took me several rounds to get it to somewhat presentable. It is a fantastic feeling though - good luck!

Ava Jae said...

I love those tools on Microsoft Word. I use them all the time. ^_^

Congrats on your blog award!

Melanie said...

Too bad about your hop but I totally understand, as you probably already realize from my cutting out all posts scene!

If you need to send me any more pages, I'm up for it!

Krista said...

Jen, thanks for the mention! You are awesome! Can't wait to start reading your book. Especially since you are taking the time to read mine. Thanks for that too.

Orlando said...

I loved the update on the editing tools. I never used them before and they look great.

Christa said...

Yep, essential tools, esp if your CPs want you to change something that you don't want to change (reject changes- FTW!)

Krista M said...

Your friend has a good name. :) I'm a Krista too. And she spells it right. I don't like it when people try to spell my name with a Ch. I'll definitely check out her blog!

Congrats on your editing going well! If you want someone to read some, I'd love to help. :)

Sarah Coulsey said...

Stoppin by to say Hi from Take Three Tuesday!!!

(Sorry it took soooo long!!! lol)

Sarah
www.sarahsblogoffun.com

Ninja Gal said...

Thanks for this. I rarely use any of the nifty tools that Word has to offer.
Perhaps on a day when I have some time, I'll have some fun with it.

Darlene

Jen Nelson said...

Thanks for the editing tip because I sure didn't know about it. I also understand why you are cutting back on posting. Good luck with your book!

J. A. Bennett said...

@jen I'm cutting back because I'm trying to concentrate on finishing my book. Although, I somehow got roped into five posts this week and I haven't really touched my book today, so it's not really working out, but we'll see :)

Julie said...

Ooo! This is good... keep the editing tips coming!