This is why it’s important to find a critique group, partner, or pay for the service. It’s part of the writing process, and if you plan on publishing, a key component.
I thought I’d share with you how you, the writer, can keep track of your story as you move along.
This pertains to writing in Microsoft Word (MS). I’ve found a few of these simple functions helped me revise my works, along with providing critiques of others’ stories. I know many writers use book-writing software, such as Scrivener and Vellum, and it’s all-good.
My focus is on MS, an application most of us already have on our computers, so let’s get started.
Table of Contents
Speech
Text to Speech allows you to listen to your writing, which is crucial when it comes to finding errors. When we read, our brains are wired to fill in missing words. This alone can cause us to overlook:
- Repetitive words
- Wrong word usage
- Punctuation.
Sitting back and listening to what we’ve written is a great aid to feeling the flow. If you don’t feel it, revisit it.
To add this function in, the first thing you’ll want to do is activate the speech to text function in Word by going to Control Panel – Speech Recognition, and on the left side, clicking Text to Speech. The below is what should pop-up:
If you click on the down arrow from the voice selection, you can choose a voice to your liking, even though there are only a few listed.
Afterwards, click on Okay to save. You can also download a text to speech in another language. Here’s the instructions.
Now you want to add it to your toolbar, so go to the top of a Word document (Quick Access Toolbar), click on the down arrow, and then More Commands. You’ll get a pop-up like the below image. On the left, make sure the Quick Access Toolbar is highlighted, choose “All Commands” for the first column, and “For All Documents” for the second column. Scroll down in the first column, choose “Speak”, click on the “Add” button and you should then see it under the “For All Documents”. Click “OK” to save it and you should see it at the very top of Word.
Review
When I first started writing, I would spend hours on a paragraph or page, tweaking it constantly. Then I finally grasped the concept that first drafts are “rough drafts”. It’s a conception document where you write down the story, however you approach it, either as a plotter or panster.
I’m a panster so this is where the Review tab works wonders. Under the tab, I click on “Review Pane” under Tracking, and a Revisions box appears on the left.
Instead of stopping and trying to work it out, I’ll highlight what exactly I’m having an issue with and comment on it. This way, it allows me to continue with my rough draft, and inform me of concerns on future revisions.
Examples of what I comment on are areas where I can expand and show, change word usage, or if I want to flesh out a character or the plot more.
If I stumble on a word and I find myself tweaking it, I’ll highlight with a comment to look for another word. Sometimes I’ll mark a paragraph that I know could use more show. It’s an incredible way to keep your research and notes in one place.
The comments section is useful to insert research links. If you’re writing about knives, but unsure of the types of knives, a search for this information and a copy of the link in the comments allows you a future reference point.
Critique
When I analyze my work or someone else’s, I use these functions along with the free option of Grammarly. I’ll first highlight paragraphs, click on Speak, and listen to each paragraph.
If I catch any errors, I’ll go to the Review Tab and click “Track Changes” to remove or add words or comment on the craft of writing, regarding character and plot development and pace.
I normally won’t use Grammarly for critiques of someone else’s works, because my focus is on the craft. I’ll do light editing, but the brunt of the critique is focused on the story. The story will need several more revisions, so doing a heavy edit will only hinder the writer and me.
We all have our way of writing and editing—what feels right. For those who haven’t found their way yet, I hope these suggestions help you. Best of luck and keep on writing!
Guest Post Bio
Denise Baer is a native of the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, and currently resides in Germany with her husband and fur-baby, Shakespeare. She can be stubborn and downright finicky; the last one doesn’t apply to food though. Denise is a blogger, poet, and multi-genre author of two published books: Net Switch and Fogged Up Fairy Tale. Through her imprint, Baer Books Press, she’s published her poetry book, Sipping a Mix of Verse; compiled, formatted, and published a cookbook, La Folie Forty; along with being a contributor and publisher of a poetry anthology, Silver Lining – Poets Against Violence, and a short story anthology, No Bounds. Both anthology proceeds go to charity.