June 2007

There were 2 posts published in June 2007 (this is page 1 of 1).

Effective Onscreen Editing

If you've spent much time in user groups related to Microsoft Word, Macintosh computers, or technical writing, you've probably seen postings and articles by Geoff Hart, one of the most prolific, respected, and helpful writers and Word experts I know. And now for the big news: Geoff has released his long-awaited book Effective Onscreen Editing! You can learn more about the book here:

http://www.geoff-hart.com/home/onscreen-book.htm

Effective Onscreen Editing is yet to be released in print form, but the PDF version is well worth acquiring--723 pages, exquisitely designed for on-screen reading. I'm going to want the printed version so I can study on my patio with a lemonade in hand, but the PDF offers some real advantages, not the least of which are the clickable hyperlinks to online resources and the ability to search the text (CTRL + F in Adobe Reader).

The book is extremely well organized and amazingly thorough, covering everything from determining your pay rate to preventing repetitive stress injury, from personalizing your software to implementing a practical backup strategy. I've included the basic table of contents below, but you can download the complete table here:

Click to access EOE-detailed-TOC.pdf

If you're editing onscreen, you can't afford *not* to buy this book. I give it my strongest recommendation--and besides, Geoff deserves your support. You can purchase the book here:

http://www.geoff-hart.com/ccart/

Many thanks to Geoff for creating this wonderful resource.

Contents of Effective Onscreen Editing

I. Overview and introduction

Chapter 1. My goal and approach in this book

Chapter 2. Advantages of onscreen editing

Chapter 3. Writing and editing are human endeavors

II. Mastering the tools

Chapter 4. Personalizing how your software works

Chapter 5. Moving around the document and selecting text

Chapter 6. Using revision tracking

Chapter 7. Inserting and deleting text

Chapter 8. Using the search tools (find and replace) to improve consistency

Chapter 9. Developing style sheets: a tool for consistency

Chapter 10. Using spelling and grammar checkers

Chapter 11. Automating your edits

Chapter 12. Editing in special situations

Chapter 13. Using the Internet to improve your editing

III. Identifying and overcoming barriers

Chapter 14. Coping when revision tracking isn't available

Chapter 15. Developing safeguards

Chapter 16. Solving the proofreading problem

Chapter 17. Coping with the human factor

Chapter 18: Putting the theory to work: a four-step implementation process

Appendix I. Developing a sound backup strategy

Elements of a backup strategy

Recovering the current version of your work

Recovering previous versions of your work

Protecting yourself against viruses and other malware

Protecting yourself against theft and damage

Appendix II: Protecting yourself from injury while using the computer

Aches and pains

Hand problems

Eye strain

Solutions

Appendix III: Changes made in Word XP, Word 2003, and Word 2004

Adapting the tips in the main text to work with these versions of Word

Further reading

Useful references

Helpful Internet resources

You'll find more information about Geoff himself at his website:

www.geoff-hart.com

And again, you can purchase the book here:

http://www.geoff-hart.com/ccart/

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READERS WRITE

After reading the last newsletter on "The Need for Speed," Bill Rubidge wrote:

One suggestion I would add, since it is so basic, is: Learn to use the keyboard whenever possible, rather than the mouse. And I'm not necessarily suggesting learning and memorizing the keyboard commands--I'm just suggesting using the keyboard Alt keys to access the Word menus and move through them to the command you want and would otherwise access via numerous mouse moves and clicks. Once you display the keyboard commands (use the options to do this), learning to use the keyboard instead of the mouse is pretty quick.

Many thanks to Bill.

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RESOURCES

Jonathan's Tool Bar & Grill reviews many free or cheap utilities and Web sites, both of general interest and of special interest to writers and editors. Among the writer's productivity tools recommended are:

* ToDoList (free task list manager)

* Smart Type Assistant (shareware abbreviation expander)

* Phrase Express (free abbreviation expander)

* WordWeb (free dictionary)

* Documeron (free quick access to recently used files)

* TinySpell (free text spell-checker)

* FileBox Extender (free quick access to recently used folders)

* TraxTime (shareware punch clock)

* Copernic Desktop Search (free)

* Screenshot Captor, FastStone Capture, and MW Snap (free screen capture tools)

For more information, visit the blog here:

http://jonathanstoolbar.blogspot.com

The Need for Speed

In my last few years as a corporate employee, I felt compelled to edit faster and faster while still maintaining accuracy. (Could it have had something to do with the many rounds of layoffs in the company?) If you're feeling the same squeeze, I have some suggestions that might help.

1. Choose the fast way over the easy way. That sounds paradoxical, but it's often easier to spend *ten* minutes making corrections manually than it is to spend *five* minutes recording and running a macro to make the same corrections automatically. Human nature, I guess. But if you can keep breaking through your own resistance to change, all those new techniques will soon become second nature, and you'll be working at a higher and faster level.

2. If you're still working on an old 233 MHz computer with 256 megs of RAM, get an upgrade, fer cryin' out loud! Buy a new computer--something fast, with, say, a 2GHz processor and at least 1G of RAM (I recommend, for now, sticking with Windows XP and Word 2000 or 2003). Over the past few years, desktop computers have become very powerful--and cheap:

http://www.techbargains.com/

The latest Macs make me drool, but they're on the expensive side:

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore/

"But," you say, "I don't need a fast computer; all I'm doing is reading through one document at a time and making simple corrections." If that's true:

3. Learn how to automate as many tasks as you can; that's what computers are for, and that's why you need one that's fast. If you're still editing as you would on paper, learn how to use macros and wildcard Find and Replace. That will require an investment of time and effort, but you'll be amazed at the results.

http://www.editorium.com/euindex.htm (scroll down to "Macros and Programs").

http://www.editorium.com/euindex.htm (scroll down to "Finding and Replacing").

4. Spend a few minutes once a month researching new software that might make your life easier. There are wonderful programs out there, many of them free, and I'll try to feature some of them in the future. As a friend of mine says, "If you keep doing things the same way, life will never get any better." Of course, I recommend my own Microsoft Word add-ins:

http://www.editorium.com

For lots of other interesting ideas, check out LifeHacker:

http://www.lifehacker.com

5. Maintain your computer. How to do that is beyond the scope of this article, but there's plenty of information on the internet. I like Windows Secrets:

http://www.windowssecrets.com

6. Set your mouse and keyboard to run as fast as you can stand. I always have mine at full blast.

http://lists.topica.com/lists/editorium/read/message.html?mid=1700849395

7. Don't use directly applied formatting. Do use paragraph styles.

http://lists.topica.com/lists/editorium/read/message.html?mid=1705536230

http://lists.topica.com/lists/editorium/read/message.html?mid=1711522967

8. Make sure you've got the final version of the document you need to work on. I can't tell you how many times I've edited something only to have the author say, "Oh, that was a preliminary version." Editing once is fast; editing twice is slow.

9. Educate your authors and clients. If old Professor Higgins always hits ENTER at the end of each line as if using a typewriter, pick up the phone, call the good professor, and explain why that's a bad idea. Don't just sullenly correct the same mistakes time after time. Why not give your authors a checklist of (1) things to do and (2) things not to do? It would make your life easier, and your work faster. I've included a few such items at the end of the instructions for my free Author Tools Template:

http://www.editorium.com/ftp/authortemplate.zip

10. Educate yourself. Spend one hour each week (I like Friday afternoon) learning one new skill or technique that would make your work easier and faster. You might consult my newsletter archive for some ideas:

http://www.editorium.com/euindex.htm

Do you have other hints and ideas about how to speed up editing (while still maintaining quality)? If so, share the love:

mailto:editor [at symbol] editorium.com

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RESOURCES

Macro programs

Can't do what you need with Word macros? Check these out:

http://www.autohotkey.com/

http://docs.blacktree.com/quicksilver/quicksilver

http://www.keyboardmaestro.com/main/