The sardine fork. The oyster ladle. The cake breaker. The butter pick. Those persnickety Victorians had a utensil for everything! You\u2019ll find some interesting examples here:<\/p>\n
- \n
- A cake breaker<\/a><\/li>\n
- The Lazy Peacock<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Was all of that really necessary? I still eat the occasional sardine, and an ordinary table fork gets the job done. But I\u2019m willing to bet that if I ever tried an actual sardine fork, I\u2019d immediately realize the advantages of doing so. If I ever needed to ladle out oysters, I\u2019ll bet an oyster ladle would be the perfect tool for the job.<\/p>\n
The Wrong Tools<\/h4>\n
Every editor I know uses Microsoft Word. It\u2019s the standard solution, the default program, the accepted tool for word processing. But is it the best tool for editing? Out of the box, it\u2019s not. It has too many features that editors don\u2019t need, and they\u2019re always getting in the way.<\/p>\n
When you\u2019re editing, how often do you use SmartArt? How about WordArt? Page color? No? Then why not get rid of them? Why not turn Word into a lean, mean, editing machine? You can do this by customizing Word\u2019s Ribbon. To do so, click File > Options > Customize Ribbon.<\/p>\n
On the right side of your screen, you\u2019ll now see a list of the Ribbon tabs and groups, like this:<\/p>\n
![\"Jack](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/editorium.com\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/graphic-1.jpg?resize=515%2C767&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/p>\nNotice that I\u2019ve unchecked the \u201cMailings tab.\u201d I don\u2019t want it showing because it\u2019s something I never use. (Note: If you use macros, you should probably keep the \u201cDeveloper\u201d tab; it allows access to those macros and also allows you to load various document templates that may include macros.)<\/p>\n
Now see that dropdown list at the top of the window? The one that says \u201cMain Tabs\u201d? Click it and select \u201cAll Tabs.\u201d Now you\u2019ll have many more options to uncheck:<\/p>\n
![\"Jack](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/editorium.com\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/graphic-2.jpg?resize=511%2C767&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/p>\nDo you really need Chart Tools? Drawing Tools? Picture Tools? If not, make them go away. (Don\u2019t worry\u2014if necessary, you can always get them back again.)<\/p>\n
So far, we\u2019ve been removing whole groups of features at once, but you can also remove individual items from a group\u2014if<\/em> they are items you\u2019ve previously added. Unfortunately Microsoft won\u2019t let<\/em> you remove the individual default features they think you need to have.<\/p>\n
The Right Tools<\/h4>\n
The other problem with Microsoft Word is that it doesn\u2019t have enough<\/em> of the tools that editors need<\/em>\u2014at least not by default. Here again, the solution is to customize the Ribbon. Again, click File > Options > Customize Ribbon. This time, look at the window on the left. In the top dropdown box, select \u201cCommands Not in the Ribbon.\u201d Very interesting!<\/p>\n
![\"Jack](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/editorium.com\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/graphic-3.jpg?resize=515%2C717&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/p>\nThese are Word\u2019s \u201chidden\u201d commands, the features I encouraged you to explore in my previous article \u201cLet\u2019s Go Spelunking<\/a>!\u201d<\/p>\n
Using the buttons in the window, you can add these features to the groups of your choice on Word\u2019s Ribbon. You can even add your own custom tabs and groups by clicking the buttons labeled \u201cNew Tab\u201d and \u201cNew Group.\u201d How about adding a tab called something like \u201cEditing Tools,\u201d with all of the features you need for editing? If you\u2019re also a writer, you could add a tab called \u201cWriting Tools.\u201d Some of the features would be different; some of the features would be the same. There\u2019s nothing wrong with having certain features duplicated between tabs or groups, if that makes your work easier.<\/p>\n
You can select other features by clicking the dropdown list and selecting \u201cAll Commands.\u201d You can even select macros and add them to the Ribbon.<\/p>\n
Add-In Tools<\/h4>\n
Unfortunately, even with the wealth of features that Word provides, there are other editing tools that Word doesn\u2019t<\/em> provide. For example, how often do you need to transpose two words? Two characters? How much time do you spend lowercasing articles and prepositions in titles? How often do you have to reach for the mouse in order to apply a style?<\/p>\n
This is where add-in programs come in. \u201cWhat\u2019s an add-in program?\u201d you ask. An add-in program is a Microsoft Word template that includes custom macros, Ribbon items, and keyboard shortcuts created specifically for a particular task\u2014kind of like those Victorian utensils. As the name suggests, an add-in isn\u2019t an independent piece of software; it actually works inside<\/em> Microsoft Word, adding new features that then seem to be an integral part of Word. This isn\u2019t some kind of hack, by the way; Microsoft Word was designed<\/em> to support such add-ins, which is what makes them possible.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m partial to my own add-ins, of course, the ones I sell on the Editorium<\/a> website. I\u2019m really an editor, not a programmer, and I created these add-ins to make my own work easier. But I think you might like them too.<\/p>\n
One of my favorites is the \u201cCap Title Case\u201d feature in Editor\u2019s ToolKit<\/a>. When I\u2019m working on a manuscript and come across a title like \u201cThe Ghost In The Machine,\u201d or worse, \u201cTHE GHOST IN THE MACHINE,\u201d I select the title and press the F5 function key (which activates the \u201cCap Title Case\u201d feature). Like magic, the title is now capped like this: \u201cThe Ghost in the Machine.\u201d<\/p>\n
If I want to transpose two words, I put my cursor anywhere in the second word and press the F11 key. To transpose two characters, I press F12. Rather than reaching for the mouse to apply a style, I press F5, which puts all of the styles at my fingertips. And as they say on television, there\u2019s much, much more!<\/p>\n
All of these are small things, but those small things add up to big savings in time. And when you\u2019re editing for a living, time is money.<\/p>\n
So how much is an add-in actually worth? If it saves you an hour on a single project, it\u2019s probably paid for itself. On the next project, it pays for itself again. And on and on, into the future. Seldom does such a small investment reap such big rewards.<\/p>\n
Yes, this is a sales pitch, but I genuinely want you to succeed. That\u2019s why I promote other add-ins like Rich Adin\u2019s EditTools<\/a> and Daniel Heuman\u2019s PerfectIt<\/a>.<\/p>\n
These tools can make a real difference in how efficiently you work and how much money you can make. With that in mind, why not get them all, at a very special price<\/a>?<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t think of these tools as an expense; think of them as an investment. Then the next time you need an editing tool, you\u2019ll have it\u2014and it will be the right tool for the job. Instead of dishing out tomato slices with a fork, you can use a tomato spoon! Instead of picking up bacon with your fingers, you can use a bacon fork! Using the right tool for the job makes all the difference in the world.<\/p>\n
Jack Lyon (<\/em>editor@editorium.com<\/em><\/a>)\u00a0owns and operates the <\/em>Editorium<\/em><\/a>, which provides macros and information to help editors and publishers do mundane tasks quickly and efficiently. He is the author of <\/em>Microsoft Word for Publishing Professionals<\/a> and of <\/em>Macro Cookbook for Microsoft Word<\/a>. Both books will help you learn more about macros and how to use them.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Using the right tool can make editing faster, more accurate, and more profitable.<\/p>\n<\/a>","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[77,256,175,409],"tags":[767,267,871,872,873,874],"class_list":{"0":"post-4699","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-computers-and-software","7":"category-contributor-article","8":"category-editing-tools-editorial-matters","9":"category-lyonizing-word","10":"tag-contributor-article-2","11":"tag-jack-lyon","12":"tag-right-tools","13":"tag-unneeded-ribbon-tabs","14":"tag-word-add-ins","15":"tag-wrong-tools","16":"h-entry","17":"hentry"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3gfno-1dN","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/editorium.com\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4699","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/editorium.com\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/editorium.com\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/editorium.com\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/editorium.com\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4699"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/editorium.com\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4699\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6091,"href":"https:\/\/editorium.com\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4699\/revisions\/6091"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/editorium.com\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4699"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/editorium.com\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4699"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/editorium.com\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4699"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
- The Lazy Peacock<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n