{"id":5373,"date":"2015-11-18T04:00:27","date_gmt":"2015-11-18T09:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/americaneditor.wordpress.com\/?p=5373"},"modified":"2016-09-19T19:10:29","modified_gmt":"2016-09-20T01:10:29","slug":"lyonizing-word-why-computers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/editorium.com\/archive\/lyonizing-word-why-computers\/","title":{"rendered":"Lyonizing Word: Why Computers?"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Jack Lyon<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Dan A. Wilson, of The Editor\u2019s Desktop, once advised editors that a computer is \u201cfar and away your most valuable tool, your ultimate enabler, your brain\u2019s second-in-command. A brain with a pencil in its hand cannot compete \u2014 indeed, cannot even credibly challenge \u2014 a brain with a computer and computer-sophistication at its disposal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why would that be so? After all, even under the guidance of the most brilliant programmer, a computer can\u2019t ensure that a manuscript has accuracy, clarity, or elegance of expression. But a computer can <\/em>fix hundreds of mechanical problems that editors shouldn\u2019t have to worry about, and it can do it quickly and consistently.<\/p>\n

If something can <\/em>be automated, then automate it! Let the computer do the heavy lifting. Why is that important? Because it enables you to do more work in less time, and it frees your mind to concentrate on the things that a computer can\u2019t<\/em> handle (like accuracy, clarity, and elegance of expression). If you\u2019re working for a corporation, that makes you more valuable as an employee (making raises more likely and layoffs less likely). If you\u2019re working for yourself, it enables you to earn more money for the time you put in (as long as you\u2019re charging by the job, the word, or the page, which you should be [see, e.g.,\u00a0On the Basics: Dealing with the Perennial Question of Setting Rates for Our Work<\/em><\/a>]).<\/p>\n

Editors working on a computer almost always use Microsoft Word. Love it or hate it (I do both), it is unquestionably the de facto word processor in the publishing world. So how can you use Word to automate whatever can be automated? Here are some suggestions:<\/p>\n

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  1. Learn to use the full power of Word\u2019s find and replace feature, including wildcards. My Wildcard Cookbook for Microsoft Word<\/a><\/em> will teach you everything you need to know. (No brag, just fact, as we used to say in grade school.)<\/li>\n
  2. Learn to record and run macros to automate repetitive editing tasks. My Macro Cookbook for Microsoft Word<\/a><\/em> is a good starting place.<\/li>\n
  3. Use Microsoft Word add-ins (like the ones I create at The Editorium<\/a>) that expand Word\u2019s features to automate various editorial tasks. Let\u2019s look at what some of those add-ins can do to ease your workload.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    FileCleaner<\/h3>\n

    We\u2019ll start with one of my most popular add-ins, FileCleaner, which cleans up some of the most common problems in electronic manuscripts, including:<\/p>\n