Generative AI (GenAI) seems to be coming for editors’ jobs. When asked simple grammar or style questions, it can often (but not always!) give a correct answer. Tools like Grammarly, Hemingway Editor, and editGPT use AI to correct text quickly.
But GenAI is no replacement for the human editor. It often fails to understand and preserve a nuanced writing style. It lacks creativity and judgment, reaching only for the most likely next word.
Still, editors are forced to compete against the mediocre results of the machine. Employers and clients seem willing to accept mediocrity if it also means faster and cheaper.
How can we compete?
One way is by learning to work more efficiently. We can use technology to handle some of the mechanics of editing so we can focus on the high-value, creative work, like preserving voice and clarifying ideas.
The right tools can make a huge difference in your editing speed. While AI might be a threat, technology on the whole has made editing easier and quicker. For example, how much easier is it to search for a specific phrase within a 50,000-word manuscript in Word than the same on paper?
Working more efficiently isn’t a new idea. It’s just become more urgent. What follows are some of my favorite tools for editing in Microsoft Word and resources for how to use them.
Macros
Macros offer editors a world of opportunities to use Word more effectively. Simply put, a macro is a user-defined set of instructions that automate a task within a Word file, run most commonly with a keyboard shortcut.
You can use macros to do things like highlight all instances of a phrase in a document, put all items saved on the clipboard into a designated file (hello, style sheet), check citations against a reference list, and even send selected text to a specific website, such as Merriam-Webster’s.
Editors’ favorite macros come from Paul Beverley’s free collection and the Editorium’s (reasonably priced) paid collection.
Macros can be intimidating, though. They can seem mysterious or simply overwhelming. If you’re totally new to macros, check out the training by editors Paul Beverely, Jennifer Yankopolus, Jack Lyon, and Crystal Shelley, as well as the courses from EFA.
Wildcards
Wildcards are another Word feature that sometimes intimidates editors. According to Microsoft, wildcards are “special characters that can stand in for unknown characters in a text value.” You use them in Find and Replace (check “Use wildcards” in the Search Options) to broaden a search in the document.
Let’s say your author has neglected to put hyphens in the telephone numbers in a massive directory. That’s a lot of hyphens to type. Or you could create a wildcard to find all instances of 10-digit numbers with no punctuation and insert hyphens after the third and sixth number. A few keystrokes later, and boom!, you’ve formatted all the phone numbers correctly.*
To learn more about wildcards, check out Jack Lyon’s Wildcard Cookbook for Microsoft Word (also available for free from Intelligent Editing) and “Wildcards and Regular Expressions” by Aaron Dalton.
Consistency Checker for Word
In a similar vein, Intelligent Editing’s PerfectIt is great for consistency checking, especially if you run it on a PC. It’s like a super-charged Find and Replace and wildcards. When you run PerfectIt on a document, the app will run a customizable set of consistency checks called a style sheet. It will check items like the hyphenation of words and phrases, spelling variations, abbreviations not defined, and the capitalization of headings.
On a PC you can create custom style sheets. I create style sheets for all of our ongoing clients, using their house style guide to create the rules. If you use the Chicago Manual of Style in your editing and subscribe to both the online guide and PerfectIt, you can access a CMOS style sheet to run on documents. You can also combine the CMOS style sheet with one of your custom style sheets to run one detailed style sheet for your client work.
For training, check out PerfectIt’s Learning Hub, Hildary Cadman’s online courses, and the Facebook Group PerfectIt Users.
Word Templates
Having a custom Word template for long manuscripts can also be a timesaver. You can create styles that help you more quickly see the structure of the book and input codes, for example. You can easily attach a template to a Word document at the start of the edit and remove it as easily when you’re finished.
Southern Illinois University has a quick guide to templates and Cadman offers courses on using Word styles and templates.
More Word Skills
The better you can use Word, the more efficiently you can edit. Training materials abound, so focus on the ones created with editors in mind; you’re more likely to learn about features you’ll actually use. Both Editing in Word 365 by Adrienne Montgomerie and Cadman’s courses are fantastic. Also check out courses from EFA, CIEP, and ACES.
Citation Generators
While not specific to Word, a citation generator can save you a lot of time during a copyedit. They can fill in missing information and format text to specific guides. Some of the most well-known generators are Edifix, EndNote, Citation Machine, ZoteroBib, and MyBib. If you deal with hundreds of citations in your projects, a paid subscription can be worth the time and effort the tool will save you.
More Tools
Want more tools? Check out the tools section of the Copyeditors’ Knowledge Base for an extensive list.
And for tips on working more efficiently in general, read chapter 11 in my book, The Chicago Guide for Freelance Editors.
* To try the phone-number formatting example, use these wildcards:
Find: ([0-9]{3})([0-9]{3})([0-9]{4})
Replace: (\1) \2-\3
