Editorium Update

Microsoft Word includes a number of layout features that you’ll need if you’re doing serious typesetting or desktop publishing. They’re not always easy to get to, however, or to understand. For various reasons, Microsoft has strung them all over the place, under File, View, Insert, Format, and Tools. Good grief! I recommend that you use Word’s Customize feature (Tools/Customize) to put them all in one place on a new menu or toolbar where you can easily find and use them together.

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After I published our last issue, in which I hammered on “paper” editors fairly hard, LeAnne Baird wrote to remind me that there are times when editing on paper may be the best way to go. What are those times? Here are a few for your consideration:

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Editorium Update usually just assumes that you’re editing on the computer, specifically in Microsoft Word. But *why* should you edit on the computer? Because, to attain the same level of quality, it’s cheaper than editing on paper–cheaper in money, time, and stress. I’ve heard editors complain that they don’t like to edit on the computer because they “miss things.” I’ve got news for them: They miss things on paper, too. In my experience, editors who really understand the advantages of editing on the computer wouldn’t go back to working on paper for anything. Here are some of those advantages, particularly in Microsoft Word, which I offer for those who don’t understand them or who may need to convince others of their reality:

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Last week we talked about Microsoft Word’s Spike feature, which lets you cut as many blocks of text as you want (like sticking them on a spike) and then paste them all at once in your chosen location. You can read last week’s newsletter here:

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