Great Editations

            As I finish writing an essay about Charles Dickens’ novel Great Expectations, I figured I’d use this week’s blog post to discuss how I tend to edit electronically (hence my clever, not-so-clever title).

            When I write essays, I usually make multiple drafts. I don’t think I physically or mentally could sit down and crank out a major paper in one day (kudos to those of you who can and still receive a decent grade!). I feel like I have to spend a significant amount of time planning, organizing, and prewriting or else I won’t be able to gain a strong sense of the direction I want to take. With that, I also spend a fair amount of time editing each draft. I use Microsoft Word for all my writing assignments; while I’m editing, the tools I use most are the Comment, highlighting, and font color features. For me, I use each tool for a different purpose.

            The Comment feature allows me to take on the role as my own editor. I write myself suggestions, questions, comments, etc. In an earlier blog post, I mentioned how sometimes I try to edit as an outsider. This method of editing is what I was referring to. I find this tool extremely helpful. It doesn’t clutter up my essay and I don’t have to print out multiple copies of my paper. I can leave the Comments in one draft and refer back to them when I start a new one. My comments to myself range from really helpful, witty, “brainstormy”, to overly critical (if I’m having a bad day and just feel like I need to lash out at myself). I include anything from phrasing suggestions, reminders to cite a source, alternative word choices, instructions for clarification, and more! It also corresponds directly to the text that I want to focus on. I think the Comment feature is incredibly helpful for someone like me who writes a major assignment over a period of time. With each new draft, I make new comments. Making new drafts also helps me see things I didn’t previously or helps me ensure I implement the necessary changes.

            Highlighting and changing font color are also very important to me when I write. I use highlighting the least, only for thesis statements and topic sentences. Highlighting helps me to see if my support/evidence matches my main arguments. Or, if I have an idea I’m really unsure about, I will also highlight it so I don’t forget about it. When I change my font color, I mainly use red. In Microsoft Word, it stands out, but is also easy on the eyes. With this Dickens essay, I primarily changed the font color on words/phrases I wasn’t sure about (ones I wanted to find synonyms for, look up definitions for, possibly change, or refer back to in general). “Red-fonting” also gives me a break from Comments; I don’t have to remark on every word or phrase I need to examine more closely. It’s also a quick and efficient “flag” when I’m editing; if I see red, I know that part needs more work. Sometimes I’ll use different font colors for different parts of a paragraph if I really want to check for structural/organization components. Perhaps I’ll make the introduction to a quote green, an analysis of the quote purple, and a “bigger picture” idea blue. As with Comments, font color is a feature I can leave aside in one draft and just refer back to with newer drafts.

            If I want to become an editor, or develop my editing skills, I know I need to learn/practice with more of Word’s editing features, especially Track Changes. I haven’t used it before because I didn’t like all the markup it creates. However, I think it’s something I should get used to and comfortable with working around. I also know I should learn more about styles, themes, layout, references (inserting charts, table of contents, etc.). I think Chapters 5 and 6 of our textbook provided me with a decent understanding of where/how to start using more of the features my word processing software offers and how to start thinking about editing electronically.