Why Authors Need to Up Their Microsoft Word Game
You could be getting more out of publishing's favorite writing tool
Writers should know how to use macros. I put off learning about them for some time myself, but they were easy to learn how to use. Now, macros save me time, help me stay focused, and reduce my need to use a mouse/TouchPad, decreasing my risk of carpal tunnel syndrome.
This post is not a tutorial, although resources on getting set up are provided. I wanted to instead discuss what macros are and how they can aid fiction writers specifically—as this would have helped me back when I thought my barebones grasp of Microsoft Word was sufficient. Even if you’ve written entire novels without the use of macros before, I recommend reading this post and giving them a chance.
First: Do you need to write in Word?
No. You can write your drafts wherever you like, including Scrivener, a notebook, and the backs of bubblegum wrappers. But if you plan on handing your manuscript to a professional editor, literary agent, or publisher, they will need to receive it as a Word (docx) file.
Why?
Microsoft Word is the industry standard. Word comes with a robust set of tools that make editing and formatting a manuscript possible.
Therefore, whether you write your initial draft in Word or not, it eventually needs to make its way there, and once it does, you can use its higher-level tools to improve your manuscript.
What are macros?
Microsoft describes macros this way:
In Word, you can automate frequently used tasks by creating and running macros. A macro is a series of commands and instructions that you group together as a single command to accomplish a task automatically.
When I was first learning about macros, it was hard for me to envision what “a series of commands” grouped “together” might look like, or how this would be useful. But they’re more than merely useful—as editor Paul Beverley, the creator of hundreds of macros, says: “I simply wouldn’t bother editing without [macros].”
I think authors who take the time to learn how to use macros will end up feeling the same way—why write or revise without them? And the learning curb isn’t steep: It’ll take most folks anywhere from an hour to a day to set themselves up for using macros. And once you figure them out, it’s a breeze to keep using them.
How can macros help you write a novel?
If you are writing in Word, you can use macros while you’re writing to speed things up. I’ll give you some examples. All macros mentioned here will be linked to below under the “Get set up” heading.
Here’s one of the simplest but most useful macros:
MerriamFetch
Let’s say you need to look up a word while you’re writing. I just saw someone online insist that potable water is any water you can’t drink; this is a person who would benefit from MerriamFetch.
Here’s the process of looking up a word when you’re writing without the help of macros:
You type the word (let’s say potable). Pause. Wonder if it means what you think it means.
You minimize the Word window and open up your browser. Maybe you check your email real quick, or your social media, and you get distracted.
You remember what it was you intended to do.
You type www.merriam-webster.com into your browser.
You type the word you want to look up in the dictionary’s search bar.
Click enter.
There’s the definition! (Potable water is drinking water.)
Minimize your browser (and maybe check social media again). Maximize Word. Continue writing.
I just timed myself, and this took me 30 seconds to do. If you get distracted and start watching YouTube or answering emails, it could take hours.
Here’s the process with a macro:
You type the word. Pause. Wonder if it means what you think it means. Click your cursor anywhere on the word.
You use your keyboard shortcut to activate the MerriamFetch macro. (You get to choose your own keyboard shortcuts, which helps you remember them. My shortcut for this macro is Alt + M.)
Your browser automatically opens to the dictionary definition of the word your cursor was on.
Read the definition and go back to writing.
This took me 10 seconds total, so 1/3 of the time, and since it brought me straight to the dictionary, I didn’t have the same opportunity to get distracted online. When you use macros over and over again during the course of writing a novel, they will save you a lot of time (and it’s also much gentler on your hands/fingers).
You can use the same macro, slightly adjusted, to quickly look up words in a thesaurus as well.
Let’s look at some more macros
GoogleFetch
This macro lets you google words or phrases instantly, much in the same way MerriamFetch does.
Macros for revision
The following two macros search through your entire document. They’re meant to be used during the revision stage—so even if you don’t write your books in Word, you can still revise with macros.
WordFrequency
Do you suspect that you use certain filler words like just, slightly, or so too often in your prose?
WordFrequency counts the number of times every word is used in your document and then spits out a new document that has a list like this:
The WordFrequency macro is great for improving weak prose and redundancy quickly. This goes beyond obvious filler words. How many instances are there in your novel of the word yawn? Wave? Giggle? Authors often have gesture words they overuse.
WordFrequency can also help you improve your descriptions and deepen POV. For example, the word felt should not usually be high on your frequency list. If it is, you might want to search for the uses of felt (using Ctrl + F, on Windows) in your manuscript and replace sentences like “He felt happy” with stronger, more immersive descriptions.
Eyes is another word to look out for. Many authors write sentences like this:
Her eyes swept across the room and took in the boys wrestling in the corner.
This might be better revised to something like:
The boys were wrestling in the corner.
(No eyes needed at all. The reader already understands that whatever is being described is what the narrator is looking at.)
ProperNounAnalyse
This macro makes a list of every proper noun (along with its frequency) in your document and highlights ones that look similar in red, alerting you to potential spelling errors. This is great for SFF writers, as normal spellcheckers will not reliably catch typos for many of your character names, country names, et cetera.
This is just the tip of the iceberg
I have a lot more tips on how to use macros, but I don’t want this post to be excessively long. Consider this the first in a series.
Get set up
This post is not a tutorial. I might write one of my own one day, but for now, Amelia Winters has a direct and helpful set of instructions on how to install and run macros.
Macros mentioned in this post
You can change the MerriamFetch code so that it takes you to your preferred dictionary or thesaurus. Just replace the “https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/” URL in the code with the URL you want to go to, like a thesaurus (https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/).
Note that Merriam-Webster is the standard dictionary used by US publishers and editors. If you’re in the UK, you might prefer to use the Oxford Dictionary. The Canadian standard is currently the Canadian Oxford Dictionary. Just remember that if you use a different URL, you should rename the macro so that you can remember what it does (e.g., ThesaurusFetch or OxfordFetch).
Paul Beverley, who created this macro, also has a video about ProperNounAnalyse:
And he has a nice, long video on writing fiction with macros here:
I hope this gave you a clearer idea of what macros are for!
Until next time,
Hannah Varacalli
Copy & Developmental Editor
www.hveditorial.com