How to edit with Microsoft Word

So you love to write, and you’ve found a critique partner who also loves to write. How do you go about critiquing each other’s works?

You can do it verbally, handwritten with a red pen (gasp!), or through a software program. All work well. In fact, the writers I know have used each option at one time or another depending on the circumstances.

The Storyteller Squad prefers the third option. We use Microsoft Word because it allows us to make recommendations with:

• comments in a sidebar,
• the deletion of fluffy words,
• and the replacement of weak words with stronger ones.

Below is an example of how Michelle McCorkle, author of Elleson, critiqued a few paragraphs in my first chapter of The Demons Among Us. Note that she provided honest comments in a constructive manner and that she felt comfortable deleting words that didn’t move the story forward.

Follow these four easy steps to get started:

1. Open your writing partner’s document in Word, then save it in a folder. If I critiqued one of Michelle’s chapters today, I’d save it in my McCorkleM folder as Elleson-Ch01-20210914-Jill.docx.
2. Click Tools in the top navigation bar.
3. Click Track Changes, then Highlight Changes.
4. Check all the boxes in the pop-up box and click OK.

If you’d like to customize your comments, you can change colors by clicking Options in the Step 4 pop-up box before you click OK. My buddy Michelle used lavender to be kind. Otherwise my document would be dripping in red.

I recommend you read the entire document through once without making any changes. Sometimes a question I have about the first paragraph is answered several paragraphs later.

To add a comment, highlight the first word of the sentence you’re targeting. Right click the word, then click New Comment. Type your suggestion in the box that appears in the right sidebar. No need to hit Return. Your comment will automatically save when you move on to your next edit.

To delete words, highlight them, then right click. In the pop-up box, click Cut.

To replace words, highlight them, and start typing. Your new words will replace the old ones, and a notation will appear in the right sidebar.

Best wishes for a successful critique experience. If you have any questions, please comment below.