Some things writers still don't know... about word processors
So this might be "duhh" writing advice for most of you...but I'm going to still list it. I'm still kinda surprised people didn't learn this with the whole "must learn computers" programs they pushed.
OMG, It's so hard to fix tab indents!!!!
I saw some assistant agent made to do this MANUALLY when it's a search and replace, which means the entire agency didn't know this is a thing...
Some people still don't know as seen here:
especially with regards to using the “first-line indent” option instead of hitting “tab” for paragraph indents.
The above image is a screenshot of the Shunn format document. Some editors and publishers will auto-reject a submission for seemingly petty
Look, there is something called "Invisibles" and you use what is called "escape characters" in order to get around the invisibles and all programs have something to substitute for tabs.
They've been there well, since the beginning of word processors.
(Don't use Word since they use your words to feed into AI, but if you have to): You can copy a physical tab into the find/replace box. The next box in the "replace" should have nothing in it. Hit enter.
It will delete all your tabs. Have a style set up. Select all of the plain text, hit the style. You're done.
Tip: for those exporting to Microsoft Word, be sure to select export with styles.
In BBEdit, for those on a mac, the escape is \t (They have semi-AI, but no gen AI)
In Scrivener the escape character is a copy-paste dealie, like Microsoft word. Type a tab. Copy the tab into the find and replace. And then proceed.
LibreOffice \t\
... and so on. It does this for returns too.
Worst case scenario Half of your manuscript has physical tabs, and half of your manuscript doesn't and Iunno, the find/replace is broken for some reason and you're on a time crunch, but the bug is there.
Turn on invisibles! All programs that have word processing have this. It will physically show you where the tabs are so you can delete them. This is hella useful for when you have an invisible table in your manuscript (for the nonfiction writers out there) Or you can't figure out if there is or isn't a separate space.
You can copy spaces into the find/replace of all major and minor word processors.
BBEdit, Microsoft Word, LibreOffice and so on. Every single last one has this. It's had it probably before you were born.
OMG, I want to find Avail, not available because I named my character Avail.
Avail[space] will fix that.
A certain author didn't know that, so I had to inform them...
This is SUPER useful if you're switching from a double space after the period to a single space after the period, or you are sure your errant fingers have typed a double space somewhere. Type a double space in the find box of the find/replace and then a single space in the replace and it'll kill all of your double space. It's one of the first things I do when editing a manuscript because I always double space by accident.
Word processor can also find caps v. no caps usually with a "caps sensitive box"
Say you did something really dull and named a group, "Hub" and now you've changed your mind. Manually going through isn't for you. But you don't want it to find all the instances of bike hub. You can check "case sensitive"
But it's one chapter I need to search.
Say it's confined to a chapter, but all 200,000 words are in that one document. (Back it up or use Scrivener). Then you can select and hit "search in selection"
Yeah, basics, but I'm still amazed that people actually do the whole manuscript to find one part.
But I replaced everything by accident... and it'll be hard to fix it
Undo! Cmd z in a mac, cntrl Z for Windows and Linux. ... But I made some changes in between the mistake.
Screeeeeennnnnshooot. Hit undo hit redo. (do not make changes to the manuscript in between) Hit the screenshot key, (if you have one), or for those on a mac without the extended functions, cmd +shift+4 of the edit you made.
Keep doing this until you reach your fateful terrible mistake of find/replace. Hit the undo on the find replace, fix it appropriately (you forgot a period you forgot a space, etc)
Usually word processors store the changes up to about 20-50 depending on your settings.
Then you can use the find function to find where you made the changes from before and plug them back in.
There's menus for text transformations
You've written in caps everywhere, for example and you regret the decision, but can't use Find and Replace.
In Scrivener there is a text transformation menu.
Edit->Transformations Microsoft word, BBEdit, and LibreOffice have similar things. Don't abuse it. But it's useful in case you forgot and don't want to retype, say a whole chapter title.
Shortcuts for Start a new page AKA Page break are useful for writers.
Page Break! In Google docs it's cntrl/cmd return (I set it to this in Scrivener too to create a new sub document)
In Microsoft Word it's control shift+enter.
It's super, super useful for scripts. Memorize this shortcut.
~~Large Tip: Learn how to use Styles~~
Make sure your chapter titles are a separate style from your text. So if you have to format it to Iunno, Wingdings for that one lone editor that can read Wingdings and nothing else, you can copy the current style and then make it all Wingdings. (If you downloaded my Better Novel Format for Scrivener, I did that for you. I also have a template I made for LibreOffice with Short story format and also Novel format which I made ahead of time.)
MS Word has styles. (again, only if you have no choice because of work constraints)
LibreOffice has Styles
Scrivener has styles.
Only the straight text editors don't have styles like Notepad, though they are semi-built in for you for other purposes. TextEdit doesn't have this either (as far as I know).
OMG, I need to have a style for long quotes. You just go to the menu and then click on the style you need. (and/or use the shortcut).
OMG, I need to edit my manuscript, but I don't want to change the chapter headings. Use an editing style.
As I said, I did all of that for the Better Novel Template in Scrivener. BUT I've also done it in LibreOffice and Microsoft Word (before it turned to the Evil side).
And I set them to shortcuts.
Learn to use styles! Learn to use templates!
This way you don't have to reformat your entire manuscript every single.last.time.
When they switched some of the formatting for Chapter headers, it was really easy to fix the entire manuscript by editing the default style for chapter titles and then the WHOLE manuscript was fix in one go, rather than me having to go through 30-40 chapters doing it manually.
I also made a Scrivener template for screenplays, but I have to do some testing rounds with it before I release it.
Bonus tip: Scrivener (if you go digging) has a button that says, "select everything of a similar style" in case you forgot to set styles. I don't think Microsoft Word or LibreOffice has this, but they might somewhere...
For example, OMG, I forgot to select all of the text between the chapters and set it to a style. 100% Scrivener has you for that. And then you can set it to a style, name that style so when you do edits, it's easier to change the style without changing the scene breaks, the Chapters, etc.
