Editing

[Weaver]

I've used it a few times, and it is pretty useful, though it does have its faults. More than once it's asked me if I want to replace "sighed" with "side", which makes absolutely no sense.

Funniest true story I've ever heard about weird spell-check "corrections": A university professor I knew said that his spell check always told him to replace his own last name (Mesa-Guido) with "misguided."

 

[Ireth]

Funniest true story I've ever heard about weird spell-check "corrections": A university professor I knew said that his spell check always told him to replace his own last name (Mesa-Guido) with "misguided."

That IS hilarious. XDDD

 

[BWFoster78]

A problem with any kind of not-useful advice: a person who knows enough to spot when the advice is not useful (or downright wrong) is already knowledgable enough to do without that advice and just figure things out on their own. The program has been set to mark any passive-voice verbs as wrong, for example. A person knows - or ought to know - that occasionally passive voice works better than a more 'action-y' verb. It takes more time to filter through the wrong suggestions for the one or two that could have merit than it does to do it the old-fashioned, editing-program-free way.

Okay. Let me see if I have this straight.

There's a service out there that a lot of the authors on here find helpful.

I have stated at least twice in this thread that I find it so. I'm a pretty knowledgeable guy, and, each time I use it, I end up making a couple of changes.

You state that "it takes more time to filter through the wrong suggestions for the one or two that could have merit than it does to do it the old-fashioned, editing program free way."

Again, I've found that I catch at least a couple of things each time that I didn't catch the first three or four times through. Having the words highlighted in red makes me consider them in a way that I didn't before. Maybe I need to improve my self editing, but it certainly helps me, and I find it to be a good use of my time.

It seems hard to argue that it's not useful when so many people are saying that it is. The most you can logically say is that it isn't helpful to you. That's fine. No one is forcing you to use it.

Under any circumstances, it would be beneficial to people who chose to use this program if the designers had mentioned what reading/writing level it is directing the writer toward, so as to avoid confusion about why polysyllabic words are marked as needing replacement with something short.

I would not have found that beneficial as I feel I have the ability to make that judgment.

The author needs to take ultimate responsiblity for his work. I wouldn't take all advice from software or from a beta reader. I take in the information and make the decision on whether to use it.

 

[Aosto]

I find it really helps me with my pacing. Pointing out 'sticky sentences' that nearly stop the reader in their tracks. I hardly notice these until I run it through the program. Then when I read the passage, I see that it does in fact slow the pace down considerably.

 

[Penpilot]

Again, I've found that I catch at least a couple of things each time that I didn't catch the first three or four times through. Having the words highlighted in red makes me consider them in a way that I didn't before. Maybe I need to improve my self editing, but it certainly helps me, and I find it to be a good use of my time.

I've used it a few times on a short story, and I find that it's useful too. At the very least, it makes me think over my choices more thoroughly. I think of the red highlighting as the program asking, "Are you sure about this?" If I am, then all is good. If I'm not, it gives me some options to fiddle with until I'm sure what I have down is what I want.

 

[The Writer's Realms]

Where have you been all my life? This tool is amazing!

 

[Meteora]

I echo the same sentiment as the man above me. What is this sorcery?

 

[The Writer's Realms]

^Blood magic!

 

[Meteora]

^Built upon the blood of countless writers taken from their corpse!

 

[SpellcraftQuill]

If only I had this earlier for my classes... Thanks for the share!

 

[GregorsMentor]

Geez, that thing is creepy. And lord, it hates my writing. I suppose it will be helpful but what's wrong with seven syllable words?

 

[Xaysai]

As with any tool, you need to use your judgement.

I find it to be both fun and useful.