In Google Docs you can download an extension and adjust the Accessibility settings the first time you want to be read to, but after that you’re set. Not all devices and versions support these features search online to find out if yours does.
In the free Word app, click on the dots (…) at the top right to find the feature, or, depending on your device and operating system, you may find it as Immersive Reader in the View menu. To access the feature in MS Word, click on Read Aloud in the Review menu. (In most cases, there’s a quick keyboard command for starting and stopping the voice.) You’ll probably find yourself pausing here and there to rewrite, delete, or clarify. You will catch typos, repetition, draggy passages, and confusion. Sure, its speech is stilted and it goofs now and then, but you’ll be amazed at the benefits nonetheless. That’s where your word processor comes in. (Yeah, right.) In real life, you’d be lucky to get any human to read it to you. Ideally this would be by a trained voice actor. One way to hear your work “fresh” is to have it read out loud to you. Many writers pay thousands of dollars for freelance editorial help before they publish.īut not everyone can afford to have umpteen readers of their work! And reading it over and over yourself has diminishing returns. Writers are increasingly pressured to have as many eyes on their manuscript as possible before submitting it: from writer friends, their critique group, beta readers, hired authenticity readers, developmental editors, copyeditors, proofreaders. (Scrivener discourages the use of page numbers during drafting pagination can be tweaked after export into another application like MS Word.) 2. Alternatively, when you first insert page numbers, you can uncheck the “Show on first page” option. In Google Docs, choose the Format menu, then Headers and Footers, then Different First Page. (Use Reading view or a print preview to check your results.) Click on the Options arrow to find Different First Page. In the free online version of MS Word, either click on the header tab in the top right of the document or go to the Insert menu and click on Header & Footer. The Different First Page option on the MS Word ribbon. (The page is numbered you just can’t see it.) Check out the other options while you’re at it. The page number on the first page will disappear. In the Options section, check the box for Different First Page. Double-click anywhere in the header, and the Header and Footer menu will appear in the ribbon. In MS Word, make sure the document header is visible. If your manuscript has page numbers ( and why wouldn’t it), you may want to hide the page number on the cover page or title page. Here are some moves you can use in Word and Docs and sometimes Scrivener. Getting to know your word processor better will help you love it more. MS Word is the publishing workhorse, more or less required for submitting to agents and editors and publishers, but it’s pricey and not always friendly.
Docs is great for collaborations, and it can handle basic formatting, but it lacks compatibility with professional formatting and editing tools like PerfectIt and the add-ins from the Editorium. Scrivener is great for drafting but has limited formatting capabilities. It’s clear there’s no single perfect choice for drafting, editing, and formatting your work for publication. Almost every writer I know has a love-hate relationship with their writing program, whether it’s Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Scrivener, or a yellow legal pad.