Authors: You can use writing macros to help you with self-editing and proofreading tasks. Macros might seem scary at first, but they're truly easy to use. This free 20-minute macro course will show you how.

1. Tech Tools for Writers, July 2014
Free 20-Minute Macro Course
by C.K. MacLeod
Macros may seem scary at first, but they're really not that difficult to
use. And they can help you to see things in your writing that you'd not
otherwise see.*
Do you have 20 minutes to learn something new?
What You'll Need
 Microsoft Word—I use Word 2010, so instructions for other versions of Word may be
different. Word 2008 cannot run macros: sorry Mac users.
 20 minutes
 A can-do attitude
The Shortest Macro Course Ever
Here are the steps:
1. Read this post to learn what macros are and what they can do for your writing. (4 minutes)
2. Watch a video to learn how to add a macro to Microsoft Word 2010. (30 seconds)
3. Watch a video to learn how to run a macro in Microsoft Word 2010. (30 seconds)
4. Now, add and run a macro in Microsoft Word. Copy and paste the script
from the NeedlessWords macro into Word's VBA. Run the macro on your writing.
Amazing, right? (10 minutes)
5. Type the word "macro" into the search function on this blog for more macros that you
can try. (5 minutes)
6. And that's it. It's not as scary as you think, is it? Feel free to let me know how it went.

2. Tech Tools for Writers, July 2014
If you're having trouble getting macros to work, check out this post for Word troubleshooting
tips. Thanks to author Sherrey Meyer for the link.
*Editors, I run writing macros on manuscripts for authors who like to take a more collaborative
approach to editing. You can see the tool we use for collaboration here.
Want to learn more? Sign up for the Tech Tools for Writers newsletter for more tips and learning
opportunities.
Hat tip to my editing colleague, Cat London, who inspired me to write this short course for time-
pressed editors (and writers).
Image by Derek Jensen