Making Eco-Friendly Choices: How to Edit with a Tablet #editing #proofing #authors

When our daughter moved home from college after graduating, my own education on making sustainable and eco-friendly choices began. Our daughter has always been conscious of the world around us and its limited resources, however that concept burgeoned while away at school. Upon her return, she started to show me all the different ways I could make small changes in my daily life that would be better for our environment and to preserve our natural resources. (To be honest, I sometimes miss my paper plates; a routine I had gotten into when making dinner late at night to save time washing up.) 

By this point, you may be wondering what any of this has to do with editing? The other day when I was printing another manuscript to edit, I thought there had to be a better way. I am the Queen of the printer. The money I spend on cartridges and paper is ridiculous, but that is another topic. The real reason I paused was that I thought about

the resources I was wasting. I knew there had to be a better way. Unfortunately, I love the feel of a pen in one hand and paper in the other while slashing at a manuscript.

You can't get that when working on a large computer screen using a mouse. Still, I wanted to make better choices so I started surfing the net. I knew the answer was out there, it was just one I hadn't explored. What can I say? It hadn't occurred to me before, and I daresay I'm not the only one still practicing this method, which is the purpose of this blog post.

After reading several articles and researching tablets, I decided to purchase a Samsung Galaxy Tab A. I liked that it was similar to my Samsung Galaxy S5 cell phone, wouldn't have a learning curve, and I didn't want to shell out the money for a more expensive Surface Pro 3. The only thing I planned on using the Tab A for was editing, so it is sufficient for my needs. Bonus: I was able to pick up a bundle pack, which came with a cover and 32 GB versus the standard 16 GB for a decent price at Costco. 

The next step is to download Adobe's free program Adobe Reader DC and download it onto your tablet. When you want to edit your document, save it to a .pdf format and transfer the file to your tablet. To do this, I use a microchip that I switch between my laptop and the device. Now all you have to do is switch over to the comment view and use your stylus to mark-up your manuscript. DC's features allow you to highlight, use a pen (I like a 3 pt. weight), strikethrough, underline, and input a comment box. Oh, and if that's not enough, for all of you out there that love those proofreading stamps—you can add those, too! I typically switch between the comment view and the regular view.

What I didn't expect, and found to be quite beneficial, is that this manner of editing mimics an e-reader. I found it much easier to pickup on little nuances because I was "reading" the manuscript. Yes, you can argue that we always read the manuscript while editing—obviously. But there is something different about laying out on the couch and being relaxed as if you were enjoying your favorite classic or whodunit. You are able to pick up on those little subtleties that sometimes our more analytical minds might skip over. It's about the enjoyment of the experience.

I hope you found this post beneficial, and if you are not already using technology to edit your manuscripts, that it convinced you to look at making a more eco-friendly choice in the future.

Happy editing,

K.Lamb