What's the Deal with Editing Software?

"Why should I hire an editor," you might think, "when I have this nifty program that checks my grammar and spelling? Doesn't it do the same thing?"

Well, no.

Technology replacing people's jobs is a reality in some industries. And people like to whisper that editing software will soon take over many types of editing done by humans. But I'm not worried that a computer is someday going to make my job obsolete. There will never be a danger of that.

Why am I so confident? Computers are great for many things, but they're only as good as their programming. And no matter how complex a computer might be, it will never be able to analyze language like the human brain can.

Don't get me wrong. Programs that check spelling and grammar are useful tools—if you treat them with skepticism. No word processing program is perfect. Some programs pass over misspellings. Others flag grammatically correct sentences and suggest "corrections" that actually introduce errors (although the results can be hilarious). You shouldn't rely solely on such programs to polish your writing.

But that doesn't mean humans and computers can't work together. Computers can complete rote tasks much quicker than humans can, and only a human can decide if the program has done its job correctly, making for an ideal partnership.

You might wonder, then, if I use editing software when I work. I do! But lest you think it means I'm lazy or that I'm letting a computer do my job, let me explain how it actually works.

I primarily use an editing software called PerfectIt.* I run this program at the beginning and end of every editing or proofreading project I work on. It runs a series of checks on consistency, spelling, grammar, and more. But you don't have to worry that some program is dictating how your manuscript turns out because the software doesn't make any changes.

Instead, it simply brings potential issues to my attention. For example, if it notices that a word is hyphenated in one place but is used as two words later on, it will flag both locations. As the editor, I then look at each instance that PerfectIt has flagged and see if any changes are required. I use my knowledge, experience, and resources to make the correct call, just as I would without the software.

Only now, I've saved loads of time. I don't have to use the find and replace function or manually search the entire document—which could be hundreds of pages long. Instead, PerfectIt calls my attention to the right areas. The less time I spend hunting down misspelled words and inconsistencies, the more time I have to focus on quality editing. And the less I want to pull my hair out!

So no, I'm not afraid that editing software will ever replace me as an editor. In fact, I am glad that it exists. It helps improve my workflow, and I believe in using all the tools at my disposal.

If you have any questions about how I work or are interested in working with me, please get in touch!

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*I'm not an affiliate for PerfectIt, but I do highly recommend it!