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The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World…Word by Word

The Steve Laube Agency

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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Home » The Writing Life » Page 2

The Writing Life

Can Macros Make Me a Better Writer?

By Bob Hostetleron April 27, 2023
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Don’t be afraid of macros. They can be your friend.

A macro is a shortcut you can make in, say, Word (or virtually any program) to automate or accelerate certain tasks. If you’ve never done it before, rather than explain it here, let me suggest that you search the web for “how to create a macro in Word” or on your specific computer. (For example, in a Mac, you can go to your computer settings, select “keyboard,” and add “text replacements.”) It should be easy to find step-by-step instructions or a video that will help. Once you’ve done it a time or two, it’ll be easy.

Well-chosen macros can help to sharpen your writing. They can replace bloated phrases in your writing. For example, you can program macros to automatically:

Change “utilize” to “use.”

Change “however” to “but.”

Change “in order to” to, em, well, “to.”

Change “in the event that” to “if.”

Change “has the ability to” to “can.”

Change “due to the fact that” to “because.”

Change “whether or not” to “whether.”

Change “reason why” to “reason.”

Change “close proximity” to “proximity.”

Change “end result” to “result.”

Change “at the present time,” “at this time,” and “at present” to “now.”

Change “previous to” to “before.”

Change “prior to” and “previous to” to “before.”

Change “subsequently” to “later.”

Change “subsequent to” to “after.”

Change “in order for” to “for,” “in order that” to “so,” and “in order to” to, well, “to.”

Change “in the event of” or “in the event that” to “if.”

Change “is applicable to” to “applies to.”

Change “until such time as” to “until.”

Change “with reference to” to “about.”

Change “with the exception of” to “except.”

See what I mean? You can also use macros or keyboard shortcuts to complete phrases or sentences you type frequently. For example, if your street address is 2709 Happy Trails Boulevard, you can create a shortcut that will fill in the whole address whenever you type “2709.” If your mother’s maiden name is Wolfeschlegelsteindorff and you’re tired of typing it every time you open an account somewhere, you can create a shortcut, so when you type “Wo*,” the shortcut will fill in the rest.

And don’t worry that you might want to use subsequently sometimes. After all, it’s a nice word. But shortcuts don’t need to be your master. You can always overrule the replacement.

So, try creating macros. Start small. Then lather, rinse, repeat. Pretty soon, your computer may not need you at all.

 

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Category: The Writing Life, Writing Craft

Hacks for Day-to-Day Writing

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon April 26, 2023
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An impulse as a writer is to get to an ending before shutting down the computer for the day. The productive author might decide not to stop writing until the end of a scene or a chapter. With fiction, the author feels relieved when the character has arrived at a good stopping place. With nonfiction, the author may have finished summing up five ways to declutter a closet, and that’s that. …

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Category: The Writing Life

Personal vs. Professional Social Media

By Dan Balowon April 20, 2023
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As more and more people work from home full-time, the lines are blurred like at no other time. For writers, mixing personal and professional lives often doesn’t go well. Years ago, I recall speaking with a young man who owned a store that was part of his family for several generations; and he and his young family lived in a nice apartment located upstairs from the store. To me, who at the time …

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Category: Career, Social Media, The Writing Life

What to Expect at the Write to Publish Writers Conference

By Thomas Umstattd, Jr.on April 4, 2023
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Find out what to expect and how to make the most of your first in-person Christian writers conference.
You can listen to this episode What to Expect at the Write to Publish Writers Conference on Christian Publishing Show.

Read moreWhat to Expect at the Write to Publish Writers Conference
Category: The Writing Life

The Friends You Make on Social Media

By Dan Balowon March 30, 2023
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Let’s talk about the people you meet and befriend on social media. They are different from actual friends. For the most part, they aren’t real friends. If you have a nice social-media presence with five hundred people, you can enjoy the conversations and connections since it’s on the level of a good-sized church or high-school graduation class. But as you grow your social platform into thousands …

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Category: Career, Marketing, Social Media, The Writing Life, time management

Define the Takeaway First

By Bob Hostetleron March 29, 2023
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A few months ago, one of my friends (don’t worry, Sarah, I won’t mention your name) asked this question on social media: Writer friends: Do you ever write something, think it’s nearly finished, and fail to be able to define the “take-away?” So, “writer friends,” I’m about to do you a favor. I will suggest an approach that will save a lot of time, stress, regret, and other bad things. Ready? …

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Category: Craft, Get Published, Pitch, The Writing Life, Trends

The 2023 Book Launch Blueprint

By Thomas Umstattd, Jr.on March 28, 2023
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Thirty days. That’s all you’ve got. Do it wrong, and you’re toast. Do it right, and it’s crème brûlée that will last for months, maybe even years.  What 30 days are we talking about? The first 30 days after you make your book available to the world.  During the first 30-60 days after your release, […]
You can listen to this episode The 2023 Book Launch Blueprint on Christian Publishing Show.

Read moreThe 2023 Book Launch Blueprint
Category: The Writing Life

Voices of Hope: Why Young Writers Are Important

By Dan Balowon March 22, 2023
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In the last month, I suggested some writers who might be worthwhile for the Christian publishing world to give attention. Those with a military or missionary season in their lives could be helpful to the Church today since they both lived a good piece of their lives in positions where personal preference, comfort, and fulfillment were far down on their priority lists. Submission, courage, …

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Category: The Writing Life, Trends

Must I Kill All My Little Darlings? (A Writer’s Prayer)

By Bob Hostetleron March 16, 2023
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They are waiting for me, all my little darlings. I have labored over them as if in the pangs of childbirth. I have nurtured them, weighed and coddled them, smiled at them and played with them. They have grown and multiplied, and though at times they are recalcitrant, I have loved them. How many must go? Which ones are weak, superfluous, misplaced, unclear, redundant? You know, Lord. I approach …

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Category: The Writing Life

How to Advance Christ’s Kingdom Through Your Writing

By Thomas Umstattd, Jr.on March 14, 2023
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Learn how and why Bible study is important for authors and how it improves your book as well as readers' lives.
You can listen to this episode How to Advance Christ’s Kingdom Through Your Writing on Christian Publishing Show.

Read moreHow to Advance Christ’s Kingdom Through Your Writing
Category: The Writing Life
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