Using Word's Tracker Feature for Beta Readers

Okay--not the most exciting title, but you get the idea! This blog post will walk you through how to use the Tracker feature of Microsoft Office Word as a beta reader.  As I prepare to send my newest manuscript, Beneath the Inconstant Moon, to eight to ten of my most helpful fans, I want to make sure we all get as much out of the experience as possible. While there are other ways to offer feedback to a writer, using the Tracker feature is a great way to embed comments right into the manuscript where I can read them and then take them to hard (or press the nice little X button!)

The first thing one needs to do is turn the Tracker feature on, which is pretty simple. Just click on the Review tab:

Next, find the "Track Changes" button

Slide it to the "On" position.

You can highlight any sentence that you want to comment on, as I have here.

Use the "New Comment" plus button at the top to add a comment (the very first yellow notepad.) A box will appear to the left. Type your message here.

Once you close the box, your comment will still be visible.

Also, any other changes you may make (like catching my typos!) will be highlighted for me to see as well.

The Tracker feature is a great way for me to get specific feedback while you are reading. Is this sentence too confusing? Let me know!  Something doesn't sound right? You really like a particular word choice? Think something may not be making sense? You can let me know all of that right as you are thinking it so I can better understand the emotions of the readers. Whatever you are thinking, someone else may also have the same thought, so I'd rather hear it from you first!

I so very much appreciate all of my beta readers and all they do to help me in my writing endeavors! Thank you all so very much! And if you are new to my blog and would like to consider becoming a beta reader, please email me at authoridjohnson@gmail.com. Fellow authors, feel free to share this post with your betas!