I write and edit about 90% of the time. I use writing tools all day long. I’ve probably written 10 million words so far. And one feature of every writing and editing tool has interfered with my productivity for decades. Why do we do nearly all of our writing in the bottom 10% of the…
If you’re used to writing in Microsoft Word, stick with it. Familiar tools make writing flow more easily. In my survey of nonfiction authors, 61% used Word as their primary tool. Google Docs has its adherents. It makes sharing files easier (and for the same reason, makes keeping track of stable file versions harder). Where…
Google Docs is a pain for book collaboration. That was the general sentiment in a recent discussion I had with a bunch of writers, editors, and ghostwriters. If you’re going to use Google Docs, learn about access control. That’s the key to collaborating without driving each other bonkers. The challenge writers and editors face with…
I like Google Docs. I’m happy to edit your documents in it. Just don’t watch me work, okay? I edit documents in Microsoft Word or Google Docs. If you’re the client, you get to choose. What you can expect from me is not just word edits, but comments explaining why I made the choices I…
I’m editing a book at breakneck speed right now. The author and I interact multiple times a day, but rarely talk to each other. A carefully designed system based on Google Drive, Docs, and Sheets makes it possible. Let me be clear here about the problem I’m solving: We’re building a book out mostly existing…
I’ve been working on a collaborative book project with two other authors. On this project, I’m the principal writer; they are my clients. Here are a few things I learned about the superiority of Google Docs and Google Sheets for collaborative authoring. Using Google Drive for shared access to research My collaborators and I work…
If you’re writing anything interesting, you’re collaborating. And if you’re collaborating, Google Docs and Google Sheets are indispensable tools. Most of you work in organizations where Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel are standard. They’re comfy and familiar. If you send a file in those formats to somebody, you know they can read it. So why bother…