The Problem With Find & Replace
Everyone loves a shortcut, but editors and wordsmiths alike know this little shortcut has a dark side...
I remember the day I first discovered this tool. I’d just written my three dozenth novel and it was a masterpiece (according to my 15-year-old brain)… but there was a problem.
Upon reaching the editing stage of this still unreleased zombie-and-adventure-and-paranormal-and-phoenixes story (like I say, masterpiece), I realised I didn’t like my character’s name and wanted to changed it.
This may sound familiar to you – it’s rare for a name to make it from first draft to last unscathed!
So, I rolled up my sleeves and got to work changing every “Mal” to “Tony” (a name more befitting a zombie-and-adventure-and-paranormal-and-phoenixes story, of course). One by one I clicked on the name, hit backspace three times, and typed in the new name. A few chapter in I realised I could copy the new name, highlight the old name, and press Ctrl+V (paste) to expedite the process.
And then I discovered Find and Replace.
I excitedly found the tool, typed “Mal” into the search bar and waited as my computer’s fans whirred and found every instance of the name.
1,209 results! Wow!
I typed “Tony” in the replace bar and pressed “Replace All”.
Bam! Mal had been renamed. 450 pages of, at every mention of his name, all done in the blink of an eye. So much time saved.
SO. MUCH. TIME.
I saved the file, went away, made a cup of tea (my pre-coffee days), and came back to edit my masterpiece properly, now the laborious task of changing a damn name was done.
I reopened my file and, on the first page, a new red line had appeared. A second, third, on and on, page after page. New red lines – new mistakes!
Something in the book was “Tonyfucntioning”.
The customer in the saloon (remember, masterpiece) looked “abnorTonyal”.
Tony’s sister now had “sTonyl” hands.
Their father now roasted “marshTonylows” over the campfire.
What a disaster! I tried to undo changes, but I had already saved and closed the file. Sealed my fate.
My masterpiece. My zombies-and-adventure-and-paranorTony-and-phoenixes masterpiece was ruined.
I did later discover save histories and removed the error, but I saved a copy of the mistake to remind myself the dangers of shortcuts.
How can I use Find & Replace?
Easy! Be sure to insert the exact phrase you want to be found and the exact replacement text. Make sure your settings are case sensitive, too!
In my example, adding a space either side of “Mal” and “Tony” would eliminate in-word replacements, and following this with a round for each following punctuation mark "(“ Mal,” “ Mal;” “ Mal.” “ Mal’s” “ Mal!” “ Mal?” “ Mal—” “ Mal)” and so on) would have fixed the problem.
Sure, this method takes time, but does it take as long as deleting “Mal” 1,209 times and typing “Tony”?
If you’re more tech-savvy, you might look at Word Macros that replace the Find and Replace function with a more clever alternative, or even use smarter key commands in the Find and Replace search bars.
The choice is yours – just don’t let a silly mistake ruin your zombies-and-adventure-and-paranorTony-and-phoenixes masterpiece!