Does anyone use track changes to edit or revise their story on Microsoft word? I usually print mine out and highlight mistakes or grammatical issues. I think I want to use track changes but I'm afraid I have to re-write my novel. Also is it a good idea to print it out? Let me know your thoughts.
I only printed out excerpts for my local friends to read and comment on, as printer paper is a commodity where I live. Whether or not you should print it out is really up to you. Actually, I'm doing most of my writing on Google Docs, as my current PC laptop doesn't have Word on it. To make significant edits, I make a second (or third, fourth, etc...) document, copy the problematic section over to it, then edit away. After some ruminating, I then copy the revised sections back into the original document. Everyone is a bit different, I suppose. I doubt there's a right or wrong way to go about this sort of thing, just as long as whatever method you use is the most organized for you.
I absolutely love track changes for editing anybody else's work, but I don't comment on my own work. I just work through the documents of writing and correct errors as I see them. I leave a few running drafts here or there in case of some error, but I've only had to use one once. I edit more on the fly usually, or directly when I submit something for critique and they see things I don't. Track changes is the way I review others work though.
I print out my manuscripts because I often catch things on the printed page that escape me on screen. I've only ever used tracked changes when a beta/editor is providing feedback. I've not used it for my own edits as I'll just fix as I go along, I don't need the notes functionality to do so.
I have never used tracked changes in any document. I am not saying that is a good thing or not, but I have just never used that feature. I tend to use the navigation screen for my changes. Instead of rewriting, rewriting and rewriting, I will just put in headers after the chapter number and title, describing what I want to change. Lets say I want to add some character traits to my book. I will figure out the places I need to do that, and then put in: Add MC twirling her hair here. Then I highlight it and make it a Section 3 heading. Every place I do that, it shows up on the navigation screen. I do that with a host of additions, then when I have time, go in and write those additions in by prose. When I do a final edit from start to finish, then I do a final check.
Why do you want to track your changes? Once you've corrected an error, you're unlikely to want to change it back. What problem might occur that could only be solved by the information the track changes feature would give you? Personally, when I choose to remove a section of the text, I paste it into a 'deleted scenes' document incase I choose to reinstate it. This document is now large enough to be a novel. You'll probably end up rewriting your novel anyway so I wouldn't complicate the process.