RegEx for Speedy Story Revision
Here are the current iteration of these two RegEx search strings. I will update this post to keep it up to date. The \b requires a beginning- or end-of-word to maximize exact matches. The (?: ) is a non-replacing grouping for multiple words with similar issues, and for he/she matches. Depending on your writing, you may want to change the pronouns to he|she|it|they. Both RegEx rely on NOT selecting Case Sensitive for searches.
- Negative Protection and Homonyms:
can\b|can't|can not|could\b|couldn't|cannot|shall\b|shan'|shall not|shoud\b|shouldn't|should not|would not|\bwould\b|\bwouldn't|\bwith\b|without|write\b|\bright|lead\b|\bled\b|lede|choose|chose|lose|loose
ly\b|\babout\b|almost|already|barely|\bbit\b|begin|\bbegan\b|\can|certain|generally|\bguess|\bjust\b|kind|\blike|maybe|mostly|near|course|pretty|perhaps|possibly|potentially|really|probably|\bseem|\bsome\b|sort|start|\bstill\b|surprisingly|suppose|\bthink\b|usually|could|\bsaw\b|\bheard\b|\bfelt\b|\bknew\b|\bread\b|noticed|recognized|\band\b|\bbut\b|(?:I|he|she) could (?:see|hear|taste|touch)|(?:I|he|she) (?:saw|hear|knew|read|felt|noticed|recognized) that|you can|made certain
If you use #Scrivener, this is the procedure for turning these searches into Binder/Left-sidebar buttons on the Mac, though probably similar on Windows:
- Click the combo-button for Search.
- Select Search in Project.
- Copy-Paste a RegEx string and press Enter.
- Note to the left inside the search control there is a magnifier and a combo-button. Open it. Select at minimum RegEx. I also select the name of my drafts folder, which is Manuscript, and Text so only what I want to revise is shown in the binder. Turn off Case Sensitive if on.
- Click Save Search as Collection.
- Provide a name in the dialog (it initially displays the RegEx string).
- Click View > Binder (if not already check marked).
- Click View > Collections (if not already check marked).
If you need to update a collection, use this procedure:
- Click the RegEx search collection in the binder. This displays it in the search control.
- Copy it from the search control.
- Press the minus button in the + - shown to the right of Collections. This deletes only the selected existing search collection. There is no way to directly update a search collection.
- Paste your revision.
- Follow the first set of instructions to recreate the collection.
On the iPad and iPhone, RegEx search exists but only finds a single word or phrase at a time. Disappointing, but it works. You will find RegEx which you tap gear icon when using Find. You can't save the search, but I put it in the Notes app so I can reference it easily.
The image shows Weasel and Hedge Words in use. In the top left, you'll see the search box with the RegEx, and below it my two collections which are titled 🔍Positives and Negatives and 🔍Weasel and Hedge Words. Note the highlights. Desktop Scrivener shows all matches, making quick review and revision a snap. I've added "and" and "but" and "ly" to highlight overuse of conjunctions and adverbs. There's also double-word error highlighted.
May your editing, revising, and review be simple and swift!
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