Tag: Grammar

Categories
Book Proposals

Don’t Trust Your Spellchecker

            As writers, many people choose the course of least resistance. It’s easy to leave the spelling and grammar in your manuscript to your computer. Then the machine can mark any of these errors, you can go through each one, save it and be finished with that process. In this article, I want to give you some additional actions to make sure you submit the best version of your material before hitting the send button to that editor or literary agent.

            Book proposals require a lot of work, and anything you send to a publisher should be completely error- and typo-free. Here’s some additional steps every professional writer will take to make sure your submission is in the best possible shape. First, set it aside for a period of time—a day or even a few hours before returning to it and then read every line carefully and aloud to yourself. Why take this step to read it aloud? Because the ear is less forgiving than the eye.

            I will print my manuscript, grab a pencil or pen and read through it aloud. As I see something that needs to be changed, correct the paper version of my manuscript. Take the time to read every page of your proposal aloud. I encourage you to review it multiple times, rewrite and make sure every area is complete and your proposal is error free of typos. Also don’t completely trust the spelling checker and grammar features of your word processor. Yes, these feature help but you should not completely trust them.

Recently an author sent a manuscript that I read. When I informed her that it had numerous typographical or spelling errors, she instantly became defensive and said she had spellchecked it numerous times. The English language has many similar words, which your word processor program will not catch. You will have to read and reread your proposal aloud, in order to catch these types of errors.

Here is an example of two sentences that only a person can fix:

The red book was read.

The read book was red.

Each sentence is technically correct, but which one did the author intend to use? Only a person can make this decision and not a machine.

Throughout the publishing industry, there is all this talk about artificial intelligence. In my view you can use it for some things like research and possibly some initial drafts but at the end of the day, the words have to be done in your writing voice. I encourage you to drastically revise and rewrite anything generated from artificial intelligence to avoid any potential conflict.

Consider also taking your proposal to a critique group of other writers. (If you want to learn more about this topic, read my detailed article at terrylinks.com/critique.

Be careful who you let read your proposal, and always take the feedback of family members with a grain of salt.

Ultimately, you are the only person whose opinion on the proposal counts before you send it to a publisher and get their feedback. Some people tend to absorb every positive and negative word from other people. They need to evaluate the comments, take the good ones, and discard the poor ones (purely a subjective call on your part).

After receiving this feedback, make sure you’ve corrected and rewritten every sentence of your proposal and sample chapter to the best of your ability. This type of detailed approach to your proposal will aid in the reception of your materials at the publishing house. Too many proposals and cover letters arrive with missing and misspelled words. Your proposal will rise above the others if you have handled this concern with care and professionalism.

Terry Whalin

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in California. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. Get a free copy of his proposal book (follow the link). Check out his free Ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook, his blog and LinkedIn.

Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success

Categories
The Picky Pen

Considering Word Choice

Previously, we talked about the need to vary sentence structure to keep your writing from sounding repetitive. In that article, I compared it to word choice. This month, we are going to discuss how to avoid sounding like you are a writer with a limited vocabulary. Go on, break out those words you learned in English class! I remember filling out the numerous pages of activities in those vocabulary books we had in high school, but to be honest, the thesaurus was really my best friend in college. These days, finding replacement words is as easy as highlighting, right-clicking, and going to the built-in thesaurus in Microsoft Word.

There is more to word choice than just not sounding repetitive, though. Choosing the right word depends on several factors.

Questions to ask yourself when considering word choice:

1.    Who is your audience?

The words you choose should be appropriate for the intended audience. If your writing is informational, you are probably aiming at a specific audience; therefore, you will most likely be using technical jargon that those readers will already be familiar with. On the other hand, if you are aiming at the masses, you will use more commonly known words. Your choice of words is obviously going to be quite different if you are writing a piece such as a textbook than it would if you were writing a children’s picture book.

2.    Are your words specific enough for the reader to develop a clear picture?

Be descriptive. This can range from using a specific word to communicate meaning to using figurative language to make your writing more relatable to the reader.

Here are some examples to get you started.

·       Verbs

If you consistently use the word “said” when writing your dialogue, it begins to sound bland. Changing “said” to “squawked,” “bellowed,” or “sighed” lets the reader “hear” the tone being used, as well as envision the speaker’s body language. With a well-chosen verb, you may not even need an adverb, as it provides a visual description without it.

·       Subjects

The same subject in every sentence, such as a character, referring to an author, or using the same pronoun can quickly bore a reader. To keep the reader’s attention, you may want to use a transition phrase or place the dependent clause at the beginning of the sentence.

·       Similes and Metaphors

Use similes and metaphors to engage the senses when describing a scene. This allows the reader to activate prior experiences in order to understand what you are trying to convey. Experiences help the reader to create a vivid image, smell, feeling, or other sense in their mind.

·       Details

I am sure you are probably familiar with the phrase “It’s all in the details.” Well, that is exactly what we are talking about here. Those details are extremely important if you expect to have engaged readers that will return to your writing again and again. The reader does not want to know that the main character ate a hamburger. Instead, the reader wants to be able to visualize tasting that hamburger himself. It is not enough to say that you are standing in front of a mountain. Many people have never seen a mountain, so you need to paint a picture for that reader with sights and smells that they may already be familiar with.

3.    Is your passage too wordy?

I know, you are probably thinking that I just told you in the last section to be descriptive. Obviously, being descriptive often involves using lots of words, but not always. Sometimes, it is just best to be direct. This partially depends on your audience. If you are trying to inform readers who do not have prior knowledge of a subject, you may want to provide more specificity. On the other hand, you might not want to provide so much as to confuse the reader or make them lose interest. If you are writing to a group that is already well-informed on the subject, it may be best to be direct but use more technical jargon. There is a delicate balance to writing that can sometimes be difficult to navigate.

4.    Do your words fit the style and tone of your piece?

The tone of your writing serves to illustrate your emotional position, or feeling, regarding the subject you are writing about. Your word choice, the punctuation you use, and even sentence structure within your piece all convey what we call tone.

The two main types of tone are formal and informal.

·       Formal

Formal writing is typically used for academic purposes or other professional works. This tone is considered informational, or nonfiction. In this type of work, the writing is straightforward and full of facts. Sentences are grammatically correct, including no use of contractions.

·       Informal

Informal writing often sounds conversational and sometimes contains dialogue. Contractions can be used and the writer conveys more emotion.

Beyond being formal or informal, the tone of your writing can be just about any feeling there is.

Examples: angry, excited, friendly, worried, curious, humorous, cold

What tone do you think this piece has?

Word choice can be very difficult. Even if you are not sure which word to use during your initial version, you can (and should) edit and change words when you are done to make the piece flow well. Cut needless words so that your piece does not appear too wordy. Every word kept should express precisely what you want to communicate and should be needed in order to tell a part of the story.

Heather Malone

Heather Malone writes children’s books that focus mainly on Montessori education, special education, and nonfiction. She also dabbles in fiction. Her nonfiction book, Montessori from A to Z, was published in 2023, and her blog on homeschooling students with disabilities using the Montessori method can be viewed at spedmontessorisolutions.com. Her passion is education, which is evidenced by spending over twenty-five years in the field before leaving the classroom to now provide technical assistance to school districts. She lives with her husband and son in Ohio and enjoys traveling to new places in her free time.

Categories
The Picky Pen

Use of Transition Words or Phrases

Do all of your sentences sound similar, or are you having difficulty transitioning from one scene to the next? A reader needs to be able to easily follow along and will quickly lose interest if this does not happen. Editing can be frustrating, but it is crucial to your success as an author, so after you get your thoughts down on paper (or digitally, nowadays) you need to go back to be sure that there is a good flow to your thoughts. Transition words are an easy way to add variety to your sentences and at the same time make your story sound more interesting. There are three main ways to use transition words, which I will illustrate below.

Ways to Use Transition Words or Phrases:

1.  At the beginning of a sentence

Many times, transition words or phrases are used at the beginning of a sentence and are followed by a comma. This informs the reader of what they should do with the upcoming information, such as signaling a change in topic or that an example will follow.

Below is an example of a paragraph that does not use transition words. Note that it sounds choppy, and the relationship of the information is not very clear.

He made it back home with dinner. He and his wife shared a quick but lovely dinner, as his wife always seemed to be famished since discovering she was eating for two. They sat out on the patio and leaned back in their chaise lounges. They gazed up at the full moon and chatted until they were both sufficiently tired enough to go to bed.

If we add some transition words, the paragraph reads more smoothly and the relationship of the information becomes clearer.

Finally, he made it back with dinner. Next, he and his wife shared a quick but lovely dinner, as his wife always seemed to be famished since discovering she was eating for two. Afterward, they sat out on the patio and leaned back in their chaise lounges. Then, they gazed up at the full moon and chatted until they were both sufficiently tired enough to go to bed.

2.  At the beginning of a clause

Transition words do not always have to be at the beginning of a sentence. Sometimes, they can be better used in the middle of a sentence when joining two clauses. The transition word could be at the beginning of dependent or independent clauses. Again, this also adds a little bit more variety to your writing.

Here are a couple of examples of independent clauses that seem very short and uninteresting.

The two teenagers wanted to go to the fair. Neither one of them had a car.

This could be dangerous territory. Businesses should err on the side of caution.

When the sentences are joined with transition words, they become much more interesting to read.

The two teenagers wanted to go to the fair, although neither one of them had a car.

This could be dangerous territory; therefore, businesses should err on the side of caution.

Now, here is an example of an independent clause joined to a dependent clause by a transition word acting as a subordinating conjunction.

We are required to wear black or blue pants since we are employed there.

3.    At the beginning of a paragraph

One of the best uses of transition words is to insert them at the beginning of a paragraph. Try reading the following two paragraphs. You may observe that there seems to be an abrupt switch to a contrasting opinion in the second paragraph.

The use of social media for recruitment of new teachers provides many advantages for school districts. Open positions can be posted on various platforms of social media. Many districts have formed local consortiums where they can post open positions and a candidate can submit an application to be kept on file for use in any position posted on the site. Districts also have the option of posting available positions on the district Facebook page or the district website.

There are also drawbacks to using social media for recruiting. Not everyone uses social media; therefore, older candidates or those with low socioeconomic status might not be aware of the posting even though they may be a perfect fit for the job. People from other areas of the country may not know which sites to access, as well.

In order to better connect your ideas, try adding transition words or phrases at the beginning of some of your paragraphs. Read the same paragraphs below and pay attention to the differences. With the transition word used in the second paragraph, there is a much better flow to the passage. Notice also that transition words can have different purposes, such as referencing or to contradict.

In regard to the use of social media for recruitment of new teachers, it provides many advantages for school districts. Open positions can be posted on various platforms of social media. Many districts have formed local consortiums where they can post open positions and a candidate can submit an application to be kept on file for use in any position posted on the site. Districts also have the option of posting available positions on the district Facebook page or the district website.

In contrast, there are also drawbacks to using social media for recruiting. Not everyone uses social media; therefore, older candidates or those with low socioeconomic status might not be aware of the posting even though they may be a perfect fit for the job. People from other areas of the country may not know which sites to access, as well.

There are so many transition words and phrases to choose from! This is one of the aspects that makes writing so fun. You can experiment with various options and see which one speaks to you more. While the use of transition words and phrases makes your writing clearer and more cohesive, be sure not to overuse them. Too many can make a story sound repetitive and wordy. Additionally, it may be distracting to the reader so much so that your passage becomes difficult to read or understand.

I hope you enjoyed this introduction to transition words and phrases.

Happy writing!

Heather Malone writes children’s books that focus mainly on Montessori education, special education, and nonfiction. She also dabbles in fiction. Her nonfiction book, Montessori from A to Z, was published in 2023, and her blog on homeschooling students with disabilities using the Montessori method can be viewed at spedmontessorisolutions.com. Her passion is education, which is evidenced by spending over twenty-five years in the field before leaving the classroom to now provide technical assistance to school districts. She lives with her husband and son in Ohio and enjoys traveling to new places in her free time.

Categories
A Lighter Look at the Writer's Life

Taming the Inner Copyeditor

lighter look at a writer's life

“Your the best!”

“Let’s go over their.”

“The Smith’s”

Are you cringing? I am.

Welcome to my world. Am I the only one who notices every misspelling and/or grammar mistake?

I can be driving in the car and notice such errors on signs and billboards. I can be passing through a neighborhood and find issues with various displays. Don’t even get me started about social media posts.

Being an observant copyeditor is both a blessing and a curse.

When I am writing my own pieces or editing someone else’s work, my ability to spot errors comes in handy. When I am reading someone’s social media post or fancy sign and see mistakes, I have to fight the urge to correct everything. It’s a constant struggle.

I attribute (blame?) my copyediting skills to one of my school teachers. He taught me everything from eighth grade English to Journalism to senior Honors English to college freshman composition. His teaching style? Pound grammar and punctuation rules into the students, showing no mercy. It wasn’t always pretty, but I came out of it with a keen knowledge of where commas go and don’t go, how to use a semicolon, and which verb tense to use in any situation.

Moving on to college, I majored in print and broadcast journalism, continuing my adventures in grammar. Professors marveled at my grasp of these principles. I could barely do math, but, if you handed me a piece of writing to critique, I was in my element.

I pursued a career as a college professor, using my copyediting skills every day, much to the dismay of many of my students.

For several years I served as the student newspaper adviser, and, by the time an issue was printed, I was sick of it because I had read it over and over and over in an effort to catch each and every error, with one or two always slipping by.

DISCLAIMER: I do not judge friends and family for grammar miscues. They do happen, especially with AutoCorrect and other tools in this electronic age. I am just saying I am sensitive to them, much like some people are sensitive to smells while others respond to certain sounds.

The next time you see something listed as “For Sell,” think of me and the other copyeditors who can’t help but notice such things. Copyeditors, UNTIE! Um, I mean . . . UNITE!

Carlton Hughes, represented by Cyle Young of Hartline Literary, wears many hats. By day, he is a professor of communication. On Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings, he serves as a children’s pastor. In his “spare time,” he is a freelance writer. Carlton is an empty-nesting dad and devoted husband who likes long walks on the beach, old sitcoms, and chocolate—all the chocolate. His work has been featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Dating Game, The Wonders of Nature, Let the Earth Rejoice, Just Breathe, So God Made a Dog, and Everyday Grace for Men. His latest book is Adventures in Fatherhood, co-authored with Holland Webb.

Categories
A Lighter Look at the Writer's Life

Syrup, Anyone?

lighter look at a writer's life

One thing I always tell budding writers, both in my classes at school and in my role as a mentor:

Know the basics.

You cannot escape punctuation and grammar. Simple mistakes in these areas will mark you as an amateur and will probably land you in the trash pile.

I recently found an example of a time when I learned the importance of good spelling.

I cleaned out my old house when we moved to our current one a couple of years ago and stacked up some picture frames in a small nook (or was it a cranny? Not sure.). One of those frames featured multiple “openings” to display different pictures. When I moved it the other day, some of the pictures slipped out of place, and I noticed there was a document underneath the photos. Upon further inspection, I realized it was a certificate from my school days:

Jenkins Middle/High School Spelling Bee, Finalist: Carlton Hughes

It also had a date, which I won’t reveal on the grounds that I am very old and yet don’t want you to think I’m older than I really am.

ANYWAY, my mind drifted back . . . A LOT of years to that fateful night. I made it through several rounds, taking out fellow students from various grades, and was one of three contestants in the finals. It was a big deal! I had always prided myself on being a good speller, making A’s on every spelling test. You might say I was born for this moment. Being the BMOC 7th grader I was, I felt confident going into that last round—nervous but confident.

(NOTE: when I say I was a BMOC (big man on campus), I mean I was big in terms of WEIGHT and HEIGHT, not in COOLNESS.)

I was called to the podium, and the announcer gave me my word. I still remember to this day, after . . . A LOT of years.

“Carlton, your word is  . . . syrup.”

A-ha! Here’s a familiar word. At the time, I had waffles or pancakes for breakfast five or six days a week.

The happy ending would have been that I spelled the word correctly, placed first, won some money, and moved on to regional competition. My mother would maybe even make me my favorite homemade pancakes to celebrate, which I would drown in . . . you got it . . . SYRUP.

Instead, my answer went something like this: “Syrup . . . S-R-Y-U-P.”

Cue the loser sound effect. WAH WAH.

I was crushed. My mother came up to me afterwards and said, “you eat syrup nearly everyday for breakfast!” Yes, I knew that–didn’t know the spelling but knew about my morning food choices.

Good spelling is an important part of good writing; readers should be able to follow our plots and our flow without being distracted by a misspelled word. Personally, I tend to notice typos, grammar issues, and misspellings in books and in other publications, and it often draws me away from the story.

My ultimate advice: learn how to spell, and, when it doubt, look it up or leave it out. Now, pass the SYRUP.

Carlton Hughes, represented by Cyle Young of Hartline Literary, wears many hats. By day, he is a professor of communication. On Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings, he serves as a children’s pastor. In his “spare time,” he is a freelance writer. Carlton is an empty-nesting dad and devoted husband who likes long walks on the beach, old sitcoms, and chocolate—all the chocolate. His work has been featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Dating Game, The Wonders of Nature, Let the Earth Rejoice, Just Breathe, So God Made a Dog, and Everyday Grace for Men. His latest book is Adventures in Fatherhood, co-authored with Holland Webb.

Categories
Proofed and Polished

Sentence Fragments Missing Something.

Proofed and Polished

What does the title of this article say? Reread it. Did your brain fill in the missing word automatically or did you stumble as you read, realizing that something wasn’t quite right? A sentence fragment is a string of words that is punctuated like a sentence but is missing something crucial like the subject or the verb.

Another example:

Although sentence fragments can sometimes be intentional. Most of the time they are accidents. 

“Although sentence fragments can sometimes be intentional” is written as a complete sentence. We know that because it ends with a period. However, it is not a complete thought. 

Subordinating Conjunctions

A subordinating conjunction like “although” is used to connect a dependent clause (one that can’t stand on its own because it depends on the other clause for context) to an independent clause. The phrase “although sentence fragments can sometimes be intentional” tells us some information, but not enough. The word “although” is a clue. It indicates that there is going to be more information and that that information is going to be contrary to what we just learned.

Although sentence fragments can sometimes be intentional, most of the time they are accidents.

Other subordinating conjunctions include “because”; “in order that”; “while”; and “after”.

Ex. After studying for weeks, Hector knew he would pass his math final.

Ex. In order that the payment arrived on time, Linda paid extra for express shipping.

In either example, if you put a period where the comma is, you would be cutting off your dependent clause from the independent clause, causing a fragment to form.

Adverbs

Adverbs describe verbs (among other things), but they must be connected to the verb they describe by appearing in the same sentence. 

Ex: I love chocolate mousse. Particularly when my husband makes it.

“Particularly when my husband makes it” is a fragment because it belongs to the sentence before it; it cannot stand on its own. I know this because I don’t know what I’m particular about without the context of the sentence that comes before it.

Fragments beginning with adverbs are the types of phrases that authors most often use on purpose in order to provide emphasis to an idea. However, it is important to know your audience before you use fragments in this way. While it may work sometimes in journalism or in fiction writing, fragments are inappropriate in formal writing of any sort including business emails, academic papers, and proposals.

Making Corrections

Once you start noticing fragments. You have to fix them. Think of the first phrase as a cliffhanger. Once I notice fragments, what will happen?! You can often simply correct a fragment by checking before and after it to see where you can most easily attach it to a complete sentence. Often, this only requires an adjustment to the punctuation.

Ex. Once you start noticing fragments, you have to fix them. 

Other times, you might need to reword your phrase to make it complete. 

Ex. Because of the weather.

You might say that as a response during a conversation, but it’s not proper grammar or a complete thought. You need to give more information to make sure that your audience understands.

Ex. Because of the weather, the rest of the game was canceled.

Ex. The beach trip was rescheduled because of the weather.

Both are correct. By connecting the orphan phrase to an independent clause, it now makes sense.

What About You?

Do you often find yourself using fragments in your writing, either on purpose or by accident? Have you started to notice more mistakes as you proofread? What strategies do you use to catch your fragments?

Dayna Betz

Dayna Betz is a full-time freelancer providing proofreading and editing services to help writers put their best foot forward. She also enjoys reading and writing book reviews. Head over to her site, Betz Literary to learn more.

Categories
Proofed and Polished

Do You Know The Apostrophe Basics?

Proofed and Polished

In elementary school, I distinctly remember doing numerous worksheets on the possessive -s. There would be a list of words or short phrases that we had to turn into the possessive. For example, it might say “dog” and we had to write “dog’s” and then use that word in a sentence: The dog’s snack is tasty.

Later, we would learn that you can create contractions by combining words and using a little mark to show where some of the letters were left out. The worksheet had “it is” and we had to make “it’s”. 

The thing that I don’t really remember anyone talking about was the fact that the possessive -s and contractions were both formed using the same symbol—the apostrophe. And it wasn’t until I was older and writing about language that I realized apostrophes could have other functions and that the simple grade school rules are actually a bit more complex.

The Possessive

The singular possessive is pretty easy. “The dog’s toy” or “the cat’s favorite spot” is just adding an apostrophe plus -s to the end of a singular noun. Did you remember, though, that if a noun ends in -s and the word that follows it also ends in -s that you need to use only the apostrophe? 

Ex. The actress’ script

The plural form of most possessives is formed by adding the apostrophe after the -s.

Ex. The roots’ path

If two or more nouns share a possession, you only add the apostrophe -s after the second person.

Ex. Fred and Cathy’s beach house

But if you’re talking about two people who each possess different things, then you use the apostrophe -s after both.

Ex. Jordan’s and Nick’s colleges (Jordan and Nick go to different colleges)

Contractions

In a contraction, an apostrophe suggests that something is missing. To combine “would have”, you would write “would’ve” with the apostrophe indicating that the “ha-” in “have” has been eliminated. 

Odds and Ends

Names

A person’s name ending in -s like “Jess” may take an apostrophe -s in some styles or only an apostrophe in others. 

Ex. Jess’ garden -or- Jess’s garden (Both are correct)

Silent -S

If the final -s of a word is silent, use the apostrophe to show possession. 

Ex. Illinois’ capital is Springfield.

Omitted Characters

To show that a number or letter is missing from a word or phrase, you can use an apostrophe. 

Ex. The musical Singin’ in the Rain uses the apostrophe to show that the -g is missing from the end of “Singing”.

You can also do this with numbers. 

Ex. I graduated high school with the class of ‘08.

How about you?

Have you ever struggled with apostrophe placement? Hopefully this review of apostrophe basics will help you out!

Dayna Betz

Dayna Betz is a full-time freelancer providing proofreading and editing services to help writers put their best foot forward. She also enjoys reading and writing book reviews. Head over to her site to learn more: https://betzliterary.com.

Categories
Proofed and Polished

Short and Sweet: Avoiding Run-on Sentences

Proofed and Polished

Each author has their own unique voice. Likely, you’ve spent a lot of time developing the tone and style that makes your work stand out. When I proofread a paper, I do my best to retain the author’s original voice. I focus on grammar and punctuation, and when I encounter sentences that don’t sound right to my ear, I ask, “Is this a style choice or is this actually wrong?”

One of the trickiest corrections to make has to do with run-on sentences. I see them often. They pop up in all types of writing but especially when someone is trying to explain a process or a complex point of view. Run-on sentences aren’t defined by length alone; you can have a really long sentence that is easily readable. What makes a run-on sentence problematic is when two independent ideas get smooshed together.

Example:

Yesterday I went to the beach with my friends however I prefer to hike or camp.

There are two independent ideas here: narrating action and telling preferences. Read the example out loud. Where do you take a breath? There are ways to make the sentence easier to read.

Break Up with Run-ons

Here are a few ways to fix run-on sentences

1. Add punctuation.

Adding a semicolon or a comma can clear up the sentence easily.

Yesterday, I went to the beach with my friends, however, I prefer to hike or camp.

Yesterday, I went to the beach with my friends; however, I prefer to hike or camp.

2. Divide the ideas.

There are two totally independent bits of information here, so you can write them as two separate sentences.

Yesterday, I went to the beach with my friends.

I prefer to hike or camp.

3. Use conjunctions.

However is already used in this sentence as a conjunctive adverb to connect the two ideas, but you can choose a different conjunction.

Yesterday, I went to the beach with my friends, but I prefer to hike or camp.

Yesterday, I went to the beach with my friends, although I prefer to hike or camp.

Comma Caution

Just because you used a comma in your sentence doesn’t mean that you’re off the hook. Be careful with comma splices. A comma splice is when you join two independent ideas with only a comma. 

Example:

My dog barked like crazy, I knew the mail had arrived.

You have two choices here. You can write the sentences independently, or if you want to keep them linked, add a conjunction that makes sense. Since this is a “cause and effect” sentence, I would use “and” or “so”.

My dog barked like crazy, and I knew the mail had arrived.

My dog barked like crazy, so I knew the mail had arrived.

What About You?

Do you find yourself writing long sentences? Do you ever run into run-ons? Try these ideas:

  • Keep your sentences to about fifteen words. 
  • Count the number of lines per sentence.

When I corrected papers for my students, if I read three typed lines and hadn’t seen any punctuation, I stopped reading and scanned to find the closest period or comma. 

  • When you find your punctuation, go back and reread, preferably out loud. 
  • Check to see if you’ve combined any independent clauses that need to be separated by punctuation or conjunctions.
  • Remember, length alone isn’t necessarily a problem, though it can be.

Your goal is to make sure that the reader doesn’t lose your train of thought. Ask yourself if the readability would increase if you clipped the sentences.

Dayna Betz is a full-time freelancer providing proofreading and editing services to help writers put their best foot forward. She also enjoys reading and writing book reviews. Head over to her site to learn more: https://betzliterary.com.

Categories
Proofed and Polished

Who Are We Talking About? Using Pronouns and Antecedents

Proofed and Polished

Keeping Your Sentences Clear

Example #1

“They had such a great time at the amusement park. First, my aunt and cousins went on the merry go round, then my uncle took them on the big roller coaster. Finally, they went on the teacups right before they closed for the night, and they took them home to bed.”

Have you ever started a sentence this way? Especially now that we’re home so much more, we may assume that everyone in our shrunken social circles knows exactly who we’re talking about when we start a story. In the sentence above, the first “they” is merely confusing if you’re just joining the conversation; the reference to “my aunt and cousins” in the next sentence seemingly clears that up. However, as the story goes on, the constant references to “they” and “them” start to get confusing. By the end, you’re asking yourself, “Wait, who went on the teacups? And who took who home after “they” closed?”

Pronouns and Antecedents

Pronouns are lovely things, and there are so many types! You have personal pronouns, direct and indirect pronouns, possessive pronouns, demonstrative pronouns… Pronouns prevent us from saying awkward things like:

Example #2

“Danny went to the store in Danny’s car to buy food to fill Danny’s refrigerator.”

Instead, they allow us to say:

“Danny went to the store in his car to buy food to fill his refrigerator.”

In this sentence, we understand that “his” is referring to Danny. 

One challenge I notice as a proofreader is that some people get a little “pronoun happy.” As you saw in the example at the beginning of the article, overuse of pronouns can cause the reader to lose the meaning of the story.

An antecedent (prefix “ante-” meaning “before) comes before the pronoun you use to clear up the meaning. “Danny” is the antecedent for “his car” and “his refrigerator.” 

What we need in the first example are some antecedents—and in some cases, to just use nouns—to help us know who all the “they” pronouns are referring to.

Let’s make some corrections:

Original Example #1:

“They had such a great time at the amusement park. First, my aunt and cousins went on the merry go round, then my uncle took them on the big roller coaster. Finally, they went on the teacups right before they closed for the night, and they took them home to bed.”

Improved Example #1:

“My aunt, uncle, and cousins had such a great time at the amusement park. First, my aunt and cousins went on the merry go round, then my uncle took my cousins on the big roller coaster. Finally, the whole family went on the teacups right before the park closed for the night, and my aunt and uncle took my cousins home to bed.”

You’ll notice that in the improved example, there are far fewer pronouns. In order to accurately convey what happened, you need to use more antecedents or leave out the pronouns. 

Example #3

“The girls went to the mall in the car to return it. They had missed the return window, so they only got $5.25 for it. They were disappointed.”

At first read, you may think, “I imagine they were disappointed if they only got $5.25 for returning a car!” Logically, you know that something is missing. Here, “it” needs an antecedent to make sense. 

Instead:

“The girls went to the mall in the car to return the sweater. They had missed the return window, so they only got $5.25 for it. They were disappointed.”

We all feel better for these girls!!

Finally:

Example #4:

“Roxanne is a real go-getter. She is always at work early. Sarah usually comes in to work a little late, but she really understands the data systems the best. They are both essential to the office, so it will be difficult to tell her that she’s the one we’ve chosen to let go.”

In this final example, everything makes sense until the very end where you have to be in the know to understand whether Roxanne or Sarah is the one being let go. To clear up confusion for anyone just entering the room, you would say:

“Roxanne is a real go-getter. She is always at work early. Sarah usually comes in to work a little late, but she really understands the data systems the best. They are both essential to the office, so it will be difficult to tell Roxanne that she’s the one we’ve chosen to let go.”

What about you?

Have you ever been deep into writing the next chapter of your book, knowing perfectly well which character you’re talking about, but realize you haven’t actually used that character’s name in eight pages? When you proofread, keep a sharp eye out for your pronouns, and make sure that there is a clear antecedent so that your readers don’t get confused!

Dayna Betz is a full-time freelancer providing proofreading and editing services to help writers put their best foot forward. She also enjoys reading and writing book reviews. Head over to her site to learn more: https://betzliterary.com.

Categories
Proofed and Polished

Cat Got Your Tongue? Tricky Idiomatic Expressions That Get Us Bent Out of Shape

Proofed and Polished

Let’s Cut Ourselves Some Slack 

Adding a little flair to your writing with idioms can be confusing, but hang in there! The purpose of using idioms is to give some artistic expression to your writing. For example, if you’re writing a mystery novel where the heroine is searching for clues and pursues the wrong lead, you could say something like this:

“Maggie had been following Mr. X all day long, sure that her suspicions about his behavior were correct. But when it turned out that she was following him to a soup kitchen, she realized that she had been mistaken the entire time and was looking for solutions in all the wrong places.”

You’ve conveyed to your reader that Maggie made a mistake, but you could really hit the nail on the head if you used a few idioms to spice up your writing:

“Maggie had been following Mr. X all day long, sure that her suspicions about his behavior were correct. But when it turned out that she was following him to a soup kitchen, she realized that she had been barking up the wrong tree.”

So far so good? It’s not rocket science to think of all sorts of other expressions now that I’ve gotten you started. The thing about idioms, though, is that there are some common ones that people misuse regularly.

Ignorance Is Bliss

Some of these corrected idiomatic expressions may throw you for a loop; the misused phrase is so common, you may not know that it’s wrong! If you can wrap your head around these corrections, you’ll be well on your way to making your writing really pop.

1. I could care less vs. I couldn’t care less

This is number one for a reason. Read this example carefully.

Dorothy smiled wickedly at Sandra. “And you thought that I would actually invite you to the party after that?” Sandra shrugged, hoping to appear casual. “I could care less if I’m invited or not. It was completely worth it.”

If Sandra CAN care less, then she currently cares at least a little bit. When we use this expression, we generally mean that we don’t care at all now and nothing will change the situation to make us care less than we already do. Therefore, the correct expression is “I couldn’t care less.”

2. For all intensive purposes vs. for all intents and purposes

Here’s another tricky one. 

Michael, for all intensive purposes, was now the sole decision maker for the company.

Intensive means “to strengthen or increase.” While your purposes may be strong, the correct expression, “for all intents and purposes,” means “essentially.” So in the previous example, we’re saying that Michael is essentially the sole decision maker.

3. Nip it in the butt vs. nip it in the bud

“This situation needs to be nipped in the butt before it goes any further,” whispered Mrs. Carlton to Mrs. Sheldon as they walked into the ladies’ luncheon where they would vote on the highly contentious issue of where to hold the annual fundraiser.

Since situations don’t have butts, it’s difficult to nip them there. What you mean when you use this expression is that you want to stop something from progressing that is currently headed in the wrong direction. The expression is “to nip it in the BUD.” Think of an invasive flower or plant that is growing in your garden. By nipping the bud, you prevent it from growing to maturity and spreading more seeds around your yard.

4. It’s a mute point vs. it’s a moot point

“…and that’s why we need to seriously reconsider the way that this institution finances our programs,” Stacey concluded, barely containing her anger in the conference room. She could tell that she had made enemies from the glowering looks she was getting around the table. Naturally, Allegra, her arch-enemy, jumped in. “Honestly, Stacey, it’s a mute point since the donors have already indicated how they want their contributions to be spent…”

At least Stacey can find conciliation in the fact that Allegra doesn’t know how to use the expression “a moot point.” If something is “moot,” it has been “deprived of practical significance” and no longer has merit in the conversation at hand.

5. Irregardless vs. regardless

I’m throwing you a curveball for this last one, because if you look up “irregardless” in Merriam-Webster, it is a word. The definition of “irregardless” is “regardless.” Many consider “irregardless” to be redundant, since the prefix ir- negates something, as does the suffix -less. In most cases, “regardless” is considered to be the standard term that is likely to be approved by your editor, while “irregardless” is a more colloquial term that you’ll hear in everyday conversation.

To Make a Long Story Short…

Idioms are a dime a dozen but using them can really get out of hand if you don’t know how to deploy them correctly. I don’t want to beat a dead horse, so jump on the bandwagon and tell us what your favorite idiomatic expressions are!

Dayna Betz is a full-time freelancer providing proofreading and editing services to help writers put their best foot forward. She also enjoys reading and writing book reviews. Head over to her site to learn more: https://betzliterary.com.

Categories
Guest Posts

9 Writing Tools to Become More Productive as a Writer

Do you want to become a successful writer? Be ready to work hard and keep your productivity high.

Yep, writing talent is not the only thing you need to succeed in today’s world. You also need to be able to work effectively and deliver results fast.

Luckily, we live in the technology age, where productivity tools are widely available.

If you want to become a more productive writer, use the following tools and apps.

Grammarly

How much time do you spend fixing typos and correcting small grammar mistakes? Fifteen minutes a day or maybe a few hours? Try to install Grammarly and proofread your writings automatically.

Grammarly is an AI-powered grammar checker – it defines common mistakes and suggests fixes. If you start using it today, you will significantly speed up the writing process and get a chance to release your book sooner.

Evernote

The most brilliant ideas always come to mind unexpectedly. And if you don’t want these ideas to fade away, you should be ready to write them down immediately.

Evernote is an app that allows you to take notes and manage your tasks in a smooth and convenient way. You can use it to create textual notes or save drawings, photographs, audio, or web content that inspires you.

The best thing about Evernote is that it allows you to sync your notes across multiple devices. It means that you can access your saved files using your phone, tablet, and laptop no matter what device you have used to create that file.

Scrivener 

Scrivener is a popular writing app used by best-selling novelists, professional screenwriters, and non-fiction writers. If you want to take your writing to the next level, consider using this tool for crafting your next draft.

Use Scrivener to write down your ideas, edit your manuscript, and add background materials. Compile everything into a single document for printing and share your book with the first readers and publishers.

Thesaurus

Good writing is all about choosing the right words to describe characters, settings, and items. If you want to expand your vocabulary and improve the quality of your texts – use Thesaurus. This tool will help you to find relevant synonyms for overused words and enrich your language.

Thesaurus is an excellent solution for elevating and improving writing and vocabulary for both newbies and pro writers.

Novel Factory

If you are a newbie in novel writing, Novel Factory will be a great tool for you. It works like an integrated step-by-step guide that helps you to craft a story one idea at a time.

Novel Factory interface includes dedicated sections for characters, locations, and items. It means you can describe the main hero of your story and the settings first and then move to crafting a plot.

Besides, Novel Factory offers plot outlines for popular genres like romance and thriller. If you want to write a novel but don’t know how to start, you can use these outlines for inspiration and as an example to follow.

Essay Guard

Nothing and no one is perfect. So if you feel like you need expert help to improve your writing, don’t feel ashamed to ask for it.

The best way to find a reliable writing service is to check websites ratings and read reviews on Essay Guard. Choose a qualified writer wisely, and you will get adequate editorial assistance.

Writing Prompts

Do you want to become a part of the online writing community? Install Writing Prompts, a mobile app, and create your own writing prompts and stories. Share it with other writers and get valuable feedback.

Writing Prompts allows you to check stories written by other authors. It means you can evaluate the quality of other authors’ works and learn the lesson from their mistakes and successes.

FocusMe

Do you find it challenging to focus on writing? Do you get distracted by social media notifications? If you want to finish your book due to the deadline, you should fight your social media addiction.

Install FocusMe and block access to social media websites. If you don’t have the strong willpower to stop checking your phone – this tool is just a perfect solution for you. It will limit the distractions so that you will be able to immerse yourself in writing.

Freedom

Freedom is another app for blocking distracting websites and apps. If you use it daily, you will improve your productivity and will get able to generate more brilliant ideas. You can set a work schedule, so Freedom will block access to distracting media automatically at hours when you are busy with writing.

In conclusion

All these nine tools are available for free or offer free trials, so you don’t have to pay money to understand whether they suit you or not.

We highly recommend you to test productivity tools one tool at a time to find a solution that works for you the best.

Daniela McVicker is a well-known writer, a contributor to EssayAssistant. She enjoys reading classic literature and doing research on internet marketing. Her favorite pastimes are to write, listen to jazz tracks and take quiet walks.

Categories
Writers Chat

Writers Chat Recap for December Part 2

Writers Chat, hosted by Jean Wise, Johnnie Alexander, and Bethany Jett, is the show where we talk about all things writing, by writers and for writers!

“Because talking about writing is more fun than actually doing it.”

Writers’ Favorite Christmas Memories & Gifts

In this open mic episode of Writers Chat, we share writerly Christmas memories, gifts received, and great gift ideas for writers. Some received beautiful and/or thoughtful pens, a spinning wheel, selfie stick/tripod. Fun memories were shared, like a cat bringing a live mouse into a women’s Christmas dinner, where a friend calmed the ladies by saying, “This was a drop in dinner”. This episode is full of great gift ideas, wonderful memories, and a lot of laughter, and even a discussion on transitive and intransitive verbs. This episode was a wonderful way to end Writers Chat for 2019.

Watch the December 17th replay.

JOIN US!

Writers Chat is hosted live each Tuesday for an hour starting at 10 AM CT / 11 AM ET on Zoom. Here’s the permanent Zoom room link. 

Participants mute their audio and video during the filming then we open up the room for anyone who wishes to participate with our guests. The “After Party” is fifteen-minutes of off-the-record sharing and conversation.

Additionally, you can grow your network and add to the conversation by joining our Writers Chat Facebook Group.

Categories
History in the Making

Notes from a Contest Judge

History in the making

Have you ever entered your work in a writing contest? These contests are organized by organizations like the American Fiction Writers of America (www.acfw.com) and Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference (www.blueridgeconference.com).

There are categories for each genre, so you can submit and be judged against other historical fiction writers. Some of you probably just shuddered when I said be judged. But letting others look at your work is one of the best ways to improve it. Plus, this helps you develop thick skin, a must in this business.

I always spot someone new to writing through a few telltale signs when I judge a contest. These speed bumps slow the story for me, and will eventually do the same for an agent or publisher.

Here are some common mistakes to avoid:

  1. The beginning of a new chapter, or a new scene, should not be indented. Flush left treatment is the general norm for submission.
  2. An ellipsis can express a mood change, hesitation, or a thought that trails off … Think of it as a word and leave a space before and after the three dots.
  3. Hyphens, en dash, and em dash are horizontal lines of varying lengths and it matters how you use them.
    • A hyphen is the shortest line and used to generally hyphenate two or more words when they come before a noun they modify. They are not interchangeable with dashes.
    • The en dash is used when you refer to a span of dates or numbers, like pages 10-20.
    • The em dash creates a strong break in a sentence. It can be used in a pair¾like parenthesis (as I did here)¾to add more information. Although, the sentence should be able to stand alone without them and the extra info between them. You also use the em dash to detach the end of a sentence from the main body.
  4. Capitalize the first letter in dialogue when it begins mid-sentence.
    • Johnny narrowed his eyes and spat on the ground before adding, “You just stay out of my way.”

Also, read your work out loud. You’ll trip over sentences that need to be fixed and catch more typos. Enter the cleanest copy you can so you don’t lose points. Simple errors could cost you the contest.

There are many great contests for unpublished authors and a Goggle search will list several. But here are a few I know of:

*ACFW First Impressions Contest is open now and you can have your first five pages evaluated by professionals.

*ACFW Genesis Contest has many genres to enter for fiction writers and you get unbiased feedback from the judges. It opens January 2.

*BRMCWC Foundations Award is now open.

Visit their websites, look over the guidelines, and submit your work. Finalists and winners often draw the attention of agents and publishers.

Good luck becoming an award winning author!

K. D. Holmberg is an author, blogger, and freelance writer. She is a member of ACFW, Word Weavers International, and a founding member of the Jerry Jenkins Writers Guild. She is represented by Hartline Literary Agency. A retired flight attendant, she has traveled and lived all over the globe. She and her husband, Keith, love to golf and live in South Carolina. You can find more about her: Facebook @authorkdholmberg, twitter @kdeniseholmberg, and website authorkdholmberg.com/

Categories
The Picky Pen

Punctuation Series: How to Edit Slashes

We’re toward the end of our self-editing blog post punctuation series, but it certainly is not the end of the self-editing blog posts! In 2020, I’m planning a fiction and nonfiction course available in this similar blog post format to help writers nail down those sometimes tricky nuances of self-editing.

And sometimes the tricks are small, like the slashes we’re going to cover in today’s blog post. But though they are small, they are mighty in presentation—because that’s been the focus of this series, to ensure our manuscript presentation is spot-on for agents, editors, and readers, and for you, because when our presentation is beautiful, it’s something to be even prouder of, isn’t it?

Using slashes is important for both genres: fiction and nonfiction, believe it or not.

You might think it strange using slashes in fiction. . . well, how about fantasy or science fiction, where there’s occasionally that word or turn of phrase that just requires the slash? Like, the Hyperdrive 437/895 or Sector 222 maneuvering into the 343/898 realm.

I’ll be referring to The Chicago Manual of Style 17th edition, chapter six.

You may have always known the slash as the slash. But there’s another name for it. Several, actually. Yeah, I didn’t know that either, but I think it’s really cool!

  • The slash / is also known as slant or forward slash. OK, those we know. . .
  • But—the slash / is also known as virgule. Say, what?
  • And, the slash / is also known as solidus.

I see now how the slash makes a good case for being used in fantasy or science fiction, ha! Those last two alternate words are definitely fiction-worthy!

Let’s dive into the few tips for using slashes correctly within our manuscripts.

Slashes can signify alternatives in our writing. (Chicago Manual of Style 6.106).

  • Using the slash is somewhat informal, but even in formal circumstances, it can be used more effectively than the longhand “or.” The slash is shorthand or slang for our writing.
  • Sometimes the slash can be used for alternative spellings or names.
  • Now, one minor point to notice with that last bullet:
  • If you’re using a slash and your phrase has more than one word (compound), then simply enter a spacebar space between the slash on both sides.

Ready for some real examples? Here we go!

  1. he/she  Philip/Phyllis
  2. and/or  World War II / Second World War

    Now, sometimes a slash makes better sense to replace “and” in a sentence. For instance, a Jekyll/Hyde personality, a BS/MS program, or an addition/deletion error. These slashes would refer to the phrases as an equal opportunity or offers both options, or includes both things.

Using slashes that span two years (Chicago Manual of Style 6.107).

  • If you’re using dates with the difference of one year, then a slash is a better option to use than an en dash.
  • For example, Between 1943/44 the US was in the thick of a world war.

Using slashes in breaks with poetry (Chicago Manual of Style 6.111).

  • We see poetry in both fiction and nonfiction, and knowing where to put those breaks is super helpful.
  • If you’re writing two or more lines of poetry, rather than using a comma at the end of each stanza, use a slash at the end of each stanza break.
  • For example, “A word is dead / When it is said, / Some say. / I say it just / Begins to live / That day.”

Using slashes with URLs and other paths (Chicago Manual of Style 6.112).

  • We see this mostly in endnotes, bibliographies, sources cited, etc. And sometimes we see them in prose, but not often. (Again, it’s also useful for science fiction genres.)
  • Slashes are great for URLs, file paths, and certain directions, including where to find something in Word.
  • With URLs, insert a slash with each part. For example, https://www.tishamartin.com/blog/. Or, https://www.almostanauthor.com/category/career/book-proposals/.
  • If you’re using any kind of resources page at the end of your book (this applies mostly to nonfiction), and a URL happens to be part of the resources used, it’s good to separate part of the link after the slash, not before. www.tishamartin.com/
    blog/.
  • With file path directions, it’s best to outline it this way for ease and clarity: To find Track Changes in Word, in the toolbar, go to Review/Tracking and click the down arrow to select Track Changes on/off or to see in Simple Markup, All Markup, or No Markup.

How’s that for a very brief introductory to using the slash that’s sometimes used but so often tricky to use?

Using the well-placed slash is important because your overall presentation makes a world of difference to your editor, agent, publisher, and readers. That may seem counterintuitive because the writing is equally important, but it’s the presentation that enhances your credibility as a writer. (Especially if you self-publish and are doing your own first-draft editing.)

Pro Tip :: I’m creating a few cheat sheets on some of the topics I’ve covered so far, and if you’d like to be in the loop for when they’ll be ready, just go to my website and email me, letting me know you’d like to be added to my Grammar List!! I look forward to seeing you!

Please take a minute and join in the discussion! I’d love to hear from you!

Conversation Time!! What kinds of things would you like to see in my upcoming Fiction and Nonfiction self-editing courses? This can be anywhere from finding the “need,” how to edit character, scene, or dialogue, or anything else that you have been curious about! Drop a line in the comments! I’d love to hear from you!

Tisha Martin writes historical fiction and nonfiction but also edits and proofreads for beginning and best-selling writers, professional editing agencies, and publishing houses. She has a BA in Professional Writing, an MS in English Education, and an editing certificate from the PEN Institute, affordable continuing education for editors. Active in American Christian Fiction Writers and The PEN, she appreciates the writing and editing communities. As Assistant Director of PENCON, a conference for editors, she enjoys travel marketing and updating PENCON’s Facebook Page. Connect with Tisha on her website www.tishamartin.com and engage in the conversation.

Categories
A Lighter Look at the Writer's Life

A Comma Here, A Comma There

lighter look at a writer's life

I spent the better part of yesterday evening, into the night, grading analysis essays. As I marked up the papers, I pondered a few things:

  1. Since I am the teacher, why did I assign such a big assignment, at such a busy time, that I would have to spend hours grading?
  2. Is there something shorter I could have students do in the future?
  3. What in the world has happened to commas?

I will deal with the first couple of items on my own, but let’s talk about that last one. Commas are an important piece of punctuation, maybe the most important one, and my teachers through the years drilled their proper usage into me. One instructor, in particular, could catch a comma splice from 10 miles away.

Now, commas seem to be in flux. Do we use the Oxford comma or not? What about a serial comma? Are the two one and the same? If I am giving a list of cereals, do I use a serial comma or a cereal comma? These questions make my head spin, and my inner copy editor is extremely stressed these days.

In the papers I graded, commas were often left out in compound sentences connected with a conjunction. I wanted to yell, “No!!” I didn’t think my wife would appreciate that, so I refrained from screaming. I stuck to marking in missing commas with my grading pen.

It may be time to return to Conjunction Junction and remember the function. Two complete thoughts? With a conjunction? Use a comma!

The main problem that gets me is use of commas toward the end of a list of items. Missing commas at that point can give a whole new (and often unintended) meaning to the message. For example, I once read this phrase in a newspaper:

“Pray for the children harmed by hardship and our ministry.”

Now, we should pray for these children, but have they really been harmed by the ministry? It’s like saying “Let’s eat grandma!” instead of “Let’s eat, grandma!”

Proof that commas, if used correctly, can make a difference in this world. Don’t make me get out my grading pen!

Carlton Hughes wears many hats. By day, he’s a professor of communication at Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College. On Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings, he does object lessons and songs with motions as Children’s Pastor of Lynch Church of God. In his “spare time,” he is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in numerous publications, including Chicken Soup for the Soul and several devotional books from Worthy Publishing—Let the Earth Rejoice, Just Breathe, So God Made a Dog, and Everyday Grace for Men. Carlton and his wife Kathy have two sons, Noah and Ethan, both of whom recently flew out of the nest, and a daughter-in-law, Kersyn. He is on the planning committee for Kentucky Christian Writers Conference and is a year-round volunteer for Operation Christmas Child. He is represented by Cyle Young of Hartline Literary Agency. His book Adventures in Fatherhood, a 60-day devotional co-authored with Holland Webb, will release in April 2020 from Worthy/Ellie Claire.

Categories
Magazine and Freelance

What Oscar Mayer Wieners Have to Do with Style

One of the joys (and frustrations) of the English language is how it ebbs, flows, and changes. Unlike dead languages, which are, well, dead, English is fully alive. As writers, it’s our job to stay informed. Does email have a hyphen? Is the word internet capitalized or lowercased? And what in the world is a singular they? It sounds a little schizophrenic if you ask me.

As you write and submit articles, your professionalism will shine if your grammar, punctuation, and formatting reflects the latest updates. Your editors will appreciate you, the publications you write for will invite you to contribute more often, and your edited articles will no longer look like the victim in a slasher movie.

Here are several changes and points of style you may find helpful. In the spirit of full disclosure, I also struggle with (and sometimes fail to remember) the rules that govern usage. When in doubt, look it up. But be sure to use credible sources. One of my new favorite reference books is Dreyer’s English, An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style by Benjamin Dreyer.

The Singular They

Every year, editors announce big stylebook changes at the American Copy Editors Society (ACES) annual meeting. In 2017, they announced, “the AP Stylebook now allows writers to use they as a singular pronoun when rewriting the sentence as plural would be overly awkward or clumsy.” Even though I squirm a little, this change helps me avoid the annoying and often interruptive he/she or his/her.

Example: The teacher announced that each student could use one homework pass a month. This means he or she won’t have to turn in his or her homework on the night of the big football game. 

Change To: The teacher announced that each student could use one homework pass a month. This means they won’t have to turn in their homework on the night of the big football game. 

 The style also allows writers to pair they with everyone in similar situations.

Exclamation Points

The late Sue Duffy first editor at Reach Out, Columbiamagazine, gently but firmly told me, “Use as few exclamation points as possible — only when someone is shrieking or their house is on fire.” Even now, years later, whenever my left pinkie reaches for that forbidden punctuation mark, I hear her voice and my pinkie returns to its proper place.

“Began to” and “Started to”

In most cases, it’s best to avoid the use of “began to” or “started to.”

Example: “Tears began to roll down his cheeks.”

Change To: “Tears rolled down his cheeks.”

We don’t begin to cry, we cry. We don’t start to walk, we walk. We don’t begin to eat, we eat.

Occasionally someone might start to walk to the front of the church and change his mind, but most of the time, it’s best to use the verb only. If you’re not sure which is correct, try it both ways. You’ll realize that began to and started to are usually unnecessary.

Were vs. Was

Remember the hot dog jingle, “I wish I were an Oscar Mayer wiener”? Why doesn’t it go, “I wish I was an Oscar Mayer wiener”? Many writers struggle with knowing when to use were and when to use was.

Dryer proposes this rule of thumb: If you’ve presented a situation that is unlikely, improbable, or just plain impossible, use were. If the situation that is not the case but could be, use was.

Example using were: If I were to become the president of the United States, I’d end war, rid the world of nuclear weapons, and give every ten-year-old a bike.”

Example using was: If I was in that meeting, I’d have asked for a raise.

I hope these four points of style have made you think and settled more questions than they’ve raised. And in case you’re wondering, during that 2017 meeting of the ACES, editors also announced the Associate Press would no longer use a hyphen in email and lowercase the word internet. The Chicago Manual of Style followed suit the next day.

Now you know.

(Portions of this content were previously posted on The Write Conversation.)

Lori Hatcher is the editor of Reach Out, Columbia magazine and the author of several devotional books. Hungry for God … Starving for Time, Five-Minute Devotions for Busy Women won the 2016 Christian Small Publisher Book of the Year award. Her most recent book, Refresh Your Faith – Uncommon Devotions from Every Book of the Bible is due out in the spring of 2020. A blogger, writing instructor, and inspirational speaker, her goal is to help women connect with God in the craziness of life. You’ll find her pondering the marvelous and the mundane on her blog, Hungry for God. . . Starving for Time . Connect with her on Facebook, Twitter (@LoriHatcher2), or Pinterest (Hungry for God).

Categories
A Lighter Look at the Writer's Life

You Are . . .

lighter look at a writer's life

Your not going to like what I say. You might feel like pulling you’re hair out.

I am assuming you know what is wrong with those first two sentences. As a teacher, a writer, AND a regular person on social media, I see these words abused all the time.

I have a new phone (Yes, I am finally out of the dark ages. What’s next? An iPad? Flavored Cheerios?), and, any time I am typing a message like Your package came, it tries to autocorrect to You’re. The opposite is true as well. If I type You’re a nut, it autocorrects to Your.

What is this world coming to when Mr. Autocorrect is not so correct anymore? I may have to send him to his room and make him type You’re not alone with your problems one-hundred times.

I have mentioned before, I had a great English teacher in high school and college who was something of a Grammar Tyrant. He pounded proper usage into us until we wanted to cry for help. Those lessons stick with me to this day.

“Remember, you’re is a contraction for you are, while your is a possessive. When in doubt, say you are to yourself and see if it fits the sentence.”

So, if you see me mumbling to myself while I am typing, it is not senility. It is me saying you are to myself. I do the same thing with they’re, but that is a lesson for another day.

The moral of the story? Be careful with your word usage. If you already know these rules, you’re on the right track.

A final note to my readers: I appreciate you. You are great!

Carlton Hughes wears many hats. By day, he’s a professor of communication at Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College. On Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings, he does object lessons and songs with motions as Children’s Pastor of Lynch Church of God. In his “spare time,” he is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in numerous publications, including Chicken Soup for the Soul and several devotional books from Worthy Publishing—Let the Earth Rejoice, Just Breathe, So God Made a Dog, and Everyday Grace for Men. Carlton and his wife Kathy have two sons, Noah and Ethan, both of whom recently flew out of the nest. He is on the planning committee for Kentucky Christian Writers Conference and is a year-round volunteer for Operation Christmas child. He is represented by Cyle Young of Hartline Literary Agency. His book Adventures in Fatherhood, a 60-day devotional co-authored with Holland Webb, will release in April 2020 from Worthy/Ellie Claire.

Categories
The Picky Pen

Punctuation Series: How to Edit the Em Dash

In the world of grammar and punctuation, there are three types of dash (hyphen, en dash, and em dash). “So what?” you say. “Ah,” but I say, “presentation is everything, especially when it comes to the publishing world. And your presentation of such a small thing as a dash is crucial to your book’s success.”

Working with the dash can be tricky, boring, and downright distressing at times. As a writer and an editor, I completely understand your frustration with grammar and punctuation altogether.

You’d rather write, right? Right! So let’s continue our focus on a simple, easy-to-understand punctuation series that I hope will be a help and encouragement to you—allowing you more time to write well.

If you feel like you’re back in grammar school, please take heart—and know that this isn’t going to be a boring, stuffy ‘nother grammar lesson.

It may seem like the dash is not important, but they are, especially if you use a lot of extra information in your prose or poetry. And that’s nearly every piece of writing, so I invite you to stay for this little journey. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but merely to give you a tool to use in your self-editing journey, should you choose to do so.

Why Paying Attention to the Dash Is Important

  • Appearance is everything, appearance is everything, appearance . . . yeah
  • The difference is subtle, like missing the road sign on the highway
  • Using the dash correctly shows you care about your story, your editor, and your readers

In this blog post, let’s look at one of the dashes, the em dash. And my text for today is The Chicago Manual of Style, chapter six.

Using the em dash instead of using commas, parenthesis, and colons (Chicago Manual of Style 6.85).

If you ever hear just the word “dash,” the speaker most likely will be referring to the standard em dash, so please don’t be confused. Em dashes can be used for abrupt insertions of information in a sentence, or important side elements that an author wants the reader to notice something.

Em dashes set off or amplify an element in a sentence, or function in place of parenthesis, comma, or a colon. Please notice examples one, two, and three below, respectively:

  • Parenthesis. Tim Shoemaker’s keynotes at the Write-to-Publish conference in June, 2019, centered on several biblical characters—Nehemiah, King David, and David’s mighty men—and encouraged writers to produce great content that fills readers with hope in a fresh and exciting way.
  • Comma. The encouragement of three people in my life who were an inspiration to me in different stages of my writing journey—a journey that, much to my surprise, spanned twenty years, include my mother, my grandfather, and my writing mentor.
  • Colon. Even though I had many people who inspired me to write, it was a novel written by a British author that set my pen on fire—pure bliss.

*Avoiding confusion. (Chicago 6.85.)

  • Don’t use two sets of em dashes in the same sentence because it causes confusion for your reader, not to mention makes the sentence really clunky. In this case, you would use parenthesis or commas instead.
    (I have bolded the parenthesis and commas, as they add extra, extra information. Notice where the em dash is placed in relation to the other punctuation as well.)
    A few examples:
  • The Write-to-Publish conference—which met for four days in June near Chicago (and is a perfect balance of emerging and skilled writers)—featured in-house publishing editors and excellent subsidy publishers for writers of all levels and genres.
  • The Write-to-Publish conference—which met for four days in June near Chicago, and is a perfect balance of emerging and skilled writers—featured in-house publishing editors and excellent subsidy publishers for writers of all levels and genres.

Use the em dash for sudden breaks or interruptions (Chicago Manual of Style 6.87).

You may use an em dash if your sentence decides to go on a jaunt or a jolt, or entertain an interruption in dialogue or thought. Hey, no worries—that’s okay! Just plug in the em dash and you’re all good.

Here are some examples:

  • My friend jiggled the car keys still in the ignition, the steering wheel, the H-emblemed car horn, the door locks, anything to silence the deafening screech. “I—I can’t seem to deactivate this—this alarm.”
  • A woodpecker rap made me jump. The man shot two fingers in my direction on the other side of the passenger window. “If you don’t stop messing around with that alarm,” he shouted over the blaring sound, “I’m gonna call the cops—I mean it! People are tryin’ to sleep!”

The em dash is used instead of quotation marks

(Chicago Manual of Style 6.80). *This is mainly for European manuscripts. If you have read any international works or are getting your books published with foreign rights, you might have seen the em dash.

Okay, so this is a fun one, and I might add, an interesting rule to keep in mind. I’ll make it as simple as possible for you. 😊 Don’t use any quotation marks or spaces after the em dash. Ask your agent or editor or publisher if this method is still used in today’s books, because. . .

I’ve seen the em dash used in older novels, but haven’t seen them in recent novels. Have you? I’d sure love to know! So—please leave a comment on the blog, telling me where you have seen this rule used.

For example,

  • —Oh Henry, isn’t this a lovely party?
  • —Yes, Louise, and it’s lovelier with you here.

How’s that for a very brief introductory into using the em dash that’s widely used but so often misused?

Pro Tip for Finding the Em Dash

  1. Make sure your cursor is at the place where you want the en dash to be placed.
  2. In Microsoft Word (version 2016), go to the Insert tab.
  3. At the very end of the icon list, you’ll see Symbols.
  4. Click the drop-down menu, and you’ll choose the Symbol option.
  5. Mouse over the symbols, until you find the Em dash.  
  6. Click, and insert into the place where your cursor is located.

Using the well-placed en dash is important because your overall presentation makes a world of difference to your editor, agent, publisher, and readers. That may seem counterintuitive because the writing is equally important, but it’s the presentation that tends to enhance your credibility as a writer. (Especially if you self-publish and are doing your own first-draft editing.)

Next month, we’ll look at the final way to edit the dash in your manuscript, but for now. . . just remember, There may be three types of dash, and one of them is not Dasher.

Please take a minute and join in the discussion! I’d love to hear from you!

Choose between the questions to engage in the conversation:

Why do you use em dashes?

Have you seen any in place of quotation marks in dialogue? Which title/author uses them?

Tisha Martin writes historical fiction and nonfiction but also edits and proofreads for beginning and best-selling writers, professional editing agencies, and publishing houses. She has a BA in Professional Writing, an MS in English Education, and an editing certificate from the PEN Institute, affordable continuing education for editors. Active in American Christian Fiction Writers and The PEN, she appreciates the writing and editing communities. As Assistant Director of PENCON, a conference for editors, she enjoys travel marketing and updating PENCON’s Facebook Page. Connect with Tisha on her website www.tishamartin.com and engage in the conversation.

Categories
The Picky Pen

Punctuation Series: How to Edit En Dashes

In the world of grammar and punctuation, there are three types of dash (hyphen, en dash, and em dash). “So what?” you say. “Ah,” but I say, “presentation is everything, especially when it comes to the publishing world. And your presentation of such a small thing as a dash is crucial to your book’s success.”

Working with the dash can be tricky, boring, and downright distressing at times. As a writer and an editor, I completely understand your frustration with grammar and punctuation altogether.

You’d rather write, right? Right! So let’s continue our focus on a simple, easy-to-understand punctuation series that I hope will be a help and encouragement to you—allowing you more time to write well.

If you feel like you’re back in grammar school, please take heart—and know that this isn’t going to be a boring, stuffy ‘nother grammar lesson.

It may seem like the dash is not important, but they are, especially if you use a lot of numbers and dates and prose. And that’s nearly every piece of writing, so I invite you to stay for this little journey. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but merely to give you a tool to use in your self-editing journey, should you choose to do so.

Why Paying Attention to the Dash Is Important

  • Appearance is everything, appearance is everything, appearance . . . yeah
  • The difference is subtle, like missing the road sign on the highway
  • Using the dash correctly shows you care about your story, your editor, and your readers

In this blog post, let’s look at one of the dashes, the en dash. And my text for today is The Chicago Manual of Style, chapter six.

Using the dash to mean “to.” (Chicago Manual of Style 6.78)

Many times the dash is a stand-in for “to,” just like “to be” is an understood for a sentence like “We elected Jane [to be] president.” Nonfiction and Bible study / devotional writers, take a look here, as this will apply to you because you use a lot of Scripture verses.

“To” simply means “up through” or “including up through.” And to write all that is really truly wordy. So we use the en dash to simplify. The point? The en dash connects numbers together (words, not as much).

Here are a few examples:

  • Scripture reference. In John 3:15–17 we learn about God’s love for us.
  • Chapters. Let’s continue our study of Lessons from To Kill a Mockingbird. See chapters 3–4.
  • With scores and directions. Congress voted 100–1 on the new bill.

*Two exceptions. As always, there are exceptions.

  • If your sentence uses from before the number or date element, then do not use the en dash. You would say, “from July to November.”
  • If your sentence uses between, do not use an en dash. For example, “The baby sleeps between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m.”

Use the en dash with unfinished number ranges (Chicago Manual of Style 6.79)

If the number range in your sentence is ongoing, then an en dash is appropriate. This would include things like serial publications or the birth date of a living person. No spaces required.

Here are some examples:

  • Scriptmag (especially 2019–) is an excellent magazine for anyone wanting to dig into writing screenplays.
  • Jude’s grandfather (1927–) served in the Korean Conflict.

Use the en dash with compound adjectives (Chicago Manual of Style 6.80)

Okay, so this is a fun one, and I might add, a very important rule to keep in mind. I’ll make it as simple as possible for you. 😊

When the compound adjective has one element that is an open compound or when both elements are hyphenated, then use an en dash in its place.

It might be more helpful if explained this way as an example:

A regular hyphen joins two words (smoke-filled room), but an en dash joins a collection of hyphenated (a multi-published–multi-genre author); see the en dash between “published and multi”).

(Examples to follow so you are not confused.)

  • I write mostly about WWII and the post–WWII era.
    (The distinction here is a proper compound.)

  • We are headed toward Nashville, the music–influenced city of the US.
    (This distinction here is, The city influenced by music.)

  • The singer had an Elvis Presley–style voice.
    (The distinction here is a proper compound.)

How’s that for a very brief introductory into using the en dash?

Pro Tip for Finding the En Dash

  1. Make sure your cursor is at the place where you want the en dash to be placed.
  2. In Microsoft Word (version 2016), go to the Insert tab.
  3. At the very end of the icon list, you’ll see Symbols.
  4. Click the drop-down menu, and you’ll choose the Symbol option.
  5. Mouse over the symbols, until you find the En dash.
  6. Click, and insert into the place where your cursor is located.

Using the well-placed en dash is important because your overall presentation makes a world of difference to your editor, agent, publisher, and readers. That may seem counterintuitive because the writing is equally important, but it’s the presentation that tends to enhance your credibility as a writer. (Especially if you self-publish and are doing your own first-draft editing.)

Next month, we’ll look at some more ways to edit the dash in your manuscript, but for now. . . just remember, There may be three types of dash, and one of them is not Dasher.

Please take a minute and join in the discussion! I’d love to hear from you!

Do you use en dashes? If you haven’t before now, what do you think about using them?

Tisha Martin writes historical fiction and nonfiction but also edits and proofreads for beginning and best-selling writers, professional editing agencies, and publishing houses. She has a BA in Professional Writing, an MS in English Education, and an editing certificate from the PEN Institute, affordable continuing education for editors. Active in American Christian Fiction Writers and The PEN, she appreciates the writing and editing communities. As Assistant Director of PENCON, a conference for editors, she enjoys travel marketing and updating PENCON’s Facebook Page. Connect with Tisha on her website www.tishamartin.com and engage in the conversation.

Categories
The Picky Pen

Punctuation Series: How to Edit Lists

Presentation is everything, especially when it comes to the publishing world. And your presentation of punctuation is crucial to your book’s success. But punctuation can be tricky, boring, and downright distressing at times. As a writer and an editor, I completely understand your frustration with grammar altogether. You’d rather write, right? Right! So let’s continue our 2019 focus on a simple, easy-to-understand punctuation series that I hope will be a help and encouragement to you, allowing you more time to write well.

If you feel like you’re back in grammar school, please take heart—and know that this isn’t going to be a boring, stuffy ‘nother grammar lesson.

Especially if you write nonfiction and work with a lot of lists and such, this blog post is going to help you, or if you write fiction and your character makes a grocery list, you’re going to need to read this blog post to make sure the job is done correctly!

Why Paying Attention to Lists Is Important

  • You need parallel elements
  • You need to be consistent

This information focuses on three kinds of lists within the text (does not include the more technical style; that’s for another day).

Run-in lists (Chicago Manual of Style 6.129)

Most numbers or letters in a run-in list within the text are generally enclosed in parentheses. If letters, sometimes you can use italics within the parentheses. Separate the items with commas, unless there are internal commas, and then you’ll use semicolons to separate the items in the list. (The only time you will use a vertical list is if the list is a complete sentence, or a few sentences; but we will discuss that in a bit.)

Here are a few examples:

As a watchmaker, my father has over twenty years’ experience in the following: customer service, watch mechanics, history of timepieces, and Swiss watches.

Compose three sentences consisting of (1) indicative mood, (2) subjunctive mood, and (3) objective mood.

Please bring the following items with you to the writer’s conference: (a) two dozen Pilot Easytouch pens, two dozen Casemate mechanical pencils, and two dozen packages of college-ruled notebook paper; (b) twelve Big Sky planners and six reams of 20-pound printer paper; and (c) 100 coffee filters and five packages of Styrofoam cups.

Vertical Lists: capitalization, punctuation, and format (Chicago Manual of Style 6.130)

Introduce a vertical list with a grammatically correct sentence, and put a colon after it, like this:

You will use an unordered list (with bullet points) or an ordered list (with numbers or letters). Note: if the list is unordered, and the items have complete sentences, then you will not need to capitalize the beginning or use any end punctuation (but, of course, capitalize those proper nouns!). If your list runs over the standard line, then insert a hanging indent. Let me show you how this works, in case you’re reading this, confused:

Example:

When submitting your book proposal, you must include the following:

cover letter, pitching to the agent or editor what your book is about and why you are qualified to write it

author bio, explaining in creative detail your publishing credits and any expertise that sets you apart or gives you credit for the book you’re writing

marketing strategy, where you share your ideas and strategy for selling your book

social media platform, showing your numbers, reach, and engagement

sample chapters that are well edited and are the best they can be

Another Example:

You can put short lists in nice little columns, like this:

Pens                Erasers

Pencils            Sharpeners

Paper               Ink

More Examples:

Explain in three sentences:

  1. Why you want to write
  2. What drives you to write
  3. Who your audience is

(Notice how the sentence before the list completes each numbered list as a whole idea.)

Final Example:

Bulleted lists are formatted the same as a numbered list.

Use Microsoft Word to complete the following functions:

  • Turn on Track Changes before you begin editing.
  • Change the font from the Home tab.
  • Set the appropriate Styles from the Styles menu if you have any headings in your manuscript.

Vertical lists punctuated as a sentence (Chicago Manual of Style 6.131)

For several basic steps in self-editing their manuscripts, writers must

  1. check for consistency of character point of view,
  2. keep adverbs to a minimum, and
  3. use strong action verbs and concrete nouns.

How’s that for Lists? If you need to know where the List function is in Word, it’s under the Home tab, in the Paragraph box. There are several types of lists to choose from.

Using well-placed punctuation marks is important because your overall presentation makes a world of difference to your editor, agent, publisher, and readers. That may seem counterintuitive because the writing is equally important, but it’s the presentation that tends to enhance your credibility as a writer. (Especially if you self-publish and are doing your own first-draft editing.)

Next month, we’ll look at some more ways to edit the punctuation in your manuscript, but for now. . . I hope you found this blog post helpful!

Please take a minute and join in the discussion! I’d love to hear from you!

Do you use lists in your manuscript? Which ones do you enjoy using?

Tisha Martin writes historical fiction and nonfiction but also edits and proofreads for beginning and best-selling writers, professional editing agencies, and publishing houses. She has a BA in Professional Writing, an MS in English Education, and an editing certificate from the PEN Institute, affordable continuing education for editors. Active in American Christian Fiction Writers and The PEN, she appreciates the writing and editing communities. As Assistant Director of PENCON, a conference for editors, she enjoys travel marketing and updating PENCON’s Facebook Page. Connect with Tisha on her website www.tishamartin.com and engage in the conversation.

Categories
Grammar and Grace

Apart or A Part. Which One?

Do you stay up at night wondering which one to choose–apart or a part? I don’t either, but when you’re editing your work, you need to know the difference. These words sound the same, but they have different jobs in a sentence.

Apart is an adverb that shows how two things are separate or in pieces, part of a larger thing.

Example: Apart from the sappy ending, the movie was mostly good.

It can also be used as an adjective to show that something is isolated from something else.

Example: An athlete apart, Michael Phelps has made history with his Olympic performances.

Apart can also be used as a preposition to mean with the exception of or besides and is usually used with from.

Example: We made a side trip apart from the rest of the touring group.

A part is comprised of an article and a noun.

Example: When Anna scored the goal, she felt a part of the team.

Apart is about being separate. A part is about being one piece of a bigger puzzle.

Happy writing!

Hope Toler Dougherty holds a Master’s degree in English and taught at East Carolina University and York Technical College. Her publications include three novels Irish Encounter and Mars…With Venus Rising, and Rescued Hearts as well as nonfiction articles. A member of ACFW, RWA, and SinC, she writes for SeriousWriter.com. She and her husband live in North Carolina and enjoy visits with their two daughters and twin sons. Author of Rescued Hearts ,  Irish Encounter,  Mars…With Venus Rising.Visit Hope at www.hopetolerdougherty.com

Categories
Blogging Basics

How To Polish Your Blog With A Little Help

When meeting first time bloggers, I am often asked about hosting, web pages, and behind the scenes technical issues. Focusing on the technical side of blogging often overwhelms first time bloggers stifling creativity where it is needed most; in writing the blog itself. To conquer this problem, I suggest a homework assignment. Write three to six blogs in Word.

Two reasons I suggest this assignment. One, it helps with concept and organization. If I write six blogs, what will I write? What concepts do I want to share? Do I have enough content to maintain a weekly or a monthly blog? Two, having six created blogs ready to go, helps you then focus on the technical and marketing side of blogging when you are ready to go live. I offer to read their first two blogs checking for content, flow, and overall readability.

Last year I discovered an amazing resource to help with the heart of your blog: the actual writing and editing of blogging. I edited my second book using ProWritingAid. The following are my favorite features of this writing software program.

The Summary Report

My blog writing process starts with free writing. Without self-editing, I let my words flow on the page, mistakes and all. Without words on the page, you have nothing to edit. Then I self-edit without opening an editing software program. Once I am satisfied with flow and content, then I open ProWritingAid in Word.

Without words on the page, you have nothing to edit.

My Blog Writing Process

  1. Free Write
  2. Self-Edit
  3. Edit Using ProWritingAid

The Summary Report

This report offers an overall score for grammar, spelling, and style. I open this report first to get a sense of how much I need to edit the document. The goal is to have each category report a 100% score. If any score is lower than 100%, I select the individual report for review.

Grammar

Grammar suggestions appear in the right-hand column of your Word Document. Select the down arrow to read offered suggestions.

Examples:

  1. Sentence: A score of 100 for overall score. The report suggests: A score of 100 for an overall score. Action: Add an to the sentence.
  2. Sentence: An illness or disease like cancer. The report notes: Possible missing determiner. Change to: An illness or a disease like cancer. Action: Add a to the sentence.
  3. En-dashes: _ to –  . The report advises: En-dashes should never have a space on either side. Action: By selecting the suggested change, it automatically makes the update in Word.

Example #1:

Note: I also use Grammarly to check grammar as it also offers suggestions.  See free version at the end of the blog.

Spelling

The spelling check is found in the Grammar report and is straight forward. In this blog, I used the words Free Write. The spelling feature of ProWritingAid suggested I change my words to Fred Waite instead. In this case, I would select the green eye icon to override and hide this suggestion.

Style

This report checks for use of passive and hidden verbs. The report highlights areas for review and correction. Here is an example of a passive verb and a hidden verb discovered in the initial writing of this blog.

Passive Verb Example: Many people are overwhelmed

The report suggests: it overwhelms many people.

My corrected sentence: The technical side of blogging often overwhelms first time bloggers.

Hidden Verb Example: in the writing of the blog

The report suggests: No suggestions

My corrected sentence: in writing the blog itself.

Repeated Sentence Starts:

Another great feature of the style report is catching repeated sentence starts.

Example: I jumped in the pool. I shivered because the water chilled me to the core. I had to get out fast.

Change to: After diving into the pool, I shivered as the water chilled me to the core. In less than a minute, I swam to the side and leaped out.

Note: You can still obtain a 100% score by keeping two of your personal style preferences in the document. In editing my devotional, the program made a recommendation to correct a bible verse. I left the bible quotation “as is” leaving the integrity of the words in place and still received a score of 100 in the Style Report.

Readability

The readability report uses the Flesch Reading Ease, The Coleman -Liau Formula and The Automated Readability Index to return an overall score for this report. If your document is easy to read this report congratulates you. Otherwise, it highlights sentences you may want to re-write for easy reading for your audience.

In my initial writing of this blog, I wrote these two sentences:

Sample Sentences: This report offers a unique feature giving Estimated Reading Time. Great resource to offer your readers with limited time to read your blog.

But, the report flagged these sentences for readability by highlighting them in yellow as seen above. To change the sentence for a wider audience of readers, I made this adjustment:

Corrected Sentences: The readability report has a feature called, Estimated Reading Time. Using this resource will let your readers know how long it will take to read your blog.

Sticky

Another report to check for wordiness is the Sticky Report. The software checks your document for “Glue Words.” ProWritingAid shares “Glue words are the empty space that readers need to get through before they can get to your ideas. Generally, your sentences should contain less than 45% glue words. If they contain more, they should probably be re-written to increase clarity.”

They offer the following example:

  • ORIGINAL: Dave walked over into the back yard of the school in order to see if there was a new bicycle that he could use in his class. Glue index: 60.7% – Sentence length 27 words
  • REDRAFT: Dave checked the school’s back yard for a new bicycle to use in Glue index: 42.8% – Sentence length 14 words

Examples of Glue Words include in, on, the, was, for, that, will, and just.

All Repeats

This is my all-time favorite report of ProWritingAid. I attend a local critique group once a month where fellow writers read up to 1500 words of a work in progress. This group has helped me to grow as a writer over the years. They have helped me to avoid glue words and to catch duplicate words in my writing among other things. I recommend joining Word Weavers, not only for the critiques offered but the comradery.

Word Weavers Link: https://word-weavers.com

I use ProWritingAid to catch duplicate words before presenting my work to the critique group. This helps polish my document so my fellow writers can focus on the content presented.

This rainbow-colored report takes some getting used to at first, but it helps to identify changes to make your work shine. The following paragraph is from my October 2018 blog:

I remember the first time I saw a little person. I was about 8 years old. My mom brought me to the grocery store, and as we were leaving, I saw an adult dwarf. He had the short stature of child, but the facial features clearly showed he was an adult. Little did I know then, I would one day become the mother of a little person.

Each color highlights repeat words to review. Notice “an adult” is shown in orange because it appears twice in this paragraph. See the suggested change below.

The report suggests “a man” as an alternative. I could change the third sentence to read “a male dwarf” or “a middle-aged man who had dwarfism.”

You can also check for synonyms in the Thesaurus also included in the software.

In my opinion, this report alone is well worth the cost of ProWritingAid. If you feel this software would benefit your writing, see below.

Writing Software Costs:

In this blog, I’ve suggested ProWritingAid as a writing software option. Below are a few other programs for comparison.

Grammarly

Free Program: Critical grammar and spelling checks.

Premium: $139.95 a year, $59.95 quarterly or $29.95 a month. (Includes checks for punctuation, grammar, context, and sentence structure, and more.)

Purchase here:

Hemingway Editor

Addresses lengthy/structurally complex sentences, meandering sentences, hard to read sentences, weak sentences, and passive voice.

Online version: Free

Hemingway Editor 3 – One-time payment: $19.99. (Publish directly to WordPress or Medium with one-click.)

Purchase here:

ProWritingAid

Offers a free trial.

Cost: 1 year for $60, 2 years $90, 3 years $120 and Lifetime $210.

Purchase here:(This is an affiliate link: As a ProWritingAid affiliate, at no additional cost to you, I earn compensation if you click through and make a purchase using this link.)

What editing software program do you use? Comment below and share your favorite feature.

Evelyn Mann is a mother of a miracle and her story has been featured on WFLA Channel 8, Fox35 Orlando, Inspirational Radio and the Catholic News Agency. A special interview with her son on the Facebook Page, Special Books by Special Kids, has received 1.4M views. Along with giving Samuel lots of hugs and kisses, Evelyn enjoys hot tea, sushi and writing. Visit her at miraclemann.com.

Categories
The Picky Pen

Punctuation Series: Four Ways to Edit Commas

Presentation is everything, especially when it comes to the publishing world. And your presentation of punctuation is crucial to your book’s success. But punctuation can be tricky, boring, and downright distressing a times. As a writer and an editor, I completely understand your frustration with grammar altogether. You’d rather write, right? Right! So for 2019, I’d like to focus on a simple, easy-to-understand punctuation series that I hope will be a help and encouragement to you, allowing you more time to write well.

Four Ways to Edit Commas

 1.  Commas used with adjectives.

If you can place the word “and” between two adjectives before a noun without changing the meaning, then you need a comma separating the adjectives.

Here is an example:

His narrow chiseled jaw showed off his handsome physique.

His narrow [and] chiseled jaw showed off his handsome physique.

His narrow, chiseled jaw showed off his handsome physique.

The two adjectives here act as separate modifiers for the noun “jaw,” and that’s why there is a comma between them.

However, if two adjectives before the noun are considered a unit, then do not use a comma.

Here is an example.

The author had written many famous award-winning articles.

Famous describes award-winning, and award-winning describes articles. Therefore, no comma is needed because the words work together and make sense.

2.  Commas with adverbs.

Generally, adverbs like however, therefore, and indeed are set off by commas.

Examples:

She wanted to join the group, however, she had to work instead.

He asked his boss if he could take the week off, therefore, he was able to finish writing.

But if the adverb is important to the meaning of the clause, or if no pause is needed in the reading, then no comma is needed.

Examples:

The cattle indeed ran through the pasture as a group.

I’ll wait for you however long it takes for you to make a decision.

Even if you’ve written a letter, you are therefore a writer.

3.  Commas with cities and states.

This is an often-confusing issue. When do you use commas and when don’t you?

Always use a comma between the city and state, even if the state is spelled out or used as abbreviation.

Examples:

Grand Rapids, Michigan, is one of several Christian publishing hubs.

Will you visit any museums in New Orleans, L.A., this year?

If the state precedes a zip code, do not use a comma.

Example:

Send your book proposal to Your Agent, 123 Proposal Rd., Manuscript, TN 12345.

4.  Commas with compound predicates, dependent clauses, and independent clauses.

Compound Predicates. Do not use commas when you have two verbs that belong to the same subject.

For example,

The writers drove to the writer’s conference and attended every session.

Dependent Clauses. A dependent clause that is considered restrictive cannot be left out of the sentence without changing the meaning of the sentence, therefore, use a comma when the dependent clause comes before the main clause.

For example,

When you send the manuscript to the publisher, tell them we can edit if necessary.

A dependent clause that is considered nonrestrictive, and which provides information that supplements the sentence not necessary to the entire sentence does need a comma.

For example,

I’d like to spend the afternoon in the bookstore, if you don’t mind.

Essentially, if you can leave out the dependent clause (“if you don’t mind”), and the rest of the sentence makes sense, then you need the comma.

Independent Clauses. An independent clause is part of a sentence that can stand on its own. If there are two of them together, joined by a conjunction (and, but, or), then a comma comes before the conjunction.

For example,

The instructors prepared for their sessions six months in advance, and they taught several classes at the annual writer’s conference.

The only exception: Short clauses don’t need a comma.

For example,

Sarah ran the signup table and Bill greeted the guests.

Using commas correctly is important because it makes a world of difference in the meaning of a sentence. One wrong comma could mean someone’s life! (Let’s eat Grandma… or Let’s eat, Grandma.)

Next month, we’ll look at some more ways to edit the punctuation in your manuscript, but for now. . .

Please take a minute and join in the discussion! I’d love to hear from you!

What do you struggle with when using commas?  

Tisha Martin writes historical fiction and nonfiction but also edits and proofreads for beginning and best-selling writers, professional editing agencies, and publishing houses. She has a BA in Professional Writing, an MS in English Education, and an editing certificate from the PEN Institute, affordable continuing education for editors. Active in American Christian Fiction Writers and The PEN, she appreciates the writing and editing communities. As Assistant Director of PENCON, a conference for editors, she enjoys travel marketing and updating PENCON’s Facebook Page. Connect with Tisha on her website www.tishamartin.com and engage in the conversation.

Categories
Grammar and Grace

Probably, Not Prolly!

Do you cringe when someone scratches her fingernails down a blackboard or clicks her teeth against a metal utensil? Well, I have the same feeling when I read prolly in someone’s Facebook comment or blog post.

I was all ready to write, “Prolly isn’t a word! Please avoid using it! Go for the real word, probably, instead.” Before I began my post, however, I did some research. It turns out, prolly has entries in several dictionaries. (You don’t know how much it pained me to write that last sentence.” It’s accepted as a spoken colloquialism.

Spoken colloquialism.

There it is. Spoken. It’s accepted as a spoken word. If you use the word in your manuscripts, make sure you’re using it in dialog.

I also avoid using it in Facebook posts, too.

But that’s just me.

Happy New Year!

Happy Writing!

Hope Toler Dougherty holds a Master’s degree in English and taught at East Carolina University and York Technical College. Her publications include three novels Irish Encounter and Mars…With Venus Rising, and Rescued Hearts as well as nonfiction articles. A member of ACFW, RWA, and SinC, she writes for SeriousWriter.com. She and her husband live in North Carolina and enjoy visits with their two daughters and twin sons.

Author of Rescued Hearts
               Irish Encounter
              Mars…With Venus Rising
Visit Hope at www.hopetolerdougherty.com

 

 

Categories
Grammar and Grace

Three Simple Rules for Pluralizing Names

The holiday season is approaching, and it’s time for a post about the correct way to make proper names plural.

Here are three simple rules to follow for writing names correctly and making sure your cards convey the happy messages you intend.

  1. Add an s to a proper noun that doesn’t end in s to make it plural.

Langston = Langstons
Paterline = Paterlines
Haddock = Haddocks

  1. Don’t change the spelling of a proper noun to make the plural.

Dougherty = Doughertys (not Dougherties)

  1.  Add es to a name that ends in s, x, z, ch, or sh to make it plural.

Capps = Cappses ( I know it looks strange, but trust me.)
Wellons=Wellonses
Edwards = Edwardses
Crews = Crewses
Rakiewicz = Rakiewiczes

Notice that at no time have I used an apostrophe. I haven’t used one because I’m making the names plural, not possessive.

Three rules.

That’s all you need to write your Christmas cards correctly. If you can’t bring yourself to add the es to someone’s name or you can’t bring yourself to leave off the apostrophe, there’s always an easy fallback…

Merry Christmas from the Dougherty Family!

Hope Toler Dougherty holds a Master’s degree in English and taught at East Carolina University and York Technical College. Her publications include three novels, Irish Encounter,  Mars…With Venus Rising, and Rescued Hearts, as well as nonfiction articles. A member of ACFW, RWA, and SinC, she writes for SeriousWriter.com. She and her husband live in North Carolina and enjoy visits with their two daughters and twin sons. Visit her at hopetolerdougherty.com.