editing

Foretold

July 8, 2010

A couple of weeks ago, I had the unenviable task of going back to my late mother’s empty house and trying to put it in order. I won’t be keeping the house, but there were important papers that needed to be found and equipment to be returned and services to be terminated. It was difficult, [...]

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Can Bad Spellers Be Good Writers?

July 6, 2010

I’m going to start keeping a running tally of people who have said to me, “I have a lot of ideas, but I could never be a writer because my spelling is horrible.” It’s something I hear often enough that I’ve already lost count, and I consider it a very sad thing. There are plenty [...]

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Advice for Copyeditors

June 21, 2010

I’m trying to get ready to go out of town and deal with the loose ends regarding my mother’s estate, so today’s post will be short and sweet, and Thursday’s post may well be absent, or equally brief. This blog often offers advice for new writers, but advice for new copyeditors is very important as [...]

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Cheryl Klein on Commas (and Squids!)

June 17, 2010

Cheryl Klein doesn’t know it, but she was one of my inspirations when I decided to go into editing full-time. I was working at in the book club division at Scholastic, just a couple floors away. I don’t think we ever even met, though we exchanged email once over a typo. But the idea that [...]

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Ten Tips for Formatting Your Electronic Submission

February 8, 2010

When you’re sending a manuscript file electronically, there are some formatting decisions you have to make. Some of the advice on formatting is fairly standard and easy to find. Most editors, publishers or agents will tell you to double-space between lines and single-space after a period, some will tell you what text font or size [...]

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The Last-Glance Editing Checklist

February 4, 2010

Consistency is a big part of polish. Manuscripts with inconsistency issues will look sloppy and careless no matter how well they’re written. Not only do they make more work for a publisher, but they also suggest to publishers and agents that you aren’t serious enough to pay careful attention to your writing. I recommend doing [...]

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Have a picture of a cat.

January 7, 2010

There’s nothing I can say today. Instead, I turn to our friends at I Can Has Cheezburger:

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Hugo Nominations Now Open

January 4, 2010

Nominations are now open for the 2010 Hugo Awards, recognizing excellence in the field of science fiction and fantasy. Members of last year’s Worldcon in Montreal and members who register for this year’s Worldcon in Melbourne are eligible to nominate and vote. You can also make your recommendations to other voters (and get an idea [...]

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Noms and Nods

December 22, 2009

My post “Words to Watch Out For” has been included in Online University’s 100 Blog Posts Every Grammar Geek Should Bookmark! It’s a great, helpful list. Check me out at #38. Meanwhile, I’ve been reminded by Kimi over at Tale Chasing that Writers Digest Online is still accepting nominations for their annual 101 Best Websites [...]

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More Tips for Polished Writing: Part 2

November 5, 2009

Today’s tips involve time, timing, and putting the drama in a dramatic moment. There’s nothing explicitly “wrong” with any of the words or phrases I’m recommending against, below. The problem with them is that they almost always steal the power or the opportunity from a moment that could be stronger. There’s a certain amount of [...]

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