Edit or Regret It
by Valerie Allen,
Director of Authors for Authors upcoming
16th Annual Writers' Conference: Write, Publish, Sell!
Wee ken knot bee two care full wren wee right!!!! Sew, righters, plees reed.
The work of successful authors educates and/or entertains–better to do both. No matter how well written, the reader is apt to close your book and move on due to lack of clarity. Content that is poorly written is distracting. It makes it difficult for the reader to concentrate, understand, enjoy or learn from your work.
Here is a checklist of the most significant errors to consider along followed by an example of an easy correction:
Overuse of that (use find feature/reread sentence/eliminate when not needed)
~They all hoped that you would come to the class. (incorrect)
~They all hoped you would come to the class.
Keep noun – verb sequence, especially with he said/she said speech tags
~ “This is wonderful,” said Valerie. (incorrect)
~“This is wonderful,” Valerie said.
Do not use FANBOYS to begin a sentence:
(FANBOYS is an acronym: F=for; A=as/and; N= neither/nor; B = but; O= or; Y = yet; S= so
~ So we all went to the store to buy more pens for our writing project. (incorrect)
~We all went to the store to buy more pens for our writing project.
Use a comma before the word but in a sentence (most of the time :)
~ I enjoy writing but it is hard work. (incorrect)
~ I enjoy writing, but it is hard work.
Use quotes at the beginning and at the end of dialogue; keep punctuation inside the quotations:
~I love to teach, Valerie said. (incorrect)
~“I love to teach,” Valerie said.
Use italics for internal thoughts; do not add “he/she thought” after internal dialogue
~Valerie looked at her new book. I know this will be a best seller, she thought. (incorrect)
~Valerie looked at her new book. I know this will be a best seller.
Use the correct tag line with a statement and a question.
~ “What is the price of this book?” Valerie said. (incorrect)
~ “What is the price of this book?” Valerie asked.
Use hyphens for compound nouns and multiple adjectives
~Valerie, a six year old, is in first grade. (incorrect)
~Valerie, a six-year-old, is in first grade.
MORE ABOUT TODAY’S GUEST BLOGGER
Valerie Allen is host of several events in the Melbourne, Florida area aimed at serving for the area’s readers and authors alike. Stay tuned for the first in 2025 on April 6 by subscribing to this blog. It offers opportunities and events including my favorite frugal and effective book display for authors who can’t attend was well as other opportunities for both authors who can’t be there and those who can! An author in her own right she is author of this extensive list of books:
Write, Publish, Sell! 2 ed
Beyond the Inkblots: Confusion to Harmony
Understanding Mental Illness: A Guide for Family and Friends
Amazing Grace
Sins of the Father
The Prodigal Son
Stories for the Man in Your Life
Love Stories for Your Valentine
A Gift for Mom: Short Story Collection
'Tis Herself: Short Story Volume One
'Tis Herself: Short Story Volume Two
'Tis Herself: Short Story Volume Three
The Sun and The Moon
My Precious Little Kitty Cat
Summer School for Smarties
Go to the Guidance Office and Ask the Counselor
:Reach her at
MORE ABOUT THE BLOGGER and EDITOR
Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the author of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. She is also a marketing consultant, editor, and author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers including the award-winning second edition of "The Frugal Book Promoter" and "The Frugal Editor." Her "How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically" will soon be published by Modern History Press in its second edition. Learn more on her Amazon profile page, http://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfile.
"Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers" is one of her booklets--perfect for inexpensive gift giving--and "The Great First Impression Book Proposal, another booklet, helps writers who want to be traditionally published."
Carolyn has three FRUGAL books for retailers including one she encourages authors to read because it will help them convince retailers to host their workshops, presentations, and signings. The first in that series is "A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques." She helps writers extend the exposure of their favorite reviews at TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com absolutely free along with her associate Lois W. Stern. She also blogs at all things editing--grammar, formatting and more--at right here "The Frugal, Smart, and Tuned-In Editor" (http://TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com) and plans to work on it harder in 2025. Her SharingwithWriters.blogspot.com blog focuses on the writing life and book marketing and promotion. It is a Writers' Digest 101 Best blogs pick.
No comments:
Post a Comment