Why Editors Say No

Ring! Ring! "Hello, editing central."
"I can't find your rates anywhere on your website!"
"That's because it depends on the work, the complexity and length, and the kind of editing services desired."
I convinced the caller at the other end of the country to email her "short story" for me to look over.  It turned out to be a rather nice story poem, written in contemporary verse. I wrote back:

Hi REDACTED,

Your lovely story poem is something I would not edit. Poems are so personal and so much creative writing rather than something to convey information.  Although I might punctuate it differently, I wouldn't know if I were violating your intentions. In poetry, copyediting matters are as much the author's tool as rhyme and word selection.

 

I will offer this advice, however:  read the poem out loud, maybe even into a recorder, and listen for the places where you want the reader's voice to continue to the next line without a break, and where you want pauses or stops.  Take away any punctuation that causes a break where you don't want one, and add the appropriate marks where you want a pause or stop.

 

Punctuation ranges from "snatch a breath" (comma) to full stop (period).  Semicolons formally separate phrases that could stand alone as complete sentences; a colon indicates a medium pause but continuing in the same tone of voice because what follows is an explanation of what came before the colon.  Use ellipses and em dashes sparingly. An ellipse marks a place where the voice trails off and pauses before starting a new sentence, while an em dash is a pause like a comma, only longer and the voice continues in the same tone.  As Jay Leno says:  exactly the same, only different!

 

I see no capitalization problems, but have you seen poetry by ee cummings?  That is another poet's choice! 

 

My minimum fee for any service is two hours of my maximum charge, $70 per hour. So, if you still want me to edit it, that's what you'd have to pay.  I suspect you can tweak it yourself with the information above.

 

Please keep me in mind for your future editorial needs.

 

Yours truly,

 

Georganna Hancock
10725 Escobar Drive
San Diego CA 92124
858-571-5390
A Writer's Edge  http://www.writers-edge.info
Hancock Websites  http://www.hancockwebsites.com

 

Just yesterday, I had to explain why I would/could not help a woman with her novel--she wanted developmental editing (POV, pacing, plot) and only on a partially written manuscript.  If I could do that type of editing fiction, I told her, I would be writing novels myself! 

Quick! Somebody send some solid nonfiction so I can get all up in your words.

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Grammar & Style

Let's say you're writing or editing. If you're not, why are you reading this? It's a summation of handy resources about styles and grammar goofs. I've mined some of these sites for individual post topics, as Constant Readers will notice.

If you just like learning about grammar (who doesn't?) cruise the Archives of the Grammarcheck newsletters at FreeLists / grammarcheck. It is sad they didn't continue, but the Grammar Girl probably has something similar, and an RSS feed no doubt. The Online Universities Blog offers Fun and Informative Blog Posts Every Grammar Geek Should Bookmark

The next three spots highlight good writing practices. Good editing includes being alert for such violations as those found in Forbidden Words, Misused Words and Missed Spellings. That last is an article on tips to avoid spelling and word errors. Read the whole page for more useful links and a new classic poem Owed to Spelchek by Jamy Schuler.

Moving on to style matters, the eternally sticky wicket among writers and editors. Which one to follow? It depends on what you are writing and who is publishing it. One of my fave starting points is Diana Hacker's site because she keeps me straight on which style applies to which discipline (MLA for literature, e.g.). She provides a descriptions of the major manuals or style guides with some links to them or sites about them.

A specific search at Yahoo! yielded such an interesting list of style guides, that I've saved it for reference. Just in case that link goes wonky, here's the whole URL:

http://dir.yahoo.com/Social_Science/Linguistics_and_Human_Languages/Languages/Specific_Languages/English/Grammar__Usage__and_Style/Style_Guides/

Find an even more comprehensive listing at A Research Guide for Students. Hey! We never stop learning, so we are all always students. Scroll down that page and visit some of the links to other helpful sites.

Finally for a little comic relief:  Everything You Know About English is Wrong blog (and book by the same name). See labels in the sidebar for entries about particular problems.  Enjoy!

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Political Grammar

Politician misappropriates grammar, caught waffling by comedian.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Waffle House
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Crisis

It used to be "how to lie with statistics," now it's "how to lie with words."  I like that part about using an auxiliary verb with a slightly more passive mood.

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Editorial Assistants

Many writers seek manuscript editors at this time of year.  They have many questions, too.  This is just to let you know that I refer all mundane and boring, repetitive questions to my editorial assistant, depicted below:

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Free Book with Gift

Buy an AWE gift certificate and receive a free holiday book. This novel is perfect for the season. Popescue's Girl Mary depicts how a maid from a wandering Hebrew tribe encountered God and married her true love, Joseph. The description of the holy land, especially mountain scenes, may jar traditional views of the setting for the Christmas story. Depiction of daily life for the people of that time is interesting to learn, and the intrusion of Roman politics may shock your view of Christian history.

To qualify for the free book, give yourself or writerly friends gifts of editorial services. You can design them with me. Here are some ideas: an hour (or less) of publishing consultation, any type of editing or a manuscript evaluation. How about a combination package for your loved one's first novel? Advice and services for self-publishing are also possibilities. Email me for details and arrangements or call 858-571-5390 for faster service. A certificate can be sent overnight and redeemed by email.

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What is Awhile?

Quite often online, you'll see someone write about "awhile," as if it were an adverb as well as a noun. "Wait awhile," they write. "It took awhile to get my visa. I'll be with you in awhile." All these uses are incorrect, of course. The word is "while."

"While" is a versatile word. It can function as a noun, an adjective, a preposition, or a transitive verb. The only adverbial use, according to Merriman-Webster Online Dictionary is in the phrase once in a while, indicating now and then or occasionally.

The most common use of "while," however, indicates a period of time. Why some writers prefix the word with an a befuddles me--except, that having once seen it online, they may think it is correct. You wouldn't write "anhour" or "aday" would you? Does "afortnight" affront you?

My favorite use of "while" occurred many years ago when I was teaching my daughter to talk. She had heard me say (too many time, probably), "a little while." When I asked her to come to the kitchen for a meal, she responded, "in a couple of whiles." Well, it is a noun, why can there be a couple of them?

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e-Reader Magazines Ahead

Magazine publishers are prepping for tiny formats. A lack of good e-readers for magazines isn't stopping them. They are trying to stay one step ahead by readying small format digital versions of their offerings. A digital newsstand just for magazines is coming out in a few weeks, according to MediaWeek.com's e-Reader Mania Hits Magazine Publishing:

Condé Nast last week showed off what an imagined e-reader version of its glossies would look like, starting with Wired. And Time Inc. is developing e-reader versions of such titles as Time and Sports Illustrated; it’s expected to introduce those iterations early next year.

The article mentions other upcoming editorial products that will soon arrive on small media readers, such as the iPhone.

I've read New York Times' stories on a friend's iPhone. It was surprisingly easy on the eyes, but what I'm wondering is how this will affect writers and editors? Are publishers just going to pour the digitized copy into the applications or will writers need to learn a new, more concise method of preparing stories. Or will editors regain their positions of actually working with words? Will this revolution create more employment or continue the trend of consolidation and layoffs?

Just when we're anguishing over languishing magazines, hope pokes over the horizon.

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Gifts for Writers

Give yourself or writerly friends gifts of services. Design them with me. Ideas: an hour of publishing consultations, any editorial services or manuscript evaluations. Contact Me for details and arrangements or send me an email.

Help is available for improving writing, formatting manuscripts for submission or self-publishing, guidance through the confusing dance of queries, synopses, outlines, multiple submissions, copyright and all the other parts of the path to publication.

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APA Manual Reprinted

The Education Services News blog has a good roundup on the APA6 debacle. Apparently when the American Psychological Association printed the newest edition of its Publication Manual, no one proofread it. Ever. This is only the style guide used in most all social science disciplines. After great brouhaha, including a Facebook page campaign, the APA has agreed to reprint the manual, presumably with the typos and foofaws corrected, and send them to those who purchased flawed versions.

I've held off buying one because I finally found software that will apply the APA6 format to any document, including the dissertation I will be editing shortly soon some day. Maybe this year.

Act quickly, though, if you bought the first version. See the information in the APA PM blog. If you need a replacement, the offer will be available only until December 15.

Now I'm wondering, what will they do with all the unsold flawed copies already printed?

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Rotten Writing

Flaws. Fiction: rotten writing, no story. Nonfiction: rotten writing, no logic. No kidding, in essence, these are the most frequent problems in documents submitted for editing or evaluation.

The works are usually beginning writers' first attempts for serious publishing. Without guidance, most of them stumble into the same writing potholes. I can almost predict what I will see from knowing those few facts about a writer and a piece of writing:

weak verbs
nothing nouns
adverb crutches
repetitions
cliches
painful punctuation

Colorless, flabby writing is, "the dog drank the water noisily." Better: "the poodle slurped from a stagnant puddle." Repeated words are understandable. Repeated sentence construction is (for one example) starting most sentences with an introductory clause: "Although she hated seeing herself in the mirror, ..." "When Dick tried to stick his nose into the couple's business to gather more tidbits of gossip with which to titillate the crowd at the bar, ..." (also cliché, and that sentence is going to travel way too far before encountering a needed period). Using the same structure for most sentences produces a sing-song, hypnotic text. Do you want to put your readers to sleep?

A contemporary problem more editors are reporting: needlessly using "that" within sentences. Take that out and listen for the writing to flow as smoothly. "Listen" indicates reading out loud. It is also a good method for checking punctuation, unless you have the annoying speech habit of ending most sentences in a questioning pitch lift. Punctuate where you pause. Punctuation marks in ascending order of pause length: comma, semicolon, colon, end mark (period, question mark or exclamation point.) The British don't call the period a "full stop" for no good reason!

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Copyediting Explained

When someone "gets all up in your sentences" what is really going on? Scott Berkun explains in How copyediting looks and feels. I first saw this comprehensive article referred to as "Understanding copyediting for writers." It's not exactly that, but writers should know about this vital part of getting any kind of manuscript published. He explains it in terms of book publishing, but editing is editing and:

Copyeditors have a tough job. They have to sort out what the author was trying to do, and then help them do it. But if a writer botches a sentence or a paragraph (or chapter), it’s hard for copyeditors to figure out the intent.

Berkun's method of editing is incredibly labor-intensive. Most of my clients are happy if I just "clean up" their manuscripts for books, stories, articles and essays. I offer the option of using MS Word's Track Changes feature, but most opt for the quicker fix that does not complicate the document. I suspect most do not even know "Track Changes" exists.

On the other hand, if someone wants a peek inside an editor's mind or is trying to learn editing "by Braille" studying a document that displays the original and changed text could work. If the editor had the patience to explain why she made each change, so much the better.

I usually just tell them, "It sounds better" or "It is clearer" and "I am 65 years old and I've read a lot of books, written countless pieces that were published, and I have the style manuals at my fingertips, that's why." An editor is a harsh mistress.

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Why Hire Editors?

A publisher's view of editors from Brian Jud's September 21 edition of the Book Marketing Matters newsletter:

Over the next seven issues of Book Marketing Matters I will describe one of seven signposts on the road to good publishing. Here is the first.

Signpost #1: Editorial Content. You know what you want to write. But no book should be published before it has received good editorial input and direction. A seasoned editor brings objectivity and can lend clarity, coherence, and structure to what you have to say. If your book isn’t accessible, it won’t get good reviews and come to the attention of your audience.

Eric Kampmann, President, Midpoint Trade Books

Alrighty! The Big Dogs on the Twitter chat about using the Internet, specifically blogs, for marketing urge me to be more, um, assertive? So, I'm just sayin' see the Writing Services page for information about hiring me to edit your material. Oh, and a juicy bone to dear Amy Africa @amyafrica : CONTACT ME.

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Editing Importance

Fired for fancy fonts? According to the NZ Herald, "an Auckland accountant was sacked for sending 'confrontational' emails with words in red, in bold and in capital letters." Apparently, we need to add "courtesy" and good editing to the call for electronic etiquette.

All was not lost for Vicki Walker, for the country's Employment Relations Authority ruled against her employer, ProCare. An authority member explained: "ProCare did not have a style or etiquette guide for employees using email, so it was not clear what was regarded as unacceptable communication." Still, Walker spent thousands suing her former employer and was out of work for 13 weeks.

When you email co-workers DO NOT SHOUT at them. Or me.

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Editing Out Errors

It's horrifying to spot typos and grammar errors in new works. I don't even try! They just glare at me from a web or book page. They leap up and assault my eyes with their wrongness. One book was so painful, I refused to review it. A new website I investigated yesterday will not be recommended because of spelling gaffes (not gafs). How can you help writers if you won't proofread your own material, can't recognize ungrammatical constructions, sin with syntax?

I don't mind Shakespeare's "ravel'd sleeve of care", but I won't abide "sleave", or "illude", or "lead" when the word needed is the past tense "led" (my most frequent mistake that will go to press shortly. Sob!) When I'm a writer, I am my worst client as an editor. A writer knows exactly what is meant, and that is what is heard inside the head as the writing is reviewed. I need another editor to look over my writing.

A worse type of mistake I spotted recently is in a listing of classes offered by a writing group. The class title is, "Self Editing Techniques". The presenter is a fiction writer. The description is about using spellbinding and "spellbreakers to hasten the progress of your final draft." One wonders, is this about facts or fantasy? Yes, even a little advertisement needs review by a second set of eyes for whom the material is fresh.

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Finding Free Photos

How do you find out if a picture is in the public domain and therefore publishable without paying a fee? Someone needed photographs of historical figures. The long, complicated explanation involves a definition of "public domain" (you can head a podcast on the topic), paying the U.S. Copyright office or specialists to run a search for you, or confining yourself to material published before 1923. Some works that were copyrighted between 1923 and 1963 may be available, due to a lapse in copyright, but you'd need to be sure.

A much simpler solution is to begin at the other end of the process. Instead of starting with a photo or other image, search for material available under a Creative Commons license. Or pony up the minimal fee to use a stock photo from a site like istockphoto.com or the Getty Archives. Searches of those sites can usually yield what you need. Also anything produced by governmental entities are owned by "we the People". Try the national archives, Library of Congress, state historical societies for starters.

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Writing Consultant Blues

The dream client: naive, trusting, rich. What could possibly go wrong? Nothing for scam artists. An ethical consultant who cares about her clients, soon hears the giant sucking sound of a time sinkhole opening.

Example the First: a professional who knows her stuff, but nothing about writing, is hell-bent on producing a handbook for her field. I get the edit job. The manuscript is a digital mess. When it's done and the expensive bill is paid with a surprise bonus, she asks, "What's next?" She is self-publishing. So many dilemmas arise in my mind that I get dizzy and have to go have a lie-down, as the British say.

Example the Second: an established high-maintenance author with great connections has lost his long-time editor/writing partner and wants to "try out" my skills on a small job. Several phone calls and emails pass without the document arriving, suggesting he is really trying out a personality fit. I enjoy his topic, he seems like a nice guy, and I understand his nervousness. The relationship holds potential. How far can I stretch my usually minimal patience?

Fooling around with Twitter all day wastes too much time already, as Lori Widmer warned. It is difficult at first to discern when jiving with a client is a wise investment or being a sucker. Some is necessary, of course, but where's the line? How do you find the balance? And if you're the writer looking for help, do you realize that all time is money? While a consultant is answering your seemingly endless questions, the bills still need to get paid.

I don't want to be so crass as to say, "You've used up a half-hour of your consultation time already, you know," as one potential client told me another consultant said to him. I laughed, but declined to rearrange my schedule the following day just because he was popping into town and wanted to meet me. I never heard from him again. Sigh!

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Writers,Technology, Web 2.0

Etiquette in this new wired world hit a nerve. Look at all the comments, wouldja, on yesterday's blog post. All that's out of my system, however. This one is about live contacts, in which people practice courtesy. We're moving on to an update on my social/networking life. At the beginning of the month, I listed everything on my social calendar. The month is half over, and most of the events have taken place:

Read The Reader in a few hours
Went to book club to discuss it
Attended both live events last night

Joining Facebook is still facing me, and the writer's guild meets Monday. In the midst of this madness, I'm working almost full time, editing a client's book and producing two newsletters, a news release, daily blog posts and Twittering. Oh, and monkeying around with the front page of A Writer's Edge, hoping to curry favor with Technorati. Then there were the boring appointments with doctors and the dentist--but you know how those things go.

The peak of this whirl was last night (I hope! Anymore and I'll explode.) Spending real life time with still print-oriented editors and then bloggers who can't talk without thumbing their mobile devices was an exercise in cognitive dissonance. Editors were amazed when I described using Web 2.0 for the editing business. One didn't understand how I could tweet without a cell phone. I was astounded at how un-techy most are, even the technical editors. But I made a new friend to help me with a troublesome MS Word document.

Zip down the street to a cafe/bar awash with San Diego bloggers. My Twitter starter, Steve, and I had a nice chat, and I learned he's also an Internet marketer. Ran into a fellow I was in a critique group with several years ago, and we caught up. Met more girl geeks, including one who freelances for the local rag and one who immediately followed me on Twitter. She writes about women entrepreneurs and has two businesses. Need to follow up on that name! Reconnected with another writer from a different writing group to learn of potential markets with a growing local online publication.

Writers and technology. Heaven.

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Agents and Editors

I'm not an agent, nor do I play one on TV. That would be such a boring program! New York Agent: open mail, scan contents and drop it all in the trash. Or, click on email, squint at screen and hit "Delete". Repeat as quickly as possible for 37 minutes. Every 15th episode, the agent jumps up and shouts, "Wow!"

No, I'm not an agent. I'm one of the hidden army who tries to help Aspiring Authors make agents say wow. Way behind the scenes we polish prose, craft queries and snip the synopses into coherency. We are the Freelance Editors, so hidden that the Cision databases don't even have a category for us.

Just as agents do much more than sell books, publishing consultants (the term I prefer) perform many tasks in addition to editing manuscripts. By the time we finish word surgeries, authors are exhausted by their books. If they don't already know about the major efforts involved in interesting agents, reality smacks them upside the head pretty quickly. And some (many?) would give up at that point.

Agents haven't the market on hand-holding and encouragement. We do that, too, and more. It's a tossup as to which is more difficult to create: an engaging synopsis or an eye-catching query--or a list of appropriate agents to send them to. Many authors feel that all these tasks are more difficult than writing the book. Many are right because they are so bound up and emotionally invested in their works, that they can't look at them objectively or write about them clearly. No energy is left to perform the sometimes complicated research necessary to find likely agents for a particular book.

When authors succeed and, especially, win awards for their works, none are more proud than those who gave them boosts at the beginning. We are clapping and cheering in the shadows at the back of the auditorium. (I'm the well-aged one with the quirky sense of humor.)

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New Novel Lengths

Do you want to be indulged or to be published? Too often the queries I receive about editing a novel include the sad information that "it will be an easy job, because it's only 72,000 words long." I feel ethically-bound to refuse the work or, at the very least, alert the writer that the manuscript needs bulking up. Even more frequently clients tell me, "I know it's a little long at 140,000 words, but I already edited it down from 210,000, and I just can't take any more out!"

That is a more hopeful situation because copyediting will reduce even a fairly well-written story by at least 10 percent. Any good editor can find subplots or scenes to cut, "tightening up" the writing. Overwriting is a common problem for writers with less experience. That's one reason why I encourage new writers to blog and why I'm excited (to a lesser degree) about the feature of Twitter that forces brevity. (Unfortunately, Twitter-talk also induces a habit of dropping articles (a, the) and other niceties of good writing.)

I looked for recent information from an authoritative source concerning novel lengths. Literary agent Michelle Brower included a point on it in the Wendy Sherman Associates blog. The post earlier this month contains query tips from her experience on a panel at the Backspace Conference:

Nearly all of the queries I looked at in the workshop were clocking in at or above 120,000 words. That is almost always too long, and makes me think you haven't edited enough. I think an appropriate length for most adult commercial fiction is between 75,000 and 100,000, and YA is between 60,00 and 80,000. Literary fiction usually is harder to pin down; it just has to be super special.

I see a creeping concision taking place in acceptable lengths for novels. I'll have to retool my mouth to stop parroting, "80 to 120 thousand words for a first novel".

"But, but ... Stephen King!" I hear some of you sputtering. Yes. And King already has an agent, a publisher and a long track record. When you're a rich and famous novelist, you, too, may write long, rambling masterpieces. For now, do you want to indulge yourself, or do you want to get published?

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Google Wave Tweets

Read these from the bottom up. My tweets as I watched the whole YouTube video. Blew. Me. Away.

1. Google Wave blog at
   Google Wave Developer Blog
   has only just begun. All this probably makes little sense to my writing Tweeps. Trust me, it's BIG!2 minutes ago from Power Twitter
   RT
2. tweeted too soon. "Tweetie" or "Tweety" creates the TWAVES.8 minutes ago from Power Twitter
   RT
3. goes, aaaaawwww! "TWAVE", a Google WAVE of Twitter. How tweet! Oh, there is also "Polly" the form-building pollster in WAVE.10 minutes ago from Power Twitter
   RT
4. wonders why developers insist on giving useful server-side robots/extensions silly names like "bloggy", "linky" and "spelly"? Gack!21 minutes ago from Power Twitter
   RT
5. predicts a flood of heavenly new apps, based on Google's
   
   API *did that work?*about 1 hour ago from Power Twitter
   RT
6. finds out more about Google WAVE at
   Google Wave Preview
   Have I died? Is this heaven? Live collaborative editing? #editorchatabout 1 hour ago from Power Twitter
   RT
7. OMG! Check this video out -- Google Wave Developer Preview at Google I/O 2009
   about 1 hour ago from Power Twitter

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Props to the Editor

Thanks to Greg Laden for putting me onto What is an Editor? It is a most amusing and comprehensive description of the functions an editor fulfills. Stephanie, I noticed your great writing--have you considered comedy?

"And editors are there to kick writers in the butt when they try to coast." Stephanie Zvan

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Embed Sentences Carefully

Pick a punctuation that's correct:

1. I decided not to go to the inauguration; it would be incredibly crowded; with the rest of the committee.

2. I decided not to go to the inauguration (It would be incredibly crowded.) with the rest of the committee.

3. I decided not to go to the inauguration – it would be incredibly crowded – with the rest of the committee.

4. I decided not to go to the inauguration (it would be incredibly crowded) with the rest of the committee.

5. I decided not to go to the inauguration, it would be incredibly crowded; with the rest of the committee.

6. I decided not to go to the inauguration, it would be incredibly crowded, with the rest of the committee.

Earlier this year, Steve Unwin, over at The Writer's Bag posed this puzzler. The problem, as he put it, is how to embed one sentence within another. He posits that only one of the six sentences is punctuated and capitalized correctly.

While you try to figure out the correct answer (no fair peeking at Steve's post yet) consider that he hints:

My grandmother used to say that if a complete sentence is cowardly enough to try to hide inside another sentence, it doesn’t deserve to take its beginning capitalization and ending punctuation with it.

Now that's one Grandma I'd like to have known!

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Mini-Review: 2666 by Roberto Bolaño

Roberto Bolaño was a genius at weaving an intricate tale spanning almost a century and the globe with a complicated cast of characters.

OTOH, I could have done without all the digressions into minute details of slightest physical movement to riffs on art, architecture, Greek mythology, and so many other subjects. The only advice I have is to read slowly and carefully. You never know when something in the first half will link to a later reference, usually without narrative explanation or reminder. My memory is not what it used to be or else I would have understood the significance of a detective smelling of "lavender and tobacco". I remembered that fragrance combination was mentioned earlier in the book, but couldn't dredge up the exact context.

This is a monumental oeuvre, one about which "a murder mystery" as the response to "What is it about?" is such an understatement as to be hideously ridiculous. Like a vicious clown. The book pleased me with insights on the book publishing industry and one of the many varieties of life that lead to becoming a novelist. But it is not about those subjects, either. According to Bolaño's literary executor's end note, the author said that the book has a "hidden center." What is it about? It is literary--that's the best I can do. 2666 also sent me to the dictionary at least four times.

Kudos to the translator, Natasha Wimmer, who also translated this book's supposed precursor, The Savage Detectives, which I could not force myself to finish. While I'm no prude, it seemed as if every sentence contained some version of the "f" word. Very tiring to read.

Yes, 2666 contains rough language, too, and rough sex, and a lot of violence. It's worth tolerating for the opportunity to observe a master's masterpiece, published posthumously. One wonders what would have been next if the author had lived past age 50. The National Book Critics Circle awarded 2666 the award for fiction of 2008.

Amazon lists quite a few books by Bolaño. I wish I could read Spanish well enough to appreciate his works as he wrote them. Oh, and I found another typo, this on on p. 790: "...but thanks God I was living a new life." Only two in 895 pages? I must admit I had to rush to finish before the library began racking up overdue charges, so my eyes did skip over some sections.

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Find Professional Editors

If you are wondering about ellipses and em dashes, number agreement, the use of "there is" and other matters of writing style, but don't know where to turn for help, here's a list of places to find experienced and qualified editorial professionals. Resources courtesy Katharine O'Moore-Klopf, Author of Getting Started as a Freelance Copyeditor.

Editorial Freelancers Association membership directory
http://www.the-efa.org/dir/search.php

EFA Job List, post a job description and get responses
http://www.the-efa.org/job/joblist.php

Directory of Copyediting-L Freelancers
http://www.copyediting-l.info/freelance.html

Copyediting, post a job description and get responses
http://jobs.copyeditor.com/home/index.cfm?site_id=502

Council of Science Editors manuscript services
http://www.councilscienceeditors.org/jobbank/services.cfm

Board of Editors in the Life Sciences
http://www.bels.org/findeditor/bels_roster.cfm

Editors of the Bay Area Forum:
http://www.editorsforum.org/search_editor.php

San Diego Professional Editors Network:
http://www.sdpen.com/find/find.php

Society for Technical Communication, post a job
http://jobs.stc.org/home/index.cfm?site_id=360

LinkedIn (search on editor or editing)
http://www.linkedin.com/

American Society for Indexing Locator
http://www.asindexing.org/custom/locator/

The ASI Jobs Hotline, post a job and get responses
https://www.asindexing.org/i4a/forms/form.cfm?id=41

Editors' Association of Canada
http://www.editors.ca/hire/index.html

Society for Editors and Proofreaders (UK)
http://www.sfep.org.uk/pub/dir/directory.asp

You might also want to check out any individual editor with a simple search on Google, a check at Preditors and Editors (http://anotherealm.com/prededitors/peeslg.htm), and the local BBB and Chamber of Commerce where the editor does business. If he or she offers no physical address, move on to the next one on your list. These are some tips from my FREE article on How to Avoid Scams, found on the Writing Help page.

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Casual Friday Jitters

It's casual Friday and I'm too rattled to write intelligently, I fear. Not that it ever prevented me from spouting off in the past. Why am I all shook up? Several reasons:

* first Inspiration message just went out
* someone said this webpage has "too many icons"
* partly into 2666 I'm liking it (895 pp.)
* 2666 is due back to the library Monday
* invite to 376 MyBlogLog Fans to sign up for Inspiration left out the fact that it is #FREE#

This is how I calm myself (in addition to avoiding Starbucks and caffeine today):

^ newsletters seldom receive positive feedback
^ continue plans to add more space to the page
^ relax and enjoy the book I thought I'd hate
^ see if the library will renew the lending period
^ sigh!

Sorry, today that's all I got.

Oh, incidentally, I spotted an error in 2666 on p. 305. Describing the landscape of northern Mexico, near the border with Arizona, it reads "Past the hills, he guessed, was the dessert."

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Edit or Critique

Which comes first: copyediting, critique, or proofreading? What kind of help to seek for your writing seems to baffle people just starting out. By the time you're an established writer or author, you'll have many others (agents, editors, co-writers, critique groups) to assist. But right at the beginning, the process can be confusing.

Let me help make it simpler: a proofreading comes last (but it may not be the only proofreading a piece of work will have). Why? Because it is even easier to create typos, spelling and grammar errors in rewriting or during editing than at any other time. When you're in the final polishing stage of writing, you've already looked at the copy so many times that you've become blind, especially to repeated words and and to typographical errors. Your mind knows what the writing is supposed to say; it often overrides what your eyes see.

What about the decision on whether to ask for a critique or editing (any level, developmental, or substantive)? The answer depends on the kind of reservations you have about your work. If you're questioning the value or wondering if it has a chance of selling, then editing will not answer your questions. A critique estimates the current saleability, strengths, and weaknesses of a manuscript.

First novels are especially in need of a dispassionate, objective view by someone with whom you have no other relationship than business. Your friends and family will usually praise your work; and unless they are publishing professionals, they probably don't know what to look for or how to evaluate the work, how to feed back useful advice, or how to deliver bad news.

Many times in critiques, I've found the major problem to be a need for editing, but the authors were completely unaware of how inaccurate the writing was in the mechanical aspect. (Great story, lousy writing!) A new author recently told me, "An agent is interested in my book, but she said she won't read the whole manuscript until I have it professionally edited."

Nonfiction writers are usually less unsure about structure and content and more in need of editing services. One exception is in writing essays, which need to contain certain elements and follow a logical structure. The Bay Area Editors' Forum explains copyediting levels.

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SDPEN Listing Available

Google just alerted me that my listing now appears in the roster of the San Diego Professional Editors Network (SDPEN). The group's website is interesting, especially for writers who have never worked with an editor. It is several levels deep, with useful information about the value of professional editing. The section on Reference Tools is particularly useful for writers.

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Editing Your Own Work

"What are common writing errors?" is the most popular question for editors. The answer is that it depends on the type of writing. [Almost all responses to all questions begin with, "it depends." Annoying, but true.] One of the top problems I see, both in fiction and nonfiction, is a restriction of vocabulary.

Most often this is expressed as "repetition": too often using the same word, same phrase, same construction. That is a simplistic explanation, masking a deeper problem. When a writer is too lazy to use a larger vocabulary or lacks the words for variety in expression, the writing is dull, boring and ultimately uninteresting. If it is nonfiction, the piece may appear to be uninformative. If it is fiction, it won't sparkle and hold readers' interest.

Solution for flabby writing: exercise! Build up those vocabulary muscles (words). Practice using new or different words. Yes, it takes time and effort. Is it worthwhile to write well? Use a thesaurus, read the dictionary for fun, work crossword puzzles (go ahead and cheat, but learn new words and how to use them).

The second most popular question for editors is this: do you edit your emails and posts? Yes. I believe in teaching by example, so I edit everything I write. And I still make mistakes. I rush. The hand is quicker than the eye between the brain, keyboard and screen. The fingers stumble, and the eyes tell the brain what it wants to see. That's how I recently managed to send out 40 invitations a with last paragraph that read, "Join in honoring ourselves at tour luncheon. You're expected, unless you RSVP regrets to ******@gmail.com or call 858-571-5390 a good excuse!" (I left out "with" after the phone number and my finger stuttered on the "t" key.)

Solution for sloppy writing: slow down and take the time to spell-check, pause a while, then review the writing with a relatively fresh look. Maybe you're writing too much, too fast.

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Resume Writing & Critiques

Hard times. Hard times. All sorts of writers are affected by these hard times. For many, and always for beginners, it's hard times as far as employment and writing are concerned. Lacking a sugar daddy or mama, we still must pay our bills. Many writers are moonlighters, part-timers, or have a "day job" and write in spare time.

Writing a resume is like no other writing. Resume styles change from time to time. The way you learned may not be the currently expected presentation. Now we tailor resumes to specific jobs. Broadcasting a general resume is an utter waste. We must quantify every jot and tittle of experience that we can. Keep a focus on finance. Money saved. Span of management. Numbers supervised.

One key is discovering what a company really needs and fitting your skills and record to fill that need. Be specific. If ever a piece of writing needed every word to count, it is in a resume. Write tight. Tighter still. That's easy to do if your have no experience or skills or a special talent. Workers just starting out have the most difficulty with resumes, because they feel they have nothing to say. You have more experience than you know.

To cop yet another cliché in this post, "due to popular demand" I am temporarily offering resume critiques, edits and general assistance. Don't forget the February Valentine Discount of 14% off any editorial services, resumes included. Send a copy of the job description and your resume, I'll take a look, and we'll work out a plan to help you find employment to support your writing habit.

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Plurals with Apostrophes

It's that insidious apostrophe again! Remember Lynne Truss' Apostrophe Posse from Eats, Shoots & Leaves? I should call them out to ride herd on the person writing copy for the San Diego Museum of Photographic Arts. Yesterday I resumed my weekly creative escapes to Balboa Park to view a small exhibit of Edward Steichen: The Early Years in the atrium gallery.

Being a wordy person, I can't just look at the pictures; reading the words of the adjacent display notes is mandatory, nay, compulsive. Twice, in different displays and on the website, the following appears:

....Steichen’s beautifully toned landscapes, sensual nudes and still life’s, and psychological portraits...

I thought perhaps "still life" was a special term. Should it be "still lives", I pondered. The apostrophe just didn't look right to me.

Out of the numerous returns when I searched Google, I chose dependable American and British references to consult the Beeb (BBC) and OWL at Purdue agreed that pluralizing nouns with an apostrophe is a no-no.

Simply put, from Answers:

*Dictionary: still life

n., pl. still lifes.

1. Representation of inanimate objects, such as flowers or fruit, in painting or photography.
2. A painting, picture, or photograph of inanimate objects.

I even scoured references from the Art Dictionary and Photography Dictionary at Answers, but they neatly skirted the issue by using the term as an adjective preceding words like images and pictures.

* The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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Demand Perfection, Find Failure

When we insist on perfection, we are just asking for failure. How's that?

• Perfection is a statistical impossibility. Sure, the sun will probably rise tomorrow, but we can't have 100% certainty about the event.
• Perfection is a fluctuating, ephemeral set of criteria always subject to change.

Veteran writers are familiar with the truism that you can always continue to edit a piece of writing. Edit it to death, even. Similarly, many writers never feel their productions are perfect; some can't even articulate their standards for the highest quality.

News reporters quickly become familiar with the notion of "good enough", that is, the story is turned in before deadline and the editor does not hand it back for any corrections or changes. Demanding perfection of either yourself or the writing, under those circumstances, would get you fired because you wouldn't be productive enough to keep on the payroll.

The same is true for creative writing--and life in general, I think. I cringe every time I hear the phrase "struggling writer". It is almost always applied to someone writing a novel. If you didn't know it already, here's a publishing secret: it's the story, stupid. It's all about the story. The story is the most important part. Worrying over the words, literally, might apply if you are in the upper echelons of academic, literary writing, aiming for the Nobel, Pulitzer, Orange, or any other top book award.

Why is it that the most important lessons we learn about living seem to come too late: ones like raising a happy only child or easing your parents' last years. By the time you figure out how to do it well, the opportunity has passed. You never get to do it again. I've come to realize something about perfection, perhaps soon enough for it to make a difference in my last years and earlier for you, I hope: because no one and nothing is or ever can be perfect, and so many times "good enough" is good enough, insisting on perfection will always bring sadness and pain. To you, and to others.

Never thought you'd hear that from a professional editor, huh? Our goal is to remove all the errors from your writing and polish it to ... not the peak of perfection, just polish it up to sparkle. How's that? There's nothing wrong with aiming for perfection as long as you just hang on to what you've got (R&R lyrics) and rejoice in what's good enough. Willingness to settle for less than perfection must be akin to accepting compromise (another one I'm working on!) Otherwise, your life will be filled with failures of all kinds.

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Dumb and Dumber Writing

In an extended online forum rant/rave about Meyers' "Twilight" series, one decrier of poor contemporary writing wails, "I think they're responsible for dumbing down a generation!" In other threads, a supposedly successful author insists YOU WILL BE PUBLISHED, if you write very well. I can't reconcile this notion that only the best writing gets published with the reality of the poor writing we all see, especially in Y.A. novels, and many genre books.

In two books of the "Blue Bloods" series, I noticed an alarming tendency to use almost the correct word, sort of a hit and a miss. For example, in describing end of the season weather, de la Cruz writes of the "dredges" of winter when she means "dregs", I'm sure. Other annoyances are misplaced modifiers, which change the literal meaning of sentences. You know what's meant, but it doesn't sound quite right, like "only" or "already" in the wrong word order: it was only one of two in the world should be it was one of only two.

Not so many misspellings or other grammar mistakes appear, but these errors in word choice are becoming rife in current offerings. This lead me to the revelation: they aren't dumbing kids down, the generations younger than mine are already dumbed down. They can't recognize BAD writing...and then, of course, fledgling writers perpetuate the errors.

What about the editors, though, that allow crappy writing to pass muster and go to print? The bean counters and high muckety-muck publishers don't give a flying fish, but don't copy editors work on novels anymore? Do they know better? Do they care? Does anyone care besides us Baby Boomers who received excellent educations even in public schools?

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Editing for Style

Getting your writing stylistically correct the first time around can save you time. When the work is done, a quick proofreading will be all that's needed before submitting. It is especially necessary for freelancers to have the right style guides at hand for each particular piece. Diana Hacker offers a good reference for the various different guides used in assorted disciplines in her List of Style Manuals at Research and Documentation Online.

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Does A Writer Return?

Baby comes back! Well, not really. I'm not ready to rejoin the ratracetrack of daily posting -- too many holiday parties to attend, not enough progress on long term projects. The good news, though, is that this extended break from blogging has allowed the painful tendonitis in my right hand to subside. I don't even need to wear a band during the day and/or a brace at night now.

Meanwhile, for the holidays, I've reduced the price on my eBook Be a Successful Writer! to $14.95. It prepares a beginner for the practical side of the writing life, whether the interest is in freelancing nonfiction, creating a novel, or crafting poetry. The book provides the basics of what you need to know about selling your work, handling records and taxes, finding agents, and so much more. Read all about it, and give someone (or yourself) the gift of success!

During this pause in the blog, I used some of the time to move it to a new page named "Blog.htm" and remodeled the old index page to help newcomers find what they're looking for. I've also added new services to the page on Editing -- namely formatting manuscripts for self-publishing and consultations or help by phone and email.

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Writing Complaints

Taking potshots from behind rocks worked well in the Revolutionary War. In civil discourse, it's not such a good idea. Here are some of the problems:

• the complaint loses credibility, if it ever had any veracity
• the recipient might get vengeful
• you may lose job opportunities
• you kiss away any hope of receiving free help
  
• nothing changes for the better
• what goes around, comes around (karma)
  

You probably think I'm referring to political ads that plague us daily, but no! It's my email inbox that has produced two such experiences in the last month.

If you're going to point out flaws in this writing, page, website, why not do so in a comment here? Let the world know I'm human. But for your sake (and mine) identify yourself. How can I take you seriously, if I don't know who you are and the basis for the condemnations. Certainly I value all viewers' opinions and often ask for feedback. But to out of the blue tell me the writing here is filled with errors and refuse to point them out is, well, pointless. I love it when Lillian, a sister editor, finds a mistake and teaches us all a grammar or punctuation lesson. I know who she is and where and how to find her if I want to follow up with her.

Yesterday some poor guy spammed me seeking work. He only hinted at his identity. No website. No resume. A writing sample maundered over his life. I suggested an improved approach. He punched back lambasting my error-filled writing and the appearance of this place. Funny, I had felt sorry for him and was going to hire him to proofread if the free edit he had originally offered revealed at least three mistakes that I agreed were errors on my part.

Needless to say, "John" will not be making any money from A Writer's Edge this year. Nor will I change a post on the basis of an anonymous message from a certain service in Spain. *wink*

The situation is quite similar to reviewing one's work in a critique group minus positive ego boosters. Just identify yourself enough to be reached, list the error, and explain why you think it is wrong. Educate me. Don't whine and bitch slap me!

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Writing 'all right 'vs. 'alright'

Just as I watched the incorrect spelling 'definately' make the rounds of the Web in previous years, the mistake du jour that I see is 'alright', and it is not all right with me. I find it in posts and articles from people who purport to be writers.

According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary:

The one-word spelling alright appeared some 75 years after all right itself had reappeared from a 400-year-long absence. Since the early 20th century some critics have insisted alright is wrong, but it has its defenders and its users. It is less frequent than all right but remains in common use especially in journalistic and business publications. It is quite common in fictional dialogue, and is used occasionally in other writing ...

From Answers.com, the Word Tutor considers the adjective form as Nonstandard usage, as does Word Net. If you like the Wikipedia as a source of information about words, it states, "Even though it often appears in print, the use of "alright" in any context other than slang is generally frowned upon and may be perceived as purposefully breaking convention." Nonstandard is also the verdict of the American Heritage® Dictionary as provided online by Bartleby.

Now see, this is the hazard of becoming an editor. You think and talk like this post all the time. No wonder I'm hearing, "You need to loosen up!"

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Get Writing Jobs

Quite often beginners ask, "How can I get a job writing? Must I have a college degree?" In a word, "yes". Staff positions on publications (including websites) usually require at least a general B.A. in Journalism or Communications. A "writing job" is very different from freelance writing where you're accountable only to yourself.

If your heart is set on working at a publication or writing regularly for one, you'd better go to school AND get all the internships you can handle. It is as an intern that you make the contacts which will likely land you a job after graduation. Not right away, but eventually. And your title won't be "Contributing Editor" but more likely "Editorial Assistant". At smaller publications a job with the title "Assistant Editor" might be an entry-level position, so don't hesitate to apply for those, too.

Another tack toward employment in the publishing industry is to ask for "informational interviews" at publications while you're still in school. You can also do this while job-hunting, but it is more effective to have made a connection with a staff member before you start tapping your network for a job. An informational interview is just what it sounds like, only you do the interviewing, asking questions about working at that particular publication, career paths, how the person arrived at her position.

At this point, freelancing may sound a lot more appealing, except for the lack of a regular paycheck and health benefits.

Everything I said about getting a job writing also applies to getting editing jobs, except the writing should come first. How can you edit if you haven't proven your skills writing? I don't know the answer to that one, but I've met some awfully young editors in recent years.

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Editing Jobs

We haven't talked about employment for a while, and I ran across a useful-looking job board for all things related to editorial work. The Copyediting - Job Board - Careers / Jobs / Resumes is provided by McMurry marketing communications as part of its copyediting division. Both employers and job seekers can use the service, and you can look at the positions available anonymously, but if you register for an account, many potentially powerful tools will help your job search. Some of these include posting an anonymous resume, creating your own searches and saving them and the results, creating job alerts, maintaining resumes and cover letters in a Career Profile for an automated active or passive job search.

And speaking of searching, that section allows you to refine a search with keywords, locations, and types of jobs. Or you can just peruse the whole database to get an idea of what kinds of opportunities are available where. Don't want to be a copy editor or any kind of an editor (editing comes after writing, you know)? You can still work in the industry in business development, production, or communications, as a consultant or speechwriter, or developing web content.

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Writing Irregular Plural Nouns

One of the basic editing tasks is to ensure that subjects and verbs match in number . There are three numbers—singular, dual, and plural—that are distinguished in both the noun and the verb, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica. Let's not worry about the archaic "dual" form here. The greatest problem for writers is the fact that many nouns, which are used for subjects, don't always become plural by the regular method of adding an s or es to the end of the singular form: dog, dogs/church, churches. In fact, most words that end in s, x, ch, or sh form plurals this way.

Irregular nouns don't need a laxative, but they do need special handling when forming their plurals and, subsequently, when writing an associated verb. If the plural of a noun is the same word, take care to use a plural verb when that is what you mean. For example, we may use fish or fishes as the plural form of fish. Thus all the following sentences are correct:

Fishes fill the dish.
Fish fill the dish.
A fish fills the dish. (singular)

Other unchanging nouns include:

barracks
deer
crossroads
offspring
dice (although die can be the singular)
gallows
headquarters
sheep
means
series
species

Find help with forming plurals of all forms of irregular nouns at the University of Victoria's 330 Grammar and Georgia State University's Joanna Crump's grammar pages.

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Ask for Writing Help

"There are no stupid questions" admonishes the old adage [a redundancy to avoid], however, stupid approaches abound. Two popped up in my email this week at quite different ends of the continuum. One wanted me to quote a price for website writing, the other wanted me to critique her writing, apparently for free. Both were fairly anonymous, hiding behind screen names and using different websites' "personal messaging" systems (which send an email to my computer to go online and check my personal mailbox, in one case).

Let's take the latter example, which happens to be the person who wants help with her writing. She PM'd me, although my signature clearly states "No PMs -- email Writers-Edge@gmail.com". I had a free second or two, so I indulged this kid's whim. I presume it is a kid. Who else would be so rude? My signature also clearly indicates that I am a professional editor as well as a writer. I have had no previous communication with this person, however she feels free to ask:

I've read some of the other advice you've given other writers on their submissions, and I was wondering if you'd take a look at my short story. "XXX" in Literary fiction. I'd appreciate any advice you have.

No compliment. No sucking up. Not even a greeting or a signature! And not even the courtesy of an email asking if I'd do this favor and perhaps attaching the story in manuscript format. I have no idea who she is and wonder why she thinks she can presume.

Then, through a different website, came this gem of an inquiry:

HI
i am looking for a content writer (online) if you are interested please pop
me a email with your capacity and quotes.

Thanks
SAM
This message was sent to you by Nutrition Jobs.

Thanks, but I don't think I want to work for someone with such an inadequate grasp of grammar. A glance at this person's Profile gives no clue as to her real name or website. I did reply to her, asking for more information in detail, but I will be surprised to receive a response.

People, people, courtesy and common sense did not walk out the door when PCs were invented! Disguising your identity is a good method to encourage that you not be taken seriously. Whether or not an email message is a casual note between friends or a business letter depends on the intent. A job offer requires a formal approach. Asking a favor with no attention to first building a relationship is professional suicide.

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Waiting on Editing

Many new writers wonder what to do when they complete their first books. Should they start right in editing it, take a vacation, work on something else?

Once again I turn to the romance novel writers for inspiration and information. This time, Valerie Parv, known as Australia's queen of romance, who conducts seminars and workshops on creativity and all aspects of the writing craft based on her two best-selling guides for writers.

From Parv's The Art of Romance Writing:

All professional writers know the value of allowing a piece of writing to "cool off" before submission. After a few days or a week away from it, you become more objective in your assessment and more able to spot any flaws. For this reason, I suggest that you allow at least a couple of weeks between completing your manuscript and sending it to a publisher.

This advice presumes you've already gone through rewrites and final edits, but it applies to every stage of preparation. Before you send out the manuscript for the first time (usually a partial to an agent) LET IT REST before the last inspection.

More tips on editing are scattered throughout A Writer's Edge.

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Editing the Editors

People approached me with tips for a "good story" when I was a working newspaper staff member, a radio news reporter, and later as a stringer for a major paper. Then they were miffed when I didn't write about the topic they "gave" me (as if it were a present!) I'm sure they had no notion of the work entailed in tracking down the facts about an issue or story. Also, reporters then seldom had the opportunity to present new stories to the people who decided what to pursue and assigned the jobs (editors).

A similar phenomenon takes place currently in the arena of "grassroots journalism". It is both more and less difficult to find the facts when someone posts on a discussion board or forum that a certain website is a good resource, so why don't I write about it here? Often those posts are anonymous plantings of lightly veiled advertising. If they contain negative comments, the source may be disgruntled former employees, customers, or even competitors.

Take "Editor Report" for example. On the surface description, it sounds good: a place freelancers can post inside scoops on what certain editors are like to work with, how publications treat writers -- all without fear of retribution. A little deeper probing reveals:

• site hosted on a free service
• only one page
  
• no identification of owner available
  
• appears to be based on a particular gripe
  
• contains cryptic linkage
• no dates on complaints
• vague references to a lawsuit
  

I suppose there might be entertain value as gossip, but for useful information? Nada. Grudge value? High. Noteworthy? Only as an example of a bad apple. I suspect it is the work of one of the members of the lawsuit mentioned or a supporter and not a public service for freelancers.

And it took me 30 minutes to dig up these facts and pull them together in this post, based on what I could learn online. Add a few minutes more to find and upload a relevant photo, then plug the whole message into the blog. That's why most leads are so fruitless. Or, you could say I made sour lemonade out of this one.

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Editing Nonfiction Development

Most people have at least a vague idea of what copyediting entails, starting with proofreading tasks. Many writers perform their own editing; others are more confident in hiring a professional to spot mistakes and "clean up" the writing. However, in traditional publishing, a very different type of editing takes place long before the copyediting stage.

A developmental editor may consult with the writer before any writing is started. The developmental editor can help organize the document or book, determine what features to include, and set a level and framework to evaluate the finished or in-progress work. A method for handling copyrights and trademark issues is often needed. Other tasks may include:

• determining headings, subheads
• setting a format
• finding missing information
• determining graphics style
• checking for timeliness
• rearranging text for flow
• rewriting or moving material to fit format

When the time comes to hand off the manuscript to a copyeditor, the developmental editor might provide a very basic style sheet and/or edited pages that display the required styles of form and usage. The developmental editor may also tell the copyeditor how to achieve a particular level, tone, and focus for the writing.

See all the posts on copyediting.

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Editing Tips from the BBC

The venerable BEEB, all things in an English voice, offers great services to writers through the "BBC Get Writing" section of its website.

From the section on Re-work and Edit come these useful annotated links:

Guide to Grammar and Style
One concerned individual's comprehensive guide to good grammar and style. Much easier to read than Strunk and White.

Strunk and White's The Elements of Style
The online edition of the 1914 tome which is a terrifying, if amusing, read. Not one to follow religiously, but worth a look for the sheer contempt they show those less than grammatically correct.

Aw, c'mon. I wouldn't be so hard on S&W, after all, they are the foundation for good writing, the very bedrock of style!

You might want to read the rest of the BEEB's advice about revising and editing your own work, because it contains extensive lists of pitfalls to watch for and tools to tighten up your writing. The advice on eliminating adjectives caught my eye and I must meditate upon:

Write an original 300-word piece without using adjectives (for example take 'the sea' as a broad topic ). The main practical outcome of this exercise is ( possibly unconscious) development of the use of metaphor. It also raises awareness of style in general and addresses one important aspect of voice.

Just metaphors, I wonder. What about similes? And on adverbs (another "no-no" in this century), the BEEB advocates using the exact right verb to depict action, one that requires no modifier for description.

Does the British writing style sound dull and colorless? Have Americans become flabby in writing and reading habits, relying on crutches to carry a story along?

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Writing "Try"

LAST DAY TO ENTER THE CONTEST

It's quite difficult for me to turn off the editor in my head (known informally as the condition "ed head"). When I read or hear the phrase "try and" instead of the correct "try to", a shudder shakes my spine. Bad grammar grates my nerves like nails scraped on a chalk board. Why should we not "try and"? Well, we can, but only if we really mean two different actions and punctuate the sentence correctly.

Consider what the writer or speaker really means when asking someone to "Try and get there on time". I think the phrase requests someone to be on time. If the conjunction "and" is connecting two verbs, "try" and "get", what else is to be "tried"?

In the case of "try to walk without crutches" connected to "be careful of the curb", the correct shortened construction would be "Try, and be careful". In this case, the conjunction connects two independent clauses and usually needs a comma. Incidentally, in all these examples, the subject of each clause is understood to be "you", even though it is not written or spoken.

When you're tempted to use "try to" or "try and", expand the sentence to its whole meaning to determine which word to use after the verb "try". Try it; you'll like it!

Reference from The American Heritage Dictionary:

USAGE NOTE The phrase try and is commonly used as a substitute for try to, as in Could you try and make less noise? A number of grammarians have labeled the construction incorrect. To be sure, the usage is associated with informal style and strikes an inappropriately conversational note in formal writing. Sixty-five percent of the Usage Panel rejects the use in writing of the sentence Why don't you try and see if you can work the problem out between yourselves?

via Answers.com

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Editing Capitals in Time

Capitalization is one of those tricky editing/style issues that constantly dog writers. Worse yet, you can be writing along, going with the flow, and suddenly a little doubt creeps in: should that be capitalized? If you stop to look it up, you risk getting side-tracked and experiencing a temporary interruption of creativity. Well, maybe it's not as bad as jarring yourself into a Writer's Block, but you know what I mean -- the creativity runs out of one side of your brain, the analytic editing mode comes from the other side.

Suggestion: When it's flowing, keep on going. Edit later to make it greater.

Another time aspect to editing is dealing with which elements to capitalize. The following guidelines are adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style that I've already blogged on earlier this week. Here's the skinny on capping time: always use the caps on archaeological periods (the Iron Age) and traditional ones like the Renaissance, but never capitalize the names of decades, centuries, or other eras unless they include capitalized adjectives like the Victorian times (an era named for the English queen Victoria).

Some writers zip through their manuscripts, editing for everything at once. I think this apparent time saver leads to overlooked mistakes. At the least, make one pass for the punctuation and capitalization alone. When I'm working with copy that includes many opportunities for capitalization errors, one of the times I scan it is only for those problems.

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Writing, Editing, Spacing

An entire generation or two have grown up without touching a typewriter, learning to "keyboard" instead of type. Those who learned on typewriters were taught to hit the space bar twice between sentences. This was because Courier--the typeface used in most typewriters--is mono-spaced (all the letters are the same width). A single space with a mono-spaced font is too hard to read. Most typefaces in MS Word and other most popular word processing programs use proportional spacing. Every letter, including the space, has a different width. Proportional fonts need only one space between sentences to look right. How does this one look? It is "Georgia", 12 point.

And this is Courier. Looks weird, huh?

Do agents, editors, and publishers care? Usually not, because the spacing between sentences is a matter for the printers to handle. More recently, printers typesetting with proportional fonts have generally *not* made the inter-sentence space any greater than the inter-word space. Some people think this makes text more difficult to read. Others don't care. No matter how many times I hit the space bar now (in Blogger), the sentences are displayed with only one space in between. (Yes, I learned typing in high school, back in the dark ages of the 1950s.)

When I proofread or edit someone else's work, I ask or estimate which style they want used, then set the MS Word checker accordingly and let it change the "mistakes". I've never seen an ms with a consistent spacing practiced. I can't type without hitting the space bar twice, so I'm grateful for the automatic adjustments the software makes.

To space twice is nice, and once is fine, too. It's really a non-issue these days, one of the many trivialities beginners worry about along with plagiarism, copyrights, and how to pronounce "SASE".

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