Category: Editing
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New Books on the Block
By Carole Brown One of the best moments in an author’s life is when a book of theirs releases. And probably one of the top pleasures it gives those who love to encourage, is to share the reward of a new book out from a fellow-author-friend. Today I want to share with you some new…
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Lack of Proofreading (Hilarious) Fiascos
By Carole Brown Hilarious Titles: Doesn’t Anyone Proofread anymore? We all read hilarious topics that make the wrong kind of sense. And it is hard to catch everything–especially on deadlines! But these “take the cake” on hilarity. Enjoy, and remember some writer, somewhere made these mistakes, and take a lesson. Proofread. Then again. Smile. Man…
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I’m Not a Brain Surgeon!
The beautiful part of writing is that you don’t have to get it right the first time–unlike, say, a brain surgeon! –Robert Cormier That’s what editing is all about. Here’s how my writing process goes: Come up with an idea, plot, write. I try to get the story down without worrying too much about…
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Those Pesky Ly Words
Adverbs are words that normally end in an ly and should usually be avoided when possible. I used two ly words in the last sentence; nobody can avoid them all. Many new writers delete all of their ly words but don’t use a stronger verb in its place. The reason to delete ly words is…
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10 Tips to Editing Your Own Novel
Tip #1: You’ve finished the first draft of your novel. Congratulations. Take some time off and celebrate. No, really, I mean it. Set your novel in a drawer for at least six weeks. Do something else in the meantime. If you want, start another novel, go on vacation, read a book, visit friends, or spring…
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How to Format Your Novel or Manuscript
Industry standards on formatting a manuscript change from time to time, and not all publishers agree on formatting. But this is what most publishers consider standard today. Font: Times New Roman or another standard font in 12 point size. Page Setup: One inch margins on top, bottom, and both sides. Line Spacing: Double Spaced First…
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Increasing The Word Count In A Manuscript
Although some writers have problems writing too many words for their novel, other writers find when they finish their first draft, they have too few words. Here’s some ways too increase your word count without making your story boring. Flesh out any areas where you’re telling about a scene and not showing it. Every writer…