Tag: editing
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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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Microsoft One Note
Microsoft One Note is a wonderful program for writers that comes free with MS Office 2007. Basically it’s a file folder for all your notes, outlines, research, character sketches, and submissions. There are many ways you can use this program. I’m going to show you how I use it. For each project (novel, short…
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Microsoft Word Features For Writers Part 2: Thesaurus, Word Count, Spelling & Grammar Check, Editing
Thesaurus: Highlight the word you want to look up, and go to review, then click thesaurus. You may want a more comprehensive thesaurus available during editing, but when writing the first draft, MS Word thesaurus is more than adequate. Grammar and Spell Check: Go to grammar and spell check, then click options to change the…