Editing angles to improve your writing by Barbara McNichol, nonfiction book editor with offices in Colorado and Arizona
From the monthly archives:
EDITING FOR SUCCESS! – by Lynnette Baum (used with permission) Whether you are content editing or line editing, editing is the key to a polished manuscript. Content editing means reading for flow, evaluating the placement of ideas or events and ensuring that point of view is consistent, throughout. Action, stories and events should follow a [...]
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I love reading Jerry’s insightful ezine, Media Minute, every Monday morning and thought his advice March 15 has something important – and somwhat contrary – to say to nonfiction writers. Leave your comments. Don’t Let Facts Get in the Way of Good Story By Jerry Brown, APR (used with permission) One of the first lessons I [...]
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by Barbara McNichol As you revise, proofread, and finalize what you’ve written, whack all the extra words you can to sharpen your message in compelling ways. Eliminate extraneous phrases such as: “there is” and “there will be” e.g., There will be many candidates who are already planning to move. Better: Many candidates may be already [...]
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by Michelle Russell (used with permission) Think it’s impossible to write with a knife? Not at all. You might even say it’s essential. Well, to be more precise, no one actually writes with a knife. But good writers do edit with one. For them, writing involves two separate but closely intertwined mindsets: crafting their message [...]
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by Karen Saunders (used with permission) A book media kit can be a paper folder or a page on your website with the essential information and marketing materials about your book. The media kit should provide the media with all the information they need to write a story, or do an audio or video interview [...]
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by Susan Kendrick (used with permission) I had an interesting conversation with a self publishing author whose back cover copy we just finalized. This author has good marketing sense, a great book, his gorgeous new front cover, and an innovative way of looking at things. So, we were both surprised when I suggested that he [...]
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by Karen Saunders, MacGraphics Services (used by permission) Once you’ve done all the hard work of writing your book manuscript, you’ll need expert assistance in getting the right cover designed, and then, making sure the design of the pages inside the book marries well with the book’s purpose. I am a book lover in my heart [...]
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by Mark Sanborn, CSP, CPAE (used with permission) I’ve always believed that books could save me. No matter what problem or difficulty I faced, no matter what I wanted to learn, somewhere there was a book that could provide me with the help I needed. Of course, that isn’t exactly true. Ultimately, it’s what you [...]
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Copyediting and proofreading are terms used to describe the process of examining written work for errors. While professional editors recognize some differences between the two activities, this article focuses on their similarities. To make the process accessible to beginners, the activities involved in proofreading and correcting basic errors are referred to as “copyediting.” After reading [...]
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“Waying” In on the Use of “Way”
in Word Play
HUNT’S HEADLINES comes from my buddy Todd Hunt who’s dedicated to wrapping communication lessons in laughter. He’s a guy who notices the humor in the little things, then sends his commentary out into the world (or at least to his subscriber list). (Sign up at http://www.toddhuntspeaker.com) This recent entry tickled my funny bone: I’ve been [...]
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