editing – Publetariat

Top 10 Words That Will Kill Your Writing DEAD

February 6, 2018 by Publetariat

Oh-oh I am guilty of a few of these. ~~However,~~ In my defense I only use “however” in business writing. Now I am going to be extra careful none of these are used in my literary writing. It is a great post because by getting rid of these words you ~~actually~~ make your writing more active.

Top 10 Words That Will Kill Your Writing DEAD

By Lucy V Hay

So I read screenplays for a living, plus I spend a huuuuuuge part of my life reading FOR FUN (wtaf!), so I’ve discovered there are certain words that crop up again and again and again which threaten to TORPEDO writers’ narrative efforts.

I call these ‘crutch words’ (quiet at the back). Crutch words are those we may rely on in EARLY DRAFTS, which we need to seek out with a torpedo of our own and DESTROY in the edit process. Whether you’re a screenwriter or novelist (trad or self published), look out for these suckers …

1) ‘Suddenly’

The actual word ‘sudden’ means ‘quick and without warning’, so it’s especially ironic that including the word LITERALLY SLOWS THE ACTION DOWN. WTAF is the point?? Compare:

Read the full post on Bang 2 Write!

Quick Link: The Five Most Common Issues Writers Have with Their Stories

November 30, 2017 by Publetariat

Quick links, bringing you great articles on writing from all over the web.

I recognized at least a couple of these issues as ones I struggle with, so I am bookmarking this article from Jennifer Blanchard‘s blog to make sure I can go back and re-read it!

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The Five Most Common Issues Writers Have with Their Stories

by Jennifer Blanchard

I spend about a hundred hours a year reading writers’ manuscripts and doing content edits on their stories. I’ve seen it all–stories that ramble on for 400+ pages, never really getting to the point; stories that start off pretty good and then about a quarter of the way in change into a totally different story; stories where the voice changes so many times you couldn’t keep up if you wanted to… I could go on.

And this is true for every editor on the planet.

We’ve all seen a wide array of stories from “decent start but still needs work” to “total diaster” to “what the fuck were you thinking?” You name it, it’s out there.

But there are also many stories that have a pretty good start and just need tweaking and revising and editing to mold and shape it into the story it’s really meant to be.

My author and editor friend, Sarah Fox, and I got together the other day to talk about what the most common problems are that we see in writers’ drafts (we’re doing a revision workshop together–see the bottom of this message for more). And we came up with five things that are the most common manuscript problems:

Read the full post on Jennifer Blanchard!

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If you liked this article, please share. If you have suggestions for further articles, articles you would like to submit, or just general comments, please contact me at paula@publetariat.com or leave a message below.

Quick Link: What It’s Actually Like to Work With a Book Editor

June 21, 2017 by Publetariat

Quick links, bringing you great articles on writing from all over the web.

Hopefully if you have already published you know the answer to this question, but if you have never worked with a book editor Blake Atwood at The Write Life shares his experiences.

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What It’s Actually Like to Work With a Book Editor

by Blake Atwood

Many aspiring authors often ask, “What’s it like to work with an editor?”

The short answer to this question is: It depends on which editor you’re working with.

For instance, some editors would strike that last sentence because it ends with a preposition.

Some editors would strike this entire introduction because I’m not getting to the point fast enough. In fiction, this is akin to belaboring the backstory before getting to the real action. (Free tip: unless you’re an experienced writer, you can often kill the first 10 percent of your first draft to find the real beginning of your story.)

One of the hardest characteristics to gauge when it’s your first time to work with a particular editor is knowing where they draw their editorial lines.

In other words, how severe will their edits be?

Of course, this depends on the kind of editing you’re looking for. A developmental editor, who looks at your manuscript as a whole for big problems like plot holes or poor narrative flow, may suggest massive changes. A copy editor may only ask that you delete a few commas. (You’ll be lucky if that’s all they ask of you.)

But even moving a few commas can cause an author to fight back.

This is where you, as the author, learn what your editor’s line is.

The kind of editor you want

Read the full post on The Write Life

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Quick Links: Looking for a Book Editor? Here’s How Much You Should Expect to Pay

March 27, 2017 by Publetariat

Quick links, bringing you great articles on writing from all over the web.

If you have never hired a book editor and are curious at how much they cost or want to compare what you have paid, then read on for Blake Atwood’s post at The Write Life. Be warned, you might want to gird your loins for sticker shock. But while these services don’t come cheap they are often necessary to produce a quality (and sellable) book.

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Looking for a Book Editor? Here’s How Much You Should Expect to Pay

by Blake Atwood

I wish I could tell you that proofreading will always cost one cent per word, copyediting two cents per word, and developmental editing three cents per word, but the truth is much hazier than that.

While I will provide hard numbers, you should first know certain essentials about hiring an editor.

This information may help you understand why editing costs seem to vary widely from one editor to the next, but it should also assist you in comparing possible editors.

How much you can expect to pay an editor depends on at least eight variables:

1. What kind of editing are you seeking?

Developmental editing (aka content editing, big picture, or macro editing) costs more than copyediting (aka micro editing), and copyediting costs more than proofreading.

2. What’s your total word count?

Editors charge by word count or page count. Some may charge by the hour, but that’s rare, especially for editing long books.

Knowing your total word count is essential to an editor’s cost estimations for taking on your project.

3. How complex is your book?

Editing academic work to a niche style guide will cost more than editing a novel per the Chicago Manual of Style.

Editing a book with hundreds of footnotes or endnotes should cost more than editing a book without citations.

Read the full post on The Write Life

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Quick Links: Ultimate Guide: Structural Editing For Your Novel

February 14, 2017 by Publetariat

Quick links, bringing you great articles on writing from all over the web.

Can you over edit a manuscript? I mean I am sure it is possible but most of the time the problem is not enough editing, and not enough of the right kind of editing. Author Helen Scheuerer from Writer’s Edit helps with the ultimate guide for structural editing.

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Ultimate Guide: Structural Editing For Your Novel

If you’re an author who has finished a manuscript, chances are, you may have seen the term ‘structural edit’ floating around. Perhaps you’ve even been told to have an editor look over your book for ‘structural’ issues.

In this extensive guide, we’ll take you through: what is a structural edit, why your book needs one, and what you can do yourself to identify and address structural issues in your fiction.

What is a structural (or developmental) edit?

It may come as a surprise to those of you who are new to the industry, but there are actually three different types of editing: structural (or developmental) editing, copy editing (also sometimes called line editing), and proofreading.

In this article, our focus will be the structural edit.

The structural edit is the process that comes first, after a manuscript is completed. It involves looking at the ‘big picture’ elements of the narrative and characters, and examining which of these elements are working and which could be improved, cut or changed altogether.

A structural edit focuses on literary devices such as:

Read the full post on Writer’s Edit

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Quick Link: 5 Steps to a Thorough Book Edit

January 18, 2017 by Publetariat

Quick links, bringing you great articles on writing from all over the web.

Editing a manuscript can be cringe inducing, right up there with getting a root canal. But it needs to be done to move you forward. Good thing Liberty Speidel has some great tips so you can do a thorough job and perhaps not spend as much time on editing. Helping Writers Become Authors

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5 Steps to a Thorough Book Edit

December 16, 2016 by Liberty Speidel | @LibertySpeidel

Nothing can strike fear in the hearts of writers like editing. But if you’re going to improve your story, a thorough book edit is something that must happen. With the right tools, mindset, and preparation, it doesn’t have to be scary at all!

The fun thing about the writing and editing process is that everyone approaches it differently. Sometimes writers approach different books with different methods, since each new book is not the same as the last. You’ll take bits and pieces of what you’ve done in the past and mix it up with tips you’ve read in a book or blog, trying to find the magic that makes this book sparkle.

My own editing process continues to evolve as I grow as a writer, and as I learn more about the craft. Most recently, I tackled the edit on my just-released novel Omission, the fourth book in the Darby Shaw Chronicles. You’d think by now, I’d have my path mostly set in stone, but life has a tendency to force change, and this time was no different.

Inspired by my most recent round of editing, here’s how you can tackle a thorough book edit, based on suggestions made by your beta readers.

Read the full post on Helping Writers Become Authors

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Quick Link: 3 Questions to Ask When Revising

January 16, 2017 by Publetariat

Quick links, bringing you great articles on writing from all over the web.

Into ever writer’s life there is a time for revisions. Sarah Ahiers has a couple of questions to keep in mind as you do the revision to make sure you are putting out quality work. Just go to Writer’s Digest to learn all about it.

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3 Questions to Ask When Revising

By:Sarah Ahiers

Author Tools: Improving Your Writing With AutoCrit by Pat Haggerty

September 7, 2016 by Publetariat

Author Tools – things to help you get your writing done

Any tool that can help authors refine and edit their writing is a good thing. AutoCrit isn’t free but it is designed to help authors self-edit their work. I don’t think it would take the place of a professional editor, but it would be a good thing to help get your draft ready for a professional editor and save you time and money in the process. Any users of AutoCrit out there? Let us know how you liked it. Pat Haggerty at Romance University has the scoop.

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Improving Your Writing With AutoCrit

autocritic by Pat Haggerty

Every time I think Pat Haggerty can’t out-do his last post on RU, he comes up with another amazing article. Ever heard of AutoCrit? Check out what this software can do for you and your writing!

Have you ever heard the term Meatware? Yea, well that’s you. In a computer based system the hardware is where the computer software runs, the software is the set of instructions telling the hardware what to do and how, and you’re the meatware, running the show. At least for now

One never ending problem for writers is self-editing. It never ceases to amaze how many times I can read the same piece of work only to allow any number of mistakes to slip right past my notice. With training, and there are good books and classes on self-editing, you will improve, but some things are just hard to catch. We can, and eventually should, turn to a professional proofreader and/or line editor but wouldn’t it be nice if we could get a little more out of our self-editing cycle?

Enter AutoCrit.

AutoCrit is a web based, automated proofreader which does an excellent job helping you spot common problems in your drafts. The AutoCrit website says it well: “How do you get unbiased, knowledgeable feedback on your early drafts quickly, easily, and without spending a ton of money on an editor?” AutoCrit, that’s how.

Read the full post (and get the free worksheet!) on Romance University

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Quick Link: 8 Tips for Editing Other Writers’ Work (While Remaining Friends)

August 29, 2016 by Publetariat

Quick links, bringing you great articles on writing from all over the web.

We have a tendency to surround ourselves with people who are like us, that have the same interests and hobbies. But when you are a writer and your friends are writer, it can get tricky. How can you tell someone you cherish in your life that perhaps their writing can use a little sprucing up. Ali Luke posting on Helping Writers Become Authors has some great tips on how to be a good writer friend.

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8 Tips for Editing Other Writers’ Work (While Remaining Friends)

June 15, 2016

Real friends love you no matter what your color, species, or position on the Harvard Comma

by Ali Luke

Have you ever been asked to edit someone else’s work? Do you need tips for editing without ruining friendships? You’re not alone!

If you’re part of a workshop group, or if you have a bunch of writer friends, then you’ll probably find yourself acting as an editor at some point. Perhaps:

In a group workshop setting, giving feedback on a draft-in-progress.
As a beta reader, taking on a whole completed manuscript.
As a paid editor, carefully reviewing a client’s work.
Your role is a significant one: as the editor, you could well make the difference between a so-so novel and one that really lives up to its full potential.

A bit daunting?

Probably. After all, you not only want to do a good job… you also want the author to still be on speaking terms with you afterwards. You also don’t want to end up spending countless hours perfecting someone else’s prose, at the expense of your own writing.

Top 8 Tips for Editing Someone Else’s Book

Here are eight key tips to have in mind when you’re editing (or thinking about editing) someone else’s work.

#1: Be Careful How Much You Take On

Do you struggle to say “no”? Me too (though I have two small children now, so I’m getting plenty of practice!)

Read the full post on Helping Writers Become Authors

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Quick Link: 6 Tips for How to Organize Your Novel’s Edits

July 25, 2016 by Publetariat

Quick links, bringing you great articles on writing from all over the web.

When you write software, you use different version to help track changes, deal with problems, and find code that the user now wants back. Writing a story is similar. You will have different sets of feedback from different beta readers, editors, and your great Aunt Ruth. How to stay sane? K.M. Weiland at Helping Writers Become Authors shares her hints on how to keep your edits organized. Do you have any favorite tips?

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6 Tips for How to Organize Your Novel’s Edits

May 29, 2016

by K.M. Weiland

and a clean original copy someplace safe!

Imagine this: you’ve received a ton of great feedback from your beta readers, critique partners, and/or editors. I mean a ton. You’re ready to dive in and start putting their suggestions to use. But… where do you start? How can you organize your novel’s edits so you can actually make sense of them?

One of the reasons editing a novel can sometimes feel like the insurmountable Mt. Never Gonna Get There is because you don’t have a clear path forward. Facing a big edit–with lots of feedback from various sources–is like facing down the mopping up after a hurricane. You’ve got the manpower and the know-how. But first you have to figure out how to put them to use. After all, you can’t move forward until you know the first step.

Reader Megan LaCroix emailed me recently with this fabulously pertinent question:

I’ve been collecting feedback I’ve received from agents, and I’ve also sent my manuscript out to a few betas to get even more feedback. My question is this: What is the best method for organizing multiple sets of feedback?

If your eyes are crossing at just the mention of multiple streams of feedback coming in at once, you’re not alone. Fortunately, organizing anything is my favorite subject! Today, I’m going to show you how to organize your novel’s edits in six simple steps.

But, first…

Read the full post on Helping Writers Become Authors

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Quick Links: How To Prepare for Self-Publishing – Editing

June 8, 2016 by Publetariat

Quick links, bringing you great articles on writing from all over the web.

This is part of a series on self-publishing by Catherine Dunn over at Digital Book World, so bookmark for future reference . One of the best things a self-publishing author can do is to make sure they have a quality product for consumers. What would be your biggest tip for self-publishers?

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How to Prepare for Self-Publishing: Editing

By: Catherine Dunn

May 23, 2016

This is part one of a six-part series.

As a self-published author, it’s your responsibility to make sure your book is as high-quality as it can be, and an editor is an indispensable resource who can help make your book look professional instead of amateurish.

Getting off to a Good Start

Ask your peers—other writers—for their opinions. Join local writing groups. Meet writers online and ask them to have a look at one or two chapters for you. Don’t be shy about getting feedback from your fellow writers.

Every writer is focused on her own work, so make sure you give something back to the community by returning the favor for others.

Now is a good time to write a synopsis. This is a skill in itself, so practice is key. A synopsis is different from a blurb; it should be about one A4 page long, contain all the major plot points and describe what happens in your book. Don’t worry about spoilers! This is a great way to identify weaknesses or plot holes. Read it out loud. Does it ramble or sound boring? Do things seem to happen for no reason? Maybe you just need to tweak the synopsis, or maybe you need to go back to the book and make some changes.

When you feel happy with your book, that’s the right time to look for an editor. But wait! Do you know what you’re asking them to do, and does that match up with what you need?

Read the full post on Digital Book World

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Quick Links: How do you become an editor?

May 24, 2016 by Publetariat

Quick links, bringing you great articles on writing from all over the web.

Have you ever thought of becoming an editor and helping other writers shape their work? Roz Morris at Nail Your Novel shares the different types of editor and what it takes to become one.

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How do you become an editor?

Who What Why When Where Signpost Showing Confusion Brainstorming And Research Rachel Anderson asks: How did you get into editing? Did you start writing first and then take on editing as a natural second, or was it out of necessity since there are more opportunities for editors than writers?

Oof, talk about cutting to the quick. It’s certainly tricky to make a living as a full-time writer. So most writers also use their wordsmithing in some other way – teaching or working in the publishing trade.

But does that mean all writers could be editors? Not necessarily. There’s a lot of difference between tidying your own work and shaping someone else’s to professional standards.

And you need different skills for the various strains of editing.

Copy editing and proof reading These are the nitpicky, forensic phases. Fact-checking and querying. Reading for consistency, clarity, correctness, house style, possible libel. The copy editor and proof reader are a human error trap – they have to catch anything that might be inaccurate, or would spoil the reader’s experience or undermine the author’s command. They have to spot anything that could possibly go wrong such as characters’ names changing half-way through, repeated passages from copy/paste mistakes, and snafus that no other human has yet encountered.

Rachel: I’ve been reading articles and stuff about developmental editing…

Aha – the creative stuff! For developmental editing, you need a mind for detail and a solid grounding in the mechanics of fiction (or non-fiction or memoir if that’s where you want to specialise – they need developmental editors too). Developmental editing is part diagnosis, part teaching. You need sharp radar for what isn’t working, and you need to explain this to the writer in a way that helps them solve it. Equally, it might be your job to solve it.

Read the full post on Nail Your Novel

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Quick Links: Six Ways To Self-Edit & Polish Your Prose

May 23, 2016 by Publetariat

Quick links, bringing you great articles on writing from all over the web.

I am a firm believer in hiring a professional editor. That said, you want to put your best effort forward and do as much as you can. Lucky for us, Kristen Lamb is here to help us with self-editing tips so you can avoid the pants of shame.

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Six Ways To Self-Edit & Polish Your Prose

May 16, 2016

Editing your work has become a lot easier.... — Editing your work has become a lot easier….

Kristen Lamb

Whether you are new to writing or an old pro, brushing up on the basics is always helpful. Because no matter how GOOD the story is? If the reader is busy stumbling over this stuff, it ruins the fictive dream and she will never GET to the story. So today we are going to cover six ways to self-edit your fiction. Though this stuff might seem like a no-brainer, I see these blunders ALL the time.

….unfortunately even in (legacy) published books.

When I worked as an editor, I found it frustrating when I couldn’t even GET to the story because I was too distracted by these all too common oopses.

There are many editors who charge by the hour. If they’re spending their time fixing oopses you could’ve easily repaired yourself? You’re burning cash and time. Yet, correct these problems, and editors can more easily get to the MEAT of your novel. This means you will spend less money and get far higher value.

#1 The Brutal Truth about Adverbs, Metaphors and Similes

I have never met an adverb, simile, or metaphor I didn’t LOVE. I totally dig description, but it can present problems.

First of all, adverbs are not ALL evil. Redundant adverbs are evil. If someone shouts loudly? How else are they going to shout? Whispering quietly? Really? Ah, but if they whisper seductively? The adverb seductively gives us a quality to the whisper that isn’t already implied by the verb.

Check your work for adverbs and kill the redundant ones. Kill them. Dead.

Read the full post on Kristen Lamb

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Quick Links: How to Survive the Edit Letter

May 17, 2016 by Publetariat

Quick links, bringing you great articles on writing from all over the web.

Writing is a very personal thing. So it is easy to see why people have difficulty with feedback. It’s like getting immunization shots, you know you need them but it’s going to hurt. One way to get good feedback is working with critique partners. {Writability}’s Ava Jae has the lollypop and band-aids ready as she gives us tips on how to survive the critiquing process.

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How to Survive the Edit Letter

by Ava Jae

I'm sorry... You have run on sentences. Have a tissue. — I’m sorry… You have run on sentences. Have a tissue.

So we all know working with critique partners is a very good thing you should be doing if you’re a writer, and we know that even after you get an agent, the revisions don’t stop until the book is on the shelf. Which means between the first draft and the final printed copy, writers have to do a lot of revisions. And generally, when those revisions are based off someone else’s notes…there comes the edit letter.

A lot of edit letters.

I recently got a question on tumblr about handling edit letters, and it occurred to me that while I’ve mentioned tips here and there for handling critiques, it doesn’t look like I’d really dedicated a post to it. So now I am.

The long and short of this is even when you like revising (like me)—even when revising is your favorite part (like me)—edit letters can be pretty hard to swallow. Whether it’s a bulleted e-mail or a fifteen-page Word document (both of which I’ve received), reading an edit letter can feel a bit like getting punched in the stomach repeatedly. And at the end you’re supposed to smile and say, “thank you.”

So how do you handle an edit letter? These are the steps I take:

Read the full post on {Writability}

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Quick Link: Editing seminar snapshots: How much should you budget for editing your book? And how should you choose an editor?

March 22, 2016March 22, 2016 by Publetariat

Quick links, bringing you great articles on writing from all over the web.

Roz Morris on her blog, Nail Your Novel, wrote a great post about how to choose an editor that is right for you. Check it out, and let us know what tips you have for finding quality people to work on your manuscript.

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Editing seminar snapshots: How much should you budget for editing your book? And how should you choose an editor?

March 6, 2016

Roz Morris

This very good question came up when I spoke at the Writers & Artists selfpublishing summit a few months ago. And my answer… deserves a post.

First, there seem to be two modes for charging: by the hour and by the wordcount or page. With the wordcount, writers can be quoted a fixed price, so everyone knows where they stand. With an hourly rate, it’s much more difficult for the writer to know how much they’ll be spending.

The convention seems to be that developmental editing is quoted by the wordcount or page, and other phases are priced by hour. Here’s a post that describes the different editing processes and the order to use them in.

Second, editors set their own fees. Does a low price indicate good value? It might if the editor is starting out and doesn’t yet have a reputation. But might they also be lacking in experience? Indeed, might they be a complete amateur?
Conversely, if an editor’s charges are high, does that mean they’re good?
I think everyone can see it’s a buyer beware situation.
How do you tell? Here’s how to navigate the maze and spend your ££$$ wisely.

Establish that the editor is right for you.
For developmental edits, you need a specialist in your field. I would be useless to a fantasy author because I don’t read fantasy. But I can edit its close cousin, magic realism. I can’t edit genre romance of the Mills and Boon variety, but I can edit any number of stories that feature a romantic relationship. So find out what if their tastes are in tune with yours.

Read the full post on Nail Your Novel

Top 10 Words That Will Kill Your Writing DEAD

1) ‘Suddenly’

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What It’s Actually Like to Work With a Book Editor

The kind of editor you want

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Looking for a Book Editor? Here’s How Much You Should Expect to Pay

1. What kind of editing are you seeking?

2. What’s your total word count?

3. How complex is your book?

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What is a structural (or developmental) edit?

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5 Steps to a Thorough Book Edit

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Improving Your Writing With AutoCrit

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8 Tips for Editing Other Writers’ Work (While Remaining Friends)

Top 8 Tips for Editing Someone Else’s Book

#1: Be Careful How Much You Take On

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6 Tips for How to Organize Your Novel’s Edits

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How to Prepare for Self-Publishing: Editing

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How do you become an editor?

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Six Ways To Self-Edit & Polish Your Prose

#1 The Brutal Truth about Adverbs, Metaphors and Similes

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How to Survive the Edit Letter

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Editing seminar snapshots: How much should you budget for editing your book? And how should you choose an editor?

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