Posts Tagged ‘writing tips’
Tuesday, March 30th, 2010
Editing, whether it is for an academic journal, a short story submission, or a non-fiction manuscript for publishing, always follows basic rules of grammar and punctuation. This blog will help you learn the basic rules of em dashes and ellipses, and how to use them accurately in your work. While this blog will assist fiction writers most often, this is a useful skill to have in your writing arsenal.
The em dash
 Em Dash The em dash is a longer dash that is similar to a hyphen. It is used to show a pause in a quote that is all one sentence, and it is also used to show when one sentence trails off and another begins.
For example,
“I hope that you have told me the truth – you don’t always.” This quote is all one sentence, but there was a pause in between the words truth and you that are represented by the em dash.
OR
“He just walked right in through the – He didn’t even think to announce his presence!” This shows that one sentence trailed off and another began – NOTE the capital letter to begin the second sentence.
When typing in Microsoft Word, you can prompt one of these dashes by placing a space after the last letter of the word, hitting the hyphen key (next to the zero) and then pressing your spacebar again before typing the next word. Most Microsoft Word applications use an auto format that will insert the em dash for you.
Ellipses
 Ellipsis
In contrast, the ellipsis is used to show when a thought trails off and the sentence is incomplete. It is a series of three dots.
For example,
“I just couldn’t believe what he was…” she muttered, as if to herself.
These quotation marks most often trip up fiction writers, as they’re used often in dialogue. However, whether you are writing a fiction piece, or working on an academic submission, please remember that the professional editors at Firstediting.com are always here to assist you with your work. Happy Writing!
Tags: editing, editors, ellipses, firstediting, Professional Editing, Proofreading, The em dash, writing tips
Posted in Book Editing, Book Editors, Business Editing, Christian Writing, Copy Editing, Editing Skills & Services, Fiction Editing, Manuscript Editing, Newsletters, Novel Editing, Proofreading, Technical Editing, Thesis/Research Writing, Writer's Tips, Writing for Publication | No Comments »
Monday, March 22nd, 2010
Editing your own work can oftentimes be a daunting task; however, there are some basic guidelines you can follow while writing and editing your work or that of others, which can make the process much less challenging. The following guidelines, as well as some accompanying examples, have been cited directly from William Strunk JR. and E.B. White’s “The Elements of Style: 50th Anniversary Edition“, a definite must-read for every writer and editor!
1. Form the possessive of singular nouns by adding ’s, unless it is the possessive of an ancient proper name.
For example: James’s house Moses’ law
2. In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each term except the last. This is often referred to as the “serial comma.”
For example: apples, bananas, and oranges purple, yellow, and red
3. Enclose parenthetic expressions between commas.
For example: My brother, John Smith, is a well-renowned police officer. While we were on our way to New York, a tiring drive, to say the least, we stopped many times to enjoy the scenery.
4. Place a comma before a conjunction introducing an independent clause.
For example: The road was slippery, but we continued to drive to the movie theatre. The house was a beautiful sight, and the gardens were absolutely magnificent.
5. Do not break sentences in two. Basically, do not use periods for commas.
For example: Incorrect: She was an interesting talker. A woman who had traveled all over the world and lived in half a dozen countries. Correct: She was an interesting talker, a woman who traveled all over the world and lived in half a dozen countries.
6. Use a colon after an independent clause to introduce a list of particulars, an appositive, an amplification, or an illustrative quotation.
For example: Lisa’s grocery list contained a mere three important items: bread, milk, and eggs.
7. Use a dash to set off an abrupt break of interruption and to announce a long appositive or summary.
For example: His first thought on getting out of bed—if he had any thought at all—was to get back in again.
By no means are these seven items an exhaustive list of things to look out for while writing and editing; however, they’re definitely a good place to start. I will be sure to revisit this topic again in a future blog to highlight more items to take note of during the editing process. Hiring a professional editor, such as the editors at FirstEditing.com can ensure that your document is perfect and ready for publication.
Gina
Editor Specializing in Business Editing Services for FirstEditing.com
Tags: editing, editors, professional editor, Proofreading, punctuation, writing tips
Posted in Book Editing, Book Editors, Business Editing, Copy Editing, Editing Skills & Services, Fiction Editing, Manuscript Editing, Novel Editing, Proofreading, Writer's Tips, Writing for Publication | No Comments »
Wednesday, May 20th, 2009
It is important for your writing project to be consistent, which can be defined as accepting a style guide appropriate for your type of writing, (e.g., APA, MLA)* or by adopting a style of your own and using it throughout the project.
Examples of using consistency in writing include adopting:
- one font style and only a few font sizes (body font and title font)
- set margins, paragraph style, (e.g., justified), tabs, and bullets
- similar numbering, lettering and grammar for lists and bullet points
- terminology
- spelling style, (e.g., U.S. versus U.K.)
It is very difficult for a reader to look at multiple types of fonts, and mixed uses of italics, bold and underlined lettering. It is distracting, contributing to the view that the manuscript is disorganized and unclear. Headings, titles, and bullets or numbered lists should be consistent within the manuscript. The statements in these sections should be parallel (consistent in how they are presented in terms of the use of a verb tense or descriptive phrase). As an example, the list above uses a noun in each statement. The list below uses an action verb. The manuscript will appear to be well organized and readability and clarity will be improved.
What other steps should the writer include to ensure consistency?
- use an appropriate verb tense throughout the project
- incorporate one style for footnotes, citations and references
- develop spacing rules for sentences, paragraphs, and lines (single versus double-space)
- use one person style, (e.g., first versus third person)
- include a hierarchical system for titles and headings, (e.g., centered, flush left, capitalized, italic)
Being consistent in your writing and editing professionalizes the project whether it is a fiction or non-fiction manuscript. Two good references for font readability include: The Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Bringhurst and The Elements of Typographic Style Applied to the Web. Italicizing book titles and putting a hyperlink in blue and underlining it are examples of a style that you would incorporate every time you include similar references.
The best way to ensure consistency is in the editing of the project. If you are using a style manual, most of the rules are outlined and the major task is to follow the guide. However, if the writing style is unique, the professional editor (or writer completing the editing) should keep a log as the project is reviewed to keep track of the different styles incorporated. The styles can be applied later on in the project. For example, note that your first use of a book title was underlined, and use this similar style each time a book title is used in the manuscript.
Style consistency is a characteristic of a serious and excellent writer. It also demonstrates to many of us who write and read and edit, a love of writing and the appreciation of a well-edited manuscript as an art form.
* APA is the American Psychological Association
MLA is the Modern Language Association
Tags: Add new tag, professional editor, Submitting for Publication, Writing for Publication, writing tips
Posted in Writer's Tips, Writing for Publication | No Comments »
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