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Jan 12 2019
Five Basic Steps for Editing Your Own Writing

Regardless of what you are writing—fiction, nonfiction, articles, op-eds, even letters to the editor—there are five basic steps to editing any manuscript. These are by no means exhaustive but will take care of some of the major problems frequently found in manuscripts.

  1. Use spell check/grammar check, but…

While spell check doesn’t catch all errors, it will catch most. The same rule applies with grammar check. Once you have run spell check/grammar check, you must review your manuscript by reading over it and manually (or optically?) check the grammar and spelling. This requires several read-throughs.

When I edit an article or manuscript, I run my spell check/grammar check and then read the manuscript thoroughly, marking changes in red ink and putting Post-it flags on pages where I want to make changes. Only after I have finished reading and marking the manuscript or article, do I go to the computer to make the changes. This is an extensive process and may take me at a minimum a week to do depending on how long the manuscript is. If I am reviewing an article (e.g. 3000 words) it takes me about a week to review and correct—if it’s an early draft. More refined drafts don’t take as long to review.

2. Words, words, words…

Leave the five-dollar words for your master’s thesis or dissertation. Readers and editors do not want to reach for a dictionary every other paragraph to figure out what you are talking about. If you are trying to impress, using outdated or super long words would be the last thing you want to do.

If you are writing a mystery set in the 1920s however, your main character is not going to say, “That’s cool!” Make sure that whatever your have your characters say is consistent with the time period in which you have placed them in.

Avoid adverbs. For example, “He stepped quietly across the room” could be written to avoid the adverb “quietly.” A better description would be: “The carpet muffled his footsteps…”   Avoid repetitive phrases or words:

3. Avoid repetitive words and phrases…

Sometimes writers have favorite ways of writing something but it’s awkward for the reader. You’ve probably seen it yourself when a phrase or unusual word stood out because the author used it two paragraphs or even two pages earlier. For example:

He turned to watch her approach. He appreciated her graceful movements, reminding him of the waltzes he had danced with her.

And then later:

Her graceful movements reminded him of the few times they had spent waltzing.

While not identical, the sentences use similar words and a reader will think that he or she read the same sentence just a few pages before. However, you can express the same idea without resorting to the same/similar word choices. This is where a thesaurus can come in use. The word “graceful”, for example, could be replaced with supple, lithe, nimble, fluid, smooth, elegant or willowy. The second sentence could be rewritten to read:

Her elegant hands poured out the tea and, suddenly, there sparked the welcome memory of her fluid steps during the meager dances they had shared.

4. Set it aside…

Lay your manuscript aside for a few days—at a minimum. A couple of weeks would be even better. Work on another manuscript or project to keep your mind focused on writing—just don’t focus on this particular piece.

When you pick it up again, you will see problems with fresh, more critical eyes.

5. Find a trusted reader

Find an avid reader that you trust. This person does not need to be a writer or editor just a very dedicated reader who likes to read a variety of books and materials. This is the kind of reader who instinctively knows what he or she likes and will tell you if something sounds strange, if the story feels like it’s missing something, or your hero/heroine is too wooden.

And there you have it. Five basic steps that will help you as you edit what you have written. This will give you a good start in cleaning up your manuscript and making it more editor friendly.

Laura Echevarria 0 Comments
Dec 3 2018
The End of an Era

The first president I voted for after turning 18 was President George H.W. Bush.

Away from home and at college in Tennessee, I transferred my residency to the Volunteer state just so I could vote like a “real” voter. None of that absentee ballot stuff for me, no sir, I was going to stand in line– even in the rain (which was highly likely in the Tennessee Valley)– show my voter ID, cast my ballot and be counted.

I wanted my first voting experience to be for President Reagan, whom I adored. He was the first president I was truly aware of but, alas, I was too young each time he ran.

But President George Herbert Walker Bush? President Reagan’s Vice President? I was in.

We often don’t remember the also-rans but I remember Michael Dukakis–largely because my debate partner used to say that he didn’t want to vote for someone whose last name sounded like something you stepped in. Other than the two major nominees, I don’t remember many details about the presidential race but I do remember that I felt I voted for the man I thought would do the job the best, who largely believed in the same things I did.

President Bush was a gracious man who, despite his wealth and his education, had a servant’s heart. So many tributes have poured in, stories of how he took time with a child or was especially kind to others in a way that made it clear that that was who he was. His kindness wasn’t for show.

It has already been said but it is the end of an era. May President Bush enjoy his rest, reunited with his beloved Barbara and their daughter, Robin.

Laura Echevarria 0 Comments
Nov 30 2018
Get to the Point

Watching debates on television is often funny– largely because I spent years being a spokesperson so I know what goes on behind the scenes and what’s happening on the set. All the “crosstalk” in the world isn’t going to make a person’s point any better unless it has truth and facts behind it. (“Crosstalk” is the polite term used in the news media to describe what happens when you have guests talking over each other trying to make their point. No one can understand what they are saying but news shows love it because it “shows” conflict.)

The art of arguing is quickly being lost in our day and age. “Arguing,” as commonly defined in everyday speech, means angrily disagreeing with or even yelling at someone. It can mean calling someone names or making extreme proclamations of dire results if things don’t go a certain way.

But to truly argue or debate a point is quite the opposite.

When you argue your point, you must have facts on your side and maybe an example. You must organize your argument and your facts must be support the point you are trying to make.

You cannot call someone names and then proclaim yourself the winner of an argument because the other person won’t attack you personally. You cannot use made up stories to make your point. You cannot make sweeping generalizations to make your point.

True argumentation is an art that has few masters and even fewer followers. Today, many will make an argument based on their feelings or they may attack someone’s character, morals or values to make their point. I’m sorry but these are not arguments. They are forms of various fallacies. The reason they can seem so powerful is because they are emotional and difficult to combat because they are not based in facts but opinion.

Unfortunately, everyone has opinions but most do not hold educated opinions.

 

Laura Echevarria 0 Comments