A grammar miniblog Most writers are familiar with the basics of formatting dialogue in fiction such as in the following examples: “I...

Ask anyone and they’ll likely say that writing a book is a hard job. Ask a writer and they’ll likely say that starting to write a book is...

Writers have a lot to consider when they choose the narrative tense of their novel. Deciding on the right tense for your story has a direct impact on world-building, character development, and creating an immersive story. A well-written story pulls the reader in, avoiding clunky writing or language that keeps readers at just the right level of closeness and intimacy with the characters. Tenses: past, present, and future Nowadays, writers can write in just about any tense they

Sometimes, it can be difficult to keep the stages of editing straight and remember exactly what each one includes. From my experience, copyediting and proofreading seem to cause the most confusion. In the business world, "proofreading" and "copyediting" are often used interchangeably. The differences, however, are distinct, and if you wish to self-publish, knowing the difference between the two is important. Stages of editing The most important part about any discussion of th

What developmental editors do can be a bit of a mystery to the uninitiated, so I asked some of my DE colleagues for a broad picture of how they go about the editing process. (No, I am not a developmental editor.) Developmental editing As described in other blog posts and places on my site, developmental editing is generally considered “big picture” editing. A developmental editor performs three tasks in the editing process: They read the client’s full manuscript at whatever s

Beta readers are a pivotal part of the self-publishing process. They read your manuscript with the eye of an “average” reader, helping to identify areas of improvement. What beta readers do Beta readers are essentially test readers. While some may comment on obvious grammar or spelling mistakes, the bulk of a beta reader’s feedback should be focused on their level of engagement with and reactions to the text. They may also comment on the effectiveness of world-building, chara

In the editing world, time really is money. Editors have to strike a balance between setting a rate they can live on and completing work in a timely, methodical, and conscientious way, while keeping a good flow and not letting projects stagnate. So, the longer a manuscript takes to edit (no matter how long it is), the higher the cost for authors. Some editors may offer a flat or fixed rate, but many will adjust their per word, hourly, or project rates based on how long they p

One of the first things I learned about that was new to me as a freelance proofreader and editor was style sheet creation. Yet, it’s probably the least heard of aspect of the editing and proofreading process for my clients. What is a style sheet? A style sheet is like the Wikipedia page for your book. While the name is usually singular (style sheet), a style sheet is typically much more than one page. Style sheets come in many different formats and … styles. They are as uniqu

Pat yourself on the back, first of all. You wrote a book! Let that realization wash over you, then set your novel aside. It's time to...