Wednesday Writing Tips: Weak Words

By copy editor Victoria Reese

 

He contemplated the miniscule chamber, its prosaic tile at odds with the neo-modernistic appurtenances.

 

Excuse me? I honestly had a writer once who used words like this in the novel he was writing. The above sentence is a description of a bathroom in an old farmhouse. Although I consider myself well-read and familiar with the English language, I had trouble getting through his story. This is an example of PhD language. Words that are too full of themselves or using language that sends the reader running for the dictionary.

 

If your reader has to stop to figure out what you’re saying, you’ve lost him or her. The use of simple words does not always mean dull or uninteresting. For instance, walk may be dull; stroll is simple but descriptive and interesting; perambulate is verbose. Consider the following examples:

 

Dull?                   Interesting           Over the Top

cart                      carriage               conveyance

wordy                   glib                     loquacious

name                    moniker              sobriquet

 

Hopefully you see the pattern here. Use colorful, interesting language but don’t require your reader to check the dictionary every other sentence.

 

When we write, we tend to use the same favorite words over and over. Like meatloaf or a well-remembered meal from childhood, they’re comfortable. We know them—know how to spell them and use them. Ah, but does that mean they’re good?

 

Not necessarily. Just like a favorite dessert, too much of anything is not good. Some words that seem perfectly fine are actually weak words that give your writing less impact than it should have.

 

For instance, Shakespeare didn’t call Katharina a mean woman. He called her a shrew. When a cat is chasing a mouse, it doesn’t jump suddenly. It pounces. A teenage boy wolfs his food. The words shrew, pounce and wolf are stronger than the lukewarm phrases they replace. Search your manuscript for overused or lukewarm nouns and verbs and see if you can’t find a better way to say it with stronger words.

 

 

Wednesday Writing Tips: Cause and Effect

by editor Beverly Horne

One of the writer's main goals is to keep the reader's eyes on the page, engrossed in the story. If the reader has to stop and parse what you’ve just written to figure out what’s going on, they’ve just been sucked out of the scene. A common error is to show an effect before the cause. For example:

“What are you doing?” She ran out of his path. Looking up, she saw the silver blade of his shovel swinging forward.

Here, the heroine is engaging in an action, but the timing is out of order. Our brains have to figure out what happened, go back, and piece the events together. That’s bad. The correct order should be:

Looking up, she saw the silver blade of his shovel swinging forward. She ran out of his path. “What are you doing?”

(Or have her talk while running. Only the TSTL heroine would ask the question first before getting out of the way of that deadly shovel aimed at her head.)

This makes sense. We see the action. The character reacts. Then she has the chance to make a retort.

Wednesday Writing Tips: When Words Go Wrong, Part 2

by editor Ann Leveille

Commonly confused or misspelled words. The first part of this list appeared on Sept. 5.

Faze/phase: To faze someone is to disturb them. A phase is a stage in a series or cycle.

Fiancé/fiancée: A man is a fiancé, a woman is a fiancée.

Fluorescent/florescent: The neon colors, or lights, are fluorescent. Florescent means the time and process of the budding and unfolding of blossoms.

Forego/forgo: To forego something is to be earlier in time (go before). To forgo something is to refrain from consuming it.

Further/farther: Further means a nonphysical movement—further in one’s training, for instance. To indicate that there is a lengthening of physical distance, you would use farther.

Home in/hone: To home in on something is to focus on it or to move toward a goal. (You can “home in” or “home in on” something.) To hone something is to sharpen its edge. (There is no such things as “hone in”.)

Imaging/imagining: If you’re imaging something you’re producing an image using a machine. If you’re imagining something then you’re creating a mental picture of it.

Imply/Infer: To imply something is to suggest indirectly. To infer something is to interpret it based on information.

Lay low/lie low. To lay low is to defeat someone (lay them low=knock them down). To lie low is to hide out when someone is looking for you.

Lead/led: You lead a person now. You led a person in the past.

Lightening/lightning: To lighten something is to make something weigh less. Lightning occurs during thunderstorms.

Peek/peak/pique: You peek through shutters to check outside, a mountain has a peak, and you can have a fit of pique when you’re annoyed.

Premier/Premiere: Premier means first or best in importance. A premiere is the opening night of a performance.

Principal/Principle: A principal is main or first. A principle is a rule or doctrine.

Prone/supine: Prone means lying face down (on your stomach). Supine means lying with your face up (on your back).

Rein/reign: Rein is used most often in phrases like “free rein” and “rein in”. To reign means to rule.

Rigid/Turgid/Tumid: Rigid means to be stiff, hard or strict. Turgid means swollen and distended. Tumid means swollen.

Shudder/Shutter: A person can shudder in disgust or horror. One hangs a shutter on a window.

Staunch/Stanch: Staunch means firm, steadfast, faithful. To stanch is to stop the flow of blood.

Taunt/Taut: You taunt someone when you call them names. One’s stomach is taut (tight, firm).

Tic/tick: Tic is a noun and refers to an involuntary muscle spasm. A tick is a light clicking noise, a mark made to check off items, or a bloodsucking insect. You can’t say “his jaw ticked” unless it’s somehow making a clicking noise.

Trois/trios: Trios means groups of three. When referring to a sexual act with three participants, it’s a menage a trois (from the French).

Vice/vise: A vice is a bad habit or sin. A vise is a clamping device or motion.

Vicious/viscous: To be vicious is to be evil, spiteful, malicious. To be viscous is to be thick and non-flowing.

Wrack/rack: Wrack is a noun, referring to wrecking and ruin. To strain or torment someone is to rack them (a verb).

Wednesday Writing Tips: When Words Go Wrong, Part 1

by editor Ann Leveille

We all know about homonyms, words that are spelled or sound the same as other words but have different meanings. Most writers take time to check for homonymous errors in their writing before submitting. But there are also words that are commonly misused or commonly misspelled, that authors might miss because they’re simply not looking for them.

So a list of such things might be helpful, we thought. Guides were consulted. Editors were polled. A list was compiled to help you rid your manuscript of words that might not quite be what you mean to say. I hope you find it helpful!

Accent/Accentuate: You can use a lamp as an accent piece in a home, but you decorate to accentuate, or draw attention to, a huge window with a great view.

Adrenalin/adrenaline: Adrenalin is actually the brand name of a drug, so when you’re talking about your hero’s rush of adrenaline, you need that final “e”.

Adverse/averse: Adverse means opposing, antagonistic, unfavorable. Averse means having a feeling of distaste or aversion, to be strongly disinclined.

Anymore/any more: Anymore is used when referring to time. Any more is used when referring to the quantity of something.

Aid/aide: Aid is help, and aide is an assistant or helper.

Areola/Aureola: An areola is the dark area around a nipple. An aureola is a halo, especially surrounding a religious figure.

Breach/breech: A breach is a failure to follow a rule, or a hole made in a line of defense. Babies are occasionally breech (born butt first), and men wore breeches (covering their butts).

Callous/callus: A callous person is emotionally insensitive. Some people will develop a callus on their hands or feet from repetitive labor, or even from spending a lot of time barefoot.

Capital/capitol: The capital is the seat of government, or it is your material wealth and assets. In some novels it also means first-rate, excellent. The capitol is the building where the legislature meets.

Cement/concrete: Cement is powdered lime and clay mixed with other elements, and it also means to bring together or bond something. Concrete is a hard building material made of sand and gravel mixed with cement, and also means real, actual.

Clench/clinch: You clench your teeth when you hold them tightly together. A clinch is two people holding each other around the body with one or both arms.

Complement/compliment/complimentary: If something complements, it means it fits and accentuates. You pay someone a compliment. Free items are complimentary.

Confidant/confidante/confident: If the person you can trust with your secrets is male, he’s a confidant; if it’s a woman, she’s a confidante. Confident means self-assured.

Crumple/crumble: You crumple paper or sheets, that is, you crush or wrinkle them. You crumble cookies, or buildings crumble—fall into small pieces.

Deprecate/Depreciate: To deprecate is to express disapproval of or protest against. To depreciate something is to belittle it or lower it in value.

Discrete/discreet: Discrete means a separate part, or entity. If you’re being prudent, careful, modest and restrained, you’re being discreet.

 

Part 2, lots more misused words, will appear on Sept. 12.

Wednesday Writing Tips: Brits versus Yanks in the Spelling Sport

by editor Briana St. James

While some Ellora’s Cave stories are set in far-flung locales, we use American English spellings for our manuscripts. If the author is Australian, Canadian, a Brit, or grew up learning British English, this can cause some confusion and add some additional time to edits.

One of the easiest ways to identify Brit spellings is to consult your word processing program. Many versions of word processing programs (including MS Word) allow you to set your language to American English. Your spell check option will then identify words that ought to be changed to American English.

Spelling differences aren’t always as easy to spot as colour versus color or rumour versus rumor. The “ou” words are fairly common and an easy fix, but these are just the beginning of common differences.

Arse is sometimes used if characters are British, but how often do you see an American character talking about what a tight arse a hunky hero has? Theatre is sometimes used by those in the acting industry on both sides of the pond, but we’d go to a Broadway theater in Manhattan. We haven’t travelled on an aeroplane, we’ve traveled on an airplane.

Another common difference in British versus American English is the tendency to end a word ending in “ed” with a “t”— American dreamed becomes British dreamt, leaped becomes leapt, learned becomes learnt.

British English uses some hyphenated words that we have as solid in American English—co-operate, re-use, de-fuse, etc.

A commonality in phrasing that I see a lot is the tendency to use round instead of around. “She went round the pub” should be “She went to the pub”. She “came round” works better as “she came over”.

The British “rang off” when used for a phone call can be confusing. A simple “disconnected” often works better, especially in the era of cell phones, when hanging up a phone call isn’t what it used to be. Ringing, when used to describe calling someone, works much better as calling. Most Americans call their cell phones just that, while much of the rest of the world calls them mobiles.

Queue can be used in some areas of America, though I believe it is pretty much confined to New England/the Mid Atlantic. In parts of America, people mostly get “on line”. But the simpler “joining the line” or “standing in line” works much better.

Be careful of words that mean something completely different, depending on which version of English one is most accustomed to speaking. A brief Brit list is provided here.

Fanny—female genitals

Thong—very skimpy undies

Torch—flashlight

fag—this one is especially problematic if one means a cigarette rather than a gay slur.

Ensure vs. insure

Enquiry vs. inquiry

By keeping an eye out for these common differences, you’ll be able to streamline the editing process.

Wednesday Writing Tips: Those Agonizing Apostrophes

by Raelene Gorlinsky

A couple hundred years ago when punctuation was becoming standardized in our language, someone should have been smart enough to come up with a different symbol for possessives versus contractions. Using an apostrophe for both leads to some of the most common errors in writing.

Every grammar or style book goes into great detail about apostrophe use for singular possessives, plural possessives, possessives of common versus proper nouns, apostrophes in contractions, apostrophes with numbers, and other forms. And the occasional and highly confusing exceptions to the rules.

Here are the three most frequent apostrophe errors:

It's/Its: This is one of the exceptions to the rule for making a noun possessive. The possessive of it is its, without an apostrophe. That is in order to distinguish it from the contraction of it is (or sometimes it has), which is it's.
It's not the apostrophe's fault that its usage is so confusing.

You're/Your: You're is the contraction of you are. Your is the possessive of you.
Your house is where you're most comfortable.

Let's/Lets: Let's is the contraction for let us; it is not a possessive. Lets is a verb meaning permits or allows; it is not a plural nor possessive form.
Let's go to the library, if your mother lets us.

Other apostrophe tips:
Never use an apostrophe to make a noun plural. The Smiths have a new house, not the Smith's have a new house.

Oh, and one of my pet peeves: The contraction of until is 'til, not till (and never 'till).

Wednesday Writing Tips: What's Not to Like About Like?

By copy editor Susan Greene

What's not to like about like?

Some authors use it like crazy, while others treat it like it's taboo.

For those of you paying enough attention to know I misused the word like in the second half of the previous sentence, I'm so glad you noticed. You may go now.

For those of you who didn't, read on for a short lesson in the proper use of like versus as if.

Like is a versatile little word that can be used as a noun, a verb, an adverb, a preposition, an adjective and even as an interjection. (Like, what are you saying here, Susan?)

We're going to concentrate on the use—or rather the misuse—of like as a conjunction. While it's acceptable in colloquial speech to use like in this manner, in the written word it's simply bad grammar.

"The dog barked like she had no sense."

What's wrong with that? Well, if it was in dialogue, I'd say nothing is wrong. In character dialogue, many grammatical slipups can be ignored, since that's how people speak. But in narration, the sentence should read: "The dog barked as if she had no sense." (I'm pretty certain my dog doesn't.)

"As if  I'll remember that," you might say. Well, think of that particular “valley girl” phrase whenever you're tempted to use like.

Here's another example: "She grinned like a Cheshire cat." In this sentence, there is no verb after the word like, only a subject. This is a simile. Like is always used with a simile—a comparison of one thing to another. This includes similes containing participle phrases. "She grinned like a cat licking milk from its whiskers." That is correct. Why? Because the word licking, while it does show action, is not a verb in this case. It is part of an adjective (modifying) clause describing (or modifying) the cat.

"She ran like her life depended on it." In this sentence, like is incorrect. Why, you ask? Because "her life depended on it" is an independent clause containing a subject and a verb that could stand alone as a separate sentence, where "a cat licking milk from its whiskers" is not. "She ran as if her life depended on it." Subject—life; verb—depended. Make sense?

So get in touch with your inner "valley girl". If the second clause in a sentence is an independent clause that could stand alone as a sentence, containing both a SUBJECT and a VERB, replace like with as if. (Or as though. They’re interchangeable.)

Believe me, to your editors, it will be like a dream come true!

Wednesday Writing Tips: Who versus That

by Martha Punches

Good Morning, Writing Class.

Let’s be honest here. How many times have you been reading along, thoroughly enjoying your leisure reading time, and gotten jerked out of your concentration on the hot sex story/murderer being revealed/cliffhanger ending because the author has used THAT instead of WHO? Am I the only one who hates this? Nah, I can’t be.

WHO. When you have to use either Who or That, think person. Who, and this is no pun intended, is this word or phrase referring to? If your sentence has a person mentioned, you should use WHO, not THAT.

Example:

All the usual suspects were gathered in the parlor. Only Greeves, the butler that found the poor strangled Headmaster, was missing.

No no no no no! Okay, this is a personal pet peeve of mine but it grates on my nerves to read it that way.

Read the sentences again but put in who for that.

All the usual suspects were gathered in the parlor. Only Greeves, the butler who found the poor strangled Headmaster, was missing.

Now doesn’t that sound much better? Just agree with me and it will cause a whole lot less friction! I won’t be forced to issue a complaint about the whole matter.

According to the Quick and Dirty Tips Grammar Girl site (http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/who-versus-that.aspx), the Who versus That issue has gray areas. Many are convinced you must use Who with people and you use That with an object. Others would swear you have to use That with people. However, there is no hard and fast rule. Consistency is the key. I absolutely love her quote. “To me, using that when you are talking about a person makes them seem less than human. I always think of my friend who would only refer to his new stepmother as the woman that married my father. He was clearly trying to indicate his animosity and you wouldn't want to do that accidentally.” So, unless you are writing hard core science fiction and want to refer to your characters as objects or things, not humns or human-like, use Who!

There may not be a ‘Use It Or Else’ rule in all the grammar books, but be nice. Use Who with people and That with objects. Make me happy.

Memory tip: That = Things

And that concludes our session about Who versus That. Our next lesson will be on the usage of That versus Which.

Class dismissed.

Fact or Fiction?

by Raelene Gorlinsky

Authors sometimes get confused about our insistence on “factual accuracy” in our stories, while we are also agreeing with them that this is fiction. Are these conflicting requirements, are editors talking out of both sides of their mouths? No. There are two primary parts or elements of a romance story, and they have different expectations and requirements.

The relationship—romantic/sexual/emotional—is the FICTION part. People read romance and erotic romance for jolts of emotion and sexual titillation. Readers know that what is depicted in this element of the story is not in any way a match for real-life relationships. Uh, a guy who can get it up five times a night, every night? Men who instinctively know what a woman is thinking and exactly the right thing to say or do to meet her emotional needs? People who recognize their mate within minutes and are irrevocably in love, talking about commitment for life? Now, c’mon. In reality, you’d give that relationship/marriage about a zilch chance of lasting. And those uber-alpha heroes that we swoon over in books? We all know if we met a real guy like that, we’d probably kill him within days—or have him arrested for stalking, abuse, kidnapping… But in a romance story, we happily buy into the relationship and HEA that would be unbelievable in real life. We know that it is fiction, but it satisfies an emotional need for us, so we are willing to play along.

But then there is the story itself—the setting, background, plot actions, historical and geographical details, the science/legal/medical/law enforcement information. That is the FACT in the story, that is what must be real and accurate and true-to-life. (Assuming the story isn't fantasy or alternate reality, of course.) Otherwise, readers think very negatively of the author (and by extension, the publishing company), and are likely to speak up about it. You can’t have zippers in ancient Egyptian clothing, trains or the Underground in Regency London, sites on a hunting rifle in the 18th century, turkey and corn at a meal in medieval Europe. You can’t cross over the border from Canada to Mexico. If your hero suffers a serious gunshot wound, it’s going to take months of recovery and rehabilitation. Tests based on crime-scene evidence or DNA takes weeks to months to process, not a few hours. If you have cops, lawyers, or medical personnel in your story, you had better either be in that profession yourself or have researched the hell out of it and have every detail and character action right and justifiable. Beyond facts, people’s actions and reactions have to make sense, they have to be what could “really happen”, not something that any reader would say “No one would ever do that!” And don’t think readers won’t recognize the errors. Lots of them are in the professions or places you depict. And everyone else has seen it on TV. Yes, CSI is all wrong, it’s fiction, don’t copy from that for your story. But other court, crime and history shows have taught people how things really work and they will spot the “I can’t suspend disbelief enough” inaccuracies in your story.

So yes, we—as both editors and readers—expect that you as author will stick to the facts when writing fiction.

So, what unfactual “facts” have driven you crazy in a romance novel? All those examples I gave above are things I’ve actually seen in submissions or published books.

Crazy Confusibles

Yes, alas, the online world does seem to decrease people's skills in word usage, spelling, punctuation, grammar. There are seldom proofreaders for all those blogs, or even for the articles in online newspapers and such.

8 Words the Internet Loves to Confuse With Other Words
by Christina H, Aug. 30, 2011
http://www.cracked.com/blog/8-words-internet-loves-to-confuse-with-other-words/

As the author of this article says, "there are still a lot of other rogue (not rouge) words out there mixing with their homophonic or lookalike cousins and wreaking (not reeking) havoc on news articles, blogs, and forums everywhere." She illustrates word misuse with hysterical headlines and quotes from online sources, and with wildly amusing pictures. Do go read the full article. But make a note of these words in your personal proofing list.

1. Bear/Bare - A large, furry carnivore - naked. As the article author says, "I would never dream of insulting you by explaining the difference between bare and bear. Third graders know this. Nevertheless, people mix them up all the damn time."

2. Tack/Tact - Tack has several unrelated meanings: a change of direction, a pin, or the saddle and all that stuff you put on a horse. Tact is a kind or socially acceptable way of talking or acting so as to avoid offending others.

3. Hanger/Hangar - A hanger is something you hang things on. A hangar is where you keep aircraft.

4. Principal/Principle - Oh year, I see this error all the time in lots of places. The principal is the head of your school or the main person in some group. A principle is a basic belief about what's right and good. We would like every principal to have principles.

5. Per Se/Per Say - I've never actually seen this error, but according to the author of the blog article, it is rampant online. There isn't such a word or phrase as "per say", it's just a mispelling of per se.

6. Epitaph/Epithet - I see this misused/misspelled all the time, and it cracks me up. An epitaph is what they carve on your gravestone; an epithet is a term used to characterize something, often meant in an insulting or offensive way. Let's hope your epitaph is not an epithet.

7. Wary/Weary - When you are weary, you're tired; when you are wary, you are cautious and concerned ('ware' like in 'beware').

8. Regimen/Regiment - A regiment is a military unit; a regimen is a routine or a planned health schedule. So you don't have an exercise or diet regiment (although the soldiers would certainly be in good shape, if so), it's a regimen.

Cave Tales: Assume the Position

by Raelene Gorlinsky

We (the Publishing Department) have a weekly status meeting. Well, it's theoretically about the status of various projects and any issues that have come up during the week, but it tends to go in unexpected directions. We have learned to keep my office door shut during the meeting.

So at a recent meeting we were discussing how editors must watch out for what we call "choreography" problems in scenes. You know, where the author describes Tom sitting down in the chair, then several paragraphs later has him rise from the couch. Or Sue takes off her shoes three times (just how many legs does she have?). Or puts on a t-shirt in the morning, but removes her lacy blouse later on. I have several times conducted a writer workshop on this issue of choreography--always hysterical to watch. But new and interesting situations always arise in books being edited, and sex scenes are the most entertaining to analyse for choreography correctness.

At this particular meeting we discussed a question that had come up recently on a scene in a book--can a woman lick her own nipples? Because I know you're dying to know--yes, some women can. It doesn't depend on the size of her breasts, it is far more dependent on her flexibility. If you want to be sure a reader will believe your character can do this, establish earlier in the story that the woman practices yoga. If she can get into some of those yoga positions, she can get her tongue to her nipples, no matter how flat her chest!

Often an editor has to determine whether some position is humanly impossible or if the problem is with the way the author describes the action. As I teach in my workshop, the best way to test this is to act out the scene exactly as the author wrote it. So after we finished discussing tongues and nipples, editor Meghan brought up a sex scene in a book she was working on. Before you know it... "Jennifer, you lie down on the floor and raise your legs. Jaime, you kneel here and..." Jaime and Jennifer are our Publishing Assistants. When we hired them, we didn't exactly tell them all the duties of the job. Well, the J ladies are both young and slim and flexible--like most romance heroines--and were able to prove that the position could work.

Do you see why we keep the door closed?

Nothing but 'Net

By Kelli Collins

The lovely ladies over at Three Wicked Writers plus Two tell me they've fielded lots of questions from new authors regarding websites. As in, whether or not to have one, and the importance of the content contained therein. What works, what doesn't...and what editors recommend. That's where I come in, by answering some of the Wicked Writers' most frequently asked questions. I'm honored you would want my opinion, ladies. The fact you may have asked because I never shut up and have an opinion on everything has crossed my mind...but I don't care! I'm taking the opportunity and running with it! (Oh, and gentlemen, we love you and we love men who write erotica, but considering the industry is dominated by chicks, I'll be going with the feminine pronoun for the purposes of this post. No offense, dudes.)

Why do editors need to look at an author's website?
Need? Well, some think they don't. But for my money, it's the quickest way to learn about a prospective author, in particular how she presents herself. And not just her site...but her blog, tweets and Facebook posts as well. Is the site a raging grammatical nightmare? That's likely how her submissions will look (don't kid yourself; your mom's/sister's/friend's proofing skills only go so far, in most cases). Is the author slamming fellow writers or (god forbid) publishing companies on her blog? Is her Facebook wall just a loooong rundown of game posts? To me, these things matter. They tell me pretty much everything I need to know. And they continue to tell me things after an author is signed. (Your edits are 5 weeks late because you've contracted a disease that renders your fingers immobile? That's funny. According to FB, you've been playing FarmVille for the last 15 hours straight, and your Twitter feed from the last week could be a novel unto itself.)

If a website seared your retinas and offended your sensibilities to the point you thought the author had committed web page murder, would you feel compelled to tell then they may be better off changing their website?
Yes. Lol! I have no problem telling authors why I don't visit their sites. The music (which I can't turn off!!) makes me wanna commit hari-kari. The home page is a visual nightmare, with texts and graphics seemingly placed at random so my eyes ping-pong all over with no place to land. The text is too small; the colors are too visually straining (black is always easiest to read...but not on an equally dark background). Some semblance of order is needed. Without it, it's just too mentally exhausting to navigate the site.

If yes, how would you broach the subject and what would you say?
Well, seeing as how I have little to no filter, I just lay it on the line: "Hon, you need to revamp your site." Followed by all the reasons why. It's not personal for me, it's business. And I relay that to the author, explaining as best I can why her site might be offending the masses. Websites are an author's number one promotional tool. If you're lucky enough to get readers to visit, but can't get them to stay, well...you're pretty much screwed.

Where does your gaze land when you view a website for the first time? The banner? The sidebars?
On websites, as in newspapers and magazines, our eyes are attracted to images first, large headlines second. I'm no different. Because our eyes are also trained to read top to bottom, left to right, my eyes are drawn to the banner first if there's an interesting graphic element. My eyes almost always go to sidebars last; an argument to place links to site pages beneath the banner. (We're conditioned to think sidebars are largely reserved for links, advertisements, etc. Things that may hold my interest the least.) Because graphics and headlines are so frequently viewed, make them count. Use them to point readers in the direction you want them to go, to entice them to read your posts and as tools to keep readers on your site as long as possible.

If you see a vulgar website, does it put you off reading any of the author's work?
Not necessarily. While vulgarity does tell me a bit about the author as a person, it doesn't necessarily reflect the type of books they write. But that's years of experience talking. An author might not get so lucky with readers, who may well assume a crude site is a sign of crude books. But while I might still read authors' works, their use of vulgar images, language, etc., is another thing that might keep me away from their sites. For instance, I swear like a sailor and I love looking at hot bods as much as the next person, but there's something to be said for teasing glimpses and a modicum of professionalism. There's at least one site I no longer visit because I'm just not interested in seeing the author's "cock of the month" pictures. There are plenty of other places I can go for that, if I really want to see it. Websites should appeal to the broadest range of readers possible.

As tastes are subjective, what one person thinks is an ugly website, another will like. What are the basic things you look for when visiting sites?
Some sort of order; if I want to see your bio or view your current releases, finding the pages easily is key for me. A degree of simplicity (you don't need to pack every square inch of the site with content or images. Seriously). A pleasing color scheme. If my eyes are happy, I'll stay on the site longer.

What is the one thing you do NOT want to see on a website, as in, something that looks unprofessional in your opinion?
See previous "cock of the month" mention...

What is the main thing that turns you off a website?
Disorder, followed very closely by dated information. I can't tell you how often I visit sites that haven't been updated for months. There's just no point in having one if you're not maintaining it. Silly, poser-style images. Come on, people, there are oodles of free pics available on the 'Net, nearly all of which are more appealing than creepy-looking pod people. Finally, no contact link. If you're interested in publishing...you might want to give editors/publishers a way to contact you (and of course, readers LOVE to email authors).

Would you advise authors to post portions of a WIP on their website?
Man. Tough question. And I'm truly torn. Half of me would rather see a short, super-enticing blurb. For one thing, I've seen some seriously long excerpts (as in, several chapters). Why should readers buy the cow when they're getting the milk for free? But more importantly, excerpts from current WIPs are unedited. No. I'm sorry. I don't care if you've had 12 people read it. They're still unedited. And that can work against an author in a big way, particularly if the excerpt doesn't specifically state it's unedited (no, most readers won't assume).

On the other hand, I'd be lying if I said I haven't invited authors to submit books directly to me on the strength of excerpts on their sites. I've done so frequently, actually. If an author follows me on Twitter, for instance, I check out their site (if they are smart enough to link it in their Twitter bio). If there's an excerpt or a free read of some sort, I read it. Nearly every time. And knowing these things are largely unedited makes me doubly impressed if I stumble upon one that's clean and compelling. I don't hesitate to invite those authors to submit. So I suppose in the case of new authors, there are great advantages to excerpting your WIPs. But if you choose to...for the love of all that's holy, make sure the excerpts are as clean as humanly possible and chosen VERY carefully (use the excerpt you think will instantly hook the reader).

Three Wicked Writers plus Two are Tess MacKall, Regina Carlysle, Anne Rainey, Natalie Dae and Madison Scott. Together, along with a host of guest bloggers, they post several times per week.

Punctuate the Day!

By Raelene Gorlinsky

Gasp, I don't know how we almost missed this! Today, September 24, is the seventh annual National Punctuation Day.

They have their own website with lots of fun and informative stuff:
http://www.nationalpunctuationday.com/

You can submit an entry to the NPD Punctuation Haiku Contest by September 30. You can see the woman who baked a meatloaf in the shape of a question mark. (Why?) You can see hilarious and heart-wrenching examples people have sent in of punctuation bloopers.

Tired of getting emails with dozens of exclamation points? (Or for editors, submissions where the writer clearly believed the story was more exciting if all periods were replaced by exclamation points.) The advice of mega-selling thriller author Elmore Leonard: "You are allowed only three in every one hundred thousand words of prose."

The most common punctuation error? The apostrophe. So many people don't bother to learn plurals versus possessives--and plural possessives. And let's not even discuss its versus it's and lets versus let's.

Me Time - If You Don't Like It...

Editor-in-Chief Kelli Collins bitches about whatever’s bothering her this time.

I’m not embarrassed by what I do. I’ll just throw that out there right now. If I’m not afraid to tell my 82-year-old mother that I edit erotica, why would I care about anyone else’s opinion? If I was at all uncomfortable about working with erotica authors or editing erotic material, I just wouldn’t do it. End of story.

But plenty of people who abhor erotica continue to involve themselves in the genre. To say that pisses me off is putting it mildly.

I heard two horror stories last week, one from an author whose assigned editor told her she hates erotica, including said author’s story. (By the way, this was the author’s first book; nice intro to the industry, right?) The other was from an author whose erotic novel was reviewed by someone who hates the genre and had no issue sharing that fact in the review. (The review of the plot was positive, but when you start a review by telling all and sundry how much you hate the genre, it rather takes the shine off any positivity. Duh.)

I’ll keep this simple: If you don’t like erotica, DON’T EDIT, PROOF, CRITIQUE OR REVIEW IT.

Reviewers, I’m not so worried about. The plain fact these days: Anyone with enough time to register a blog page can declare themselves a reviewer. And I’ll take certain ones more seriously when they stop misspelling every other word and stop getting their jollies by passing off insults as “critique”.

Editors…you get the bulk of my ire. Why would you suffer through something you hate? You don’t eat food you don’t like. You don’t see movies you don’t like. Why would you read books you don’t like? Do you enjoy ruining an author’s publishing experience? Are you on a power trip? Or is it simply about keeping your job? After all, plenty of epubs assign books to their editors instead of letting them acquire their own…

You know what? Quit. Seriously. If your employer assigns genres you don’t like or don’t respect or are morally/religiously opposed to, or whatever, find another job. There’s a new epub starting every other day; surely one will be a better fit. When you hate what you do, you make the editing process miserable for yourself and the author; you deprive them of your best work and the chance to make their novel shine. You can’t give authors the full benefit of your talent, can’t help them develop theirs, if you don’t enjoy their work. It’s a simple no-brainer.

In the publishing industry at large, there’s a massive bias against romance authors. Literary snobs turn up their noses despite the fact romance sales account for more than half of the genre paperback bottom line. In the romance industry itself, there’s a bias against erotica authors. It’s been a struggle for authors and publishers to gain recognition from RWA, and I’ve heard more than one romance author opine that erotica isn’t a “legitimate” form of fiction, despite the fact it’s been around for centuries. Worse, some tell me they’d be “embarrassed” to write erotica. Good thing no one’s forcing you to write it then, huh?

Erotica authors face enough challenges without being additionally deflated by the person who’s supposed to believe in their talent the most—their editor.

Erotica authors are, in my opinion, bold, daring and brave, with a passion for writing that extends beyond the pages of their novels. They’re willing to try harder, revise more and suffer longer to get their break. They’re smart, savvy and, in the case of some of the earliest and biggest names in the genre, took a calculated risk on a largely unknown and untried format. Amassing fans and laughing all the way to the bank long before the big boys in New York began scrambling to catch up in the digital game.

No. I’m not embarrassed by what I do. But I’m grievously embarrassed by some of my more ignorant professional peers who think I should be.

In Praise of Copy Editors

by Raelene Gorlinsky

There are all kinds of editors, and their responsibilities and duties vary depending on the publisher's definition of their job. The editor you work with on your book is variously called a developmental editor, book editor, content editor, or just "editor". But after you and your editor have made your book as perfect as you think possible, then it goes off to the final pair of eyes to check it before publication. The last chance to catch errors--the copy editor. Far, far more than just a proofreader.

Here is the definition of the final copy editor job at EC:

The final copy editor reads the story with a fresh and critical eye to the text and basic content issues, double-checking things such as:

• Consistency (names, words, timeline, and physical descriptions).
• Coherence and choreography of physical actions.
• Correctness of facts; i.e., double-checking the editor/author on information and factual details, historical accuracy, copyright and trademark issues.
• Sentence structure, proper word usage, effective writing, clarity, point of view.
• Typos, misspellings, grammar, punctuation.
• Proper formatting per our standard Word template.
• Conformance with EC’s style and standards and with our story guidelines (taboos, inappropriate subjects, etc.)
• Appropriate assignment of genre and themes to the story.
• Appropriateness, correctness and appeal of the story blurb.

Not a simple or easy job! Every book editor has said "she saved my butt" many, many times, when the copy editor catches things the book editor and author both missed.

Publishers Weekly, Aug. 30, 2010: "A Prayer of Thanks for a Guardian Angel: From an appreciative author" by Roy Peter Clark--some quotes from his article:

"As an author, I've always felt the need for guardian angels, and these days her name is Marie Salter, an ace copyeditor [...] Marie played many roles: spell checker, style maven, syntax straighten-outer, fact checker, reader channeler, and pruner of dead words. [...] her job was not to seize control of the text, but to help me reach its unrealized potential."

"Thankfully, I am the happy beneficiary of an enlightened publisher who supports my work with a team of accomplished editors--or as I like to think of them, guardian angels."

So appreciate your copy editor--praise her, thank her, understand the tough job she has to do, and remember that she is there to guard you and your book and help present its best face to the world.

You Keep Using That Word - Incorrectly

Oh, if all writers would just memorize this list, editors and copy editors would have a much easier life!

http://www.copyblogger.com/commonly-misused-words/

The Inigo Montoya Guide to 27 Commonly Misused Words
by Brian Clark

You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means. ~Inigo Montoya, The Princess Bride

Adverse / Averse
Adverse means unfavorable. Averse means reluctant.

Afterwards
Afterwards is wrong in American English. It’s afterward.

Complement / Compliment
I see this one all the time. Complement is something that adds to or supplements something else. Compliment is something nice someone says about you.

Criteria
Criteria is plural, and the singular form is criterion. If someone tells you they have only one criteria, you can quickly interject and offer that it be they get a clue.

Farther / Further
Farther is talking about a physical distance.
“How much farther is Disney World, Daddy?”
Further is talking about an extension of time or degree.
“Take your business further by reading Copyblogger.”

Fewer / Less
If you can count it, use fewer. If you can’t, use less.
“James has less incentive to do what I say.”
“Tony has fewer subscribers since he stopped blogging.”

Historic / Historical
Historic means an important event. Historical means something that happened in the past.

Hopefully
This word is used incorrectly so much (including by me) it may be too late. But let’s make you smarter anyway. The old school rule is you use hopefully only if you’re describing the way someone spoke, appeared, or acted.
• Smart: I hope she says yes.
• Wrong: Hopefully, she says yes.
• Wrong: Hopefully, the weather will be good.
• Smart: It is hoped that the weather cooperates.
• Smart: She eyed the engagement ring hopefully.

Imply / Infer
Imply means to suggest indirectly (you’re sending a subtle message). To infer is to come to a conclusion based on information (you’re interpreting a message).

Insure / Ensure
Insure is correct only when you call up Geico or State Farm for coverage. Ensure means to guarantee, and that’s most often what you’re trying to say, right?

Irregardless
Irregardless is not a word. Use regardless or irrespective.

Literally
“I’m literally starving to death.”
No, odds are, you’re not.
Literally means exactly what you say is accurate, no metaphors or analogies. Everything else is figurative (relative, a figure of speech).

Premier / Premiere
Premier is the first and best in status or importance, or a prime minister. Premiere is the opening night of Star Wars 8: George Wants More Money.

Principal / Principle
Principal when used as a noun means the top dog; as an adjective, it means the most important of any set. Principle is a noun meaning a fundamental truth, a law, a rule that always applies, or a code of conduct.

Towards
Towards is wrong in American English. It’s toward. I went 41 years not being sure about this one.

Unique
Unique means (literally) one of a kind. Saying something is very or truly unique is wacked. It’s either a purple cow or it isn’t.

Who / Whom
This one is a lost cause, but let’s go down swinging. The way to deal with the who versus whom quandary is a simple substitution method.
First, a refresher on subjects and objects.
Subjects do the action:
“He/she/we like(s) to rock the house.”
Objects receive the action:
“The rock star sneered at him/her/us.”
Use who for subjects and whom for objects.
Subjects:
• Who wrote this blog post?
• Who is speaking at the conference?
• Who is going to clean up this mess?
Objects:
• Whom are you going to write about?
• Whom did he blame for the Google Slap?
• Whom did he bait for the links?
Truth is, whom just doesn’t sound right in many situations where it’s correct, especially in the US. You now know the rule… feel free to break it.

Ooh, those eeevil editors

by Raelene Gorlinsky

Yes, indeed, the goal of all editors is to gut your book of individuality and uniqueness, force it into some predetermined mold, and rip your words out of your control.

And there is this bridge I'd like to sell you...

The amazing, incomprehensible thing is that some writers actually believe this nonsense. Are they so ego-driven that they think their writing is perfect and any editing is an attack? Or are they embittered people whose writing has not been yet accepted by publishers, and so they have to justify this with some reason not related to the quality of their work?

Reality: The purpose and goal of any good, professional editor is to help a writer take that gemstone they've produced and polish all the facets to the highest sparkle, turn it into a shining jewel. And thereby ensure the best sales potential for the story, for the profit of both author and publisher (who pays the editor's salary).

Victoria Strauss of Writer Beware has an excellent post on this attitude, which seems to be popping up now as a justification for self-publishing of questionable-quality work. After all, you wouldn't want one of those eeevil editors to get their hands on your precious, perfect words and--gasp--actually have suggestions for improvement!

The Myth of the Evil Editor
http://accrispin.blogspot.com/

Do read the whole article, but the gist of it is this:

At its best, the author-editor relationship is a partnership. The editor doesn't want to turn your book into a cookie; she wants it to be as good as it can possibly be so it will sell robustly and make money for everyone. To that end, she suggests ways in which your manuscript could be strengthened and improved, and leaves it to you to make those changes in the best way you can. You're well-advised to take her comments seriously--she's a professional, after all, and writers who believe they don't need an editorial eye are letting their egos run away with their good sense. But it is still your book, and if you disagree with your editor you're free to say so, and to make a case for keeping things as they are, or for making a different change.

That's what it comes down to--this is a professional partnership, with author and editor each contributing their specific skills in a cooperative effort to make the story the best it can be.

Thanks for the Slush--Truly!

By Raelene Gorlinsky

It’s the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday. In reading various blogs by agents, editors, authors, I see myriad people who love writing and reading, love the publishing industry and being part of it, and are talking about that today. I feel the same way. What I said here last Thanksgiving is still true:

“So I say thank you to all the authors in the world. Thank you for entertaining me, enlightening me, making me laugh or cry or sigh. Thank you for showing me places I will never be able to visit myself, introducing me to people - real or imaginary - whom I wish I could really meet and know. Thank you for building fantastic worlds I sooo wish were real. Thank you for all the heroes to drool over, and their heroines I envy.”

This year I want to extend that thanks a little. Thank you to all the writers who are brave enough to submit their work to a publisher for judgment. It takes courage and commitment, and a thick skin. As you hear from any reputable publisher, only a miniscule percentage of submissions are actually good enough to accept, so a writer needs to be able to handle rejection. But every editor lives for the excitement of finding that unexpected jewel in the slush pile. The story by an unknown name, with an unremarkable title and perhaps an uninspiring cover letter—but then you read the story, and it blows you away! It may not be perfect (let’s be realistic, no story is) but you can see the greatness there. You know you have the editorial skill and the connection to the story to help the author polish this gem and make every facet sparkle.

So I am thankful not only for the stories I’ve loved and read, but for the stories I’ll have a chance to read in future, in hopes that I will find another jewel. So submit something to us now!

After the Sale: What Happens Now?

by Raelene Gorlinsky

You’ve sold your story! You’ve signed the contract. (I’m assuming here that you read every word of that contract and understand and agree with it all—before you signed.) So…uh, what do you do now? What happens between contract signing and book release? How does the manuscript you submitted get turned into the polished gem that will soon glow on the “New Releases” page of your publisher’s website?

(I will address this as if this is your first publication, or at least the first with this publisher.)

The actual process will vary from publisher to publisher, and there will be variation between e-publishers and traditional NY print houses. But here are the basics.

“Meet” your editor: You may have had some contact with your editor already, especially if your submission went through discussions or a revise&resubmit before being accepted. Or your only contact to this point may have been “the call” to tell you about acceptance (for an e-pub, most likely an email, not a phone call). But now that you have an official relationship and a joint project—your book!—you need to get in touch and start to build that working relationship. Things like exchanging contact information and preferences and information that will help you work together smoothly.

Always remember, this is a professional relationship, not a personal one. Do not try to turn your editor into your best friend or mommy or therapist. You both want to have a pleasant, productive, friendly relationship, of course. But your editor works for the publisher, not you. She must put the publisher’s interests first, and that can mean occasionally having to give you bad news or be more blunt than your crit partners were (‘cause they’re your friends and didn’t want to hurt your feelings). The editor’s job is to make this the most marketable book that will be a product of pride from the publisher; her job is not to pamper your feelings or provide for your emotional needs. So the editor does not need to know about your personal life except as it affects your writing career. If you have a day job or have four kids at home, convey that to your editor in the context of what hours it is easiest to reach you and how many hours per week you have available to work on your writing. Same with anything else that impacts how long it will take you to work through edits, or when you can submit the next book, etc. Authors, like any other people, may have disabilities that affect their work, and it helps your editor to understand and compensate if she knows about it up front. (And of course, notify your editor of any situations in future that affect your work—if you are unavailable because of a serious personal or family emergency, are taking a three-month vacation, just gave birth to triplets, or are entering the Witness Protection Program.)

Also exchange “technical compatibility” information at the start, since our business involves constant exchange of electronic documents. The default work platform for most is MSWord on a PC. If you are using some other software or a Mac, let your editor know, so she is alert to file incompatibility issues.

Discuss the plan: Ask your editor what the steps of the process will be, what dates to aim for. There is a lot more than just “here are your edits”. What about cover art? When will a release date be available? When can you get the book’s ISBN? (Bet you didn’t think of that, did you? But some advertising venues require that before they’ll let you place an ad.)

Your editor should send you any forms or procedures you need. Here at EC, we send new authors a whole bunch of stuff, including our house Style Guide, cover art request form, contact list, and editing checklists.

Okay, now we’re ready to actually edit your book!

Revision letter/Content edits: Maybe your plot and characters are already very close to perfect. But for many, if not most, books, the first step in the editing process is story content revisions. Beef up this scene and take that one out, delete this extraneous subplot, fix all these timeline issues, put more oomph into the conflict. Make the sex sexier! Her actions here make no sense, just aren’t realistic or believable. He does not grovel enough to redeem himself. Why is the heroine’s sister Cindy for the first half of the book, then Candy for the rest? And if this is an historical, either change that name or provide proof that women in 1234 England were named Cindy/Candy.

Yep, lots of rewriting. Did you really think that acceptance meant the book was perfect as is? Let me introduce you to the Easter Bunny… Or in this case, your editor, the Fairy Godmother who helps you get your wish for publication of a fantastic book.

Cover Art: When this happens will vary. But at some point, you will be given a chance for input to your cover design. For a newbie author at a traditional NY pub, this could be as little as your editor saying, “Oh, by the way, you got any suggestions about the cover?” At e-pubs and many small presses, the author traditionally gets more chance for input; you may be asked to fill out a form about your book and its important elements. But remember, what you provide are suggestions only—there is no commitment that the cover will match that. The cover art is the publisher’s choice, not the author’s.

Edits: Can be called line edits, copy edits, proofing—actually, all of that. Now that the “story” has been revised, it’s time to start tweaking all the words. Clunky sentences, awkward phrases, misused words, unclear dialogue. Plus, of course, grammar and punctuation and spelling. (You did self-edit and proof each revision before sending to your editor, right?) And don’t forget the house style guide. If the publisher doesn’t have one of their own, they probably specify something like CMOS as their standard.

There may be several rounds of editing until the book is clean and both editor and author are satisfied.

Copy Edits: After you think the book is done, then the copy editor gets a crack at it! The copy editor is the expert proofreader, consistency checker, final and fresh pair of eyes to look at your book. She will catch all the things you and the editor missed because you’d read this thing so many times now you aren’t seeing what’s actually there anymore. At EC, our copy editors check for:
· Consistency (names, words, timeline, and physical descriptions).
· Coherence and choreography of physical actions.
· Verify correctness of facts; copyright and trademark issues.
· Sentence structure, proper word usage, clarity, point of view.
· Typos, misspellings, grammar, punctuation.
· Proper formatting per our standard Word template.
· Conformance with EC’s style and standards and with our story guidelines.

Copy editors aren’t paid nearly enough. A good copy editor is worth her weight in gold and should be remembered in your prayers and your will.

Release Planning/Promotion: Once your book was actually contracted, of course you immediately started promoting it all over the place. On your blog, website, e-newsletter, MySpace, Facebook, on other people’s blogs, on chat loops. And on and on. Let people know the title, what it is about, that it is “coming soon”.

Once you get a cover and a confirmed release date, do it all again! Decide on promo items to buy and how to distribute them. Hold contests and giveaways. Make sure every potential reader recognizes your title and cover, and knows when and where they can buy your book.

Oh yeah, and then don’t forget this one. Celebrate! Your book is finally done and out. Accept congratulations from friends and fans. Enjoy the fan email. Anticipate that first royalty check.

Now—have you submitted the next book yet? And are you working on the one after that?

Seeing Red

By Kelli Collins

Having been on both the giving and receiving end of edits, I know they’re usually a source of angst. But where most authors consider edits little red badges of failure, I prefer to see them as bringing me closer to books that shine like Kojak’s big, bald head. Edits should encourage, not discourage; they should be the deadliest weapon in your arsenal, not harbingers of doom.

The closer you are to your work, the more emotionally involved, the harder edits will be. Nothing you haven’t heard before. So how does one develop the resolve necessary for successful editing? That fabled thick skin that allows you to step back and view your work objectively? It starts with you—and it’s called self-editing.

I hereby bequeath to you my precious red pen, and empower you to use it with impunity. Heady feeling, ain’t it? There’s no end to excellent self-editing tips online, so no excuse not to practice it. The better you become, the less red you’ll see from your editor. Your chances for acceptance will increase. Your readers will thank you. Your characters will love you (they don’t want to look bad either).

To get you started, some of my favorite tips for authors (by no means a comprehensive list). Said in many ways, on many sites, by many editors:

1. Spellcheck, spellcheck, spellcheck. No excuses. It’s the number one reason for most of the rejections I hand out.

2. Take a break. Walk away. Just walk away! By the time you’ve typed “The End”, you’re about ready to bleed Times New Roman. Distance yourself a bit, work on something else, gain some objectivity then go back with a fresh eye.

3. Avoid info dumps. The first couple pages of your book are not the place for extensive descriptions and back stories for your characters. Reveal your characters and their stories gradually, in sensible places throughout their narratives.

4. Avoid repetition and over-description. If your hero’s eyes are green, search that word. If your heroine’s hair is red, search that word (and redhead, red-haired, etc.). You’ll be surprised how often you repeat yourself. Also avoid long strings of adjectives. “The six-foot-two, muscle-bound, hunkalicious, oh-my-god hot doctor walked into the room.”

5. Avoid crutch words that add nothing: when, that, just, really, very, suddenly, then, etc.

6. Read your book out loud. It’s a great way to spot repetition, run-on sentences, awkward structure and long dialogue tags. The words might look right on the page…but how do they sound?

7. Read backward. No joke. The last word in a sentence is often the most powerful. Do you really need the last word or three at the end of that sentence? “Dazzled by the creamy confection’s delicacy, she couldn’t get enough of it.”

8. If your publisher has a house style guide, learn it, live it, love it. Not published? Start with The Chicago Manual of Style, which breaks down all grammar, style and punctuation for you. Then build your own personal style guide, a checklist tailored to your personal writing habits, words you often misspell, rules you have trouble remembering, etc. (Mine is two full pages. It takes me an average of 6 minutes to search my authors’ books for each item on the list. I’m proud to report most have now pounded themselves into my head—but I still check them anyway.)

9. Don’t rely on crit partners to do the work for you. Most crit partners are friends, family members, fellow authors, etc., who likely have as much or less experience than you. And love them though we do, they often won’t tell us what we need to hear. They’ll tell us what we want to hear. Sorry; it’s the truth. Who wants to hurt anyone’s feelings (plus, most of us suck at constructive criticism)? If I ask my best friend what she thinks of the haircut I just gave myself, she’s never going to tell me, “It sucks. You look like a Dark Helmet from Spaceballs.” Even if my own mirror says my hair can now legally be used as a hardhat on construction sites.

10. Finally—write first, edit later. Resist the urge to go back and read each chapter upon completion. It’s the easiest way to get sucked into the tenth level of minutia, where you’ll remain for untold weeks or months in self-doubt hell. You’ll revise and revise and revise and…