Literary Cove

HOW TO UNDERSTAND and IMPLEMENT THOSE RED LINES

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COMMENTS IN YOUR BOOK WHEN IT COMES BACK FROM YOUR EDITOR.

 

In most publishing companies Editing happens in 3 rounds.

1. You give manuscript to the editor in its best form possible. You must always remember to spell check and grammar check your own manuscript (book) before sending to the Editor.

 

IF YOU DO NOT KNOW HOW TO EDIT - This sheet will show you how to do it. See examples and explanations.

 

1. You will get you book back from editor with many marks and comments on it, do your best to accept the changes and rewrite sentences or paragraphs as editor has marked and asked in comments to the right.

 

1. Final round sent back to you. Please be sure to read your book over thoroughly once again. This will insure that your finished product is ready for the formatting phase.

 

HERE ARE 4 EXAMPLES OF WHAT YOUR DOCUMENT MIGHT LOOK

LIKE WHEN YOU GET IT BACK FROM YOUR EDITOR IN THE FIRST ROUND OF EDITS.

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1. See the words in red or blue. What you will do is right click your mouse and accept the change or reject the change. (Please accept the change) You will see it automatically change. If you see something double lined in green. Right click it and accept change.

 

1. See the words in boxes on right hand side, these are notes that tell you what the editor has done or what they want you to do. You will see instructions sometimes to rewrite a paragraph or sentence if the editor feels it does not sound right or fit.

 

1. The black marks are just for entering into new sentences or indents, you do not have to do anything with those. Those are just for edit mode.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In This paragraph see how things are stricken out, that means to delete them, see paragraphs on right hand side. This will explain how they should be replaced or just an example/explanation of what it means.

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Do not ever assume that after your final round of edits with editor that everything is perfect, you must re-read your whole manuscript to be sure it is how you want it. Humans do make mistakes. It is up to you to help your book be the best it can be. Publishers are only the tool to help you.

 

HELPFUL TIPS:

 

Noun: A word or group of words that functions in a sentence as subject, object, or prepositional object.

Pronoun: A pronoun is a word that replaces a noun in a sentence. Pronouns are used so that our language is not cumbersome with the same nouns being repeated over and over in a paragraph. Some examples of pronouns include I, me, mine, myself, she, her, hers, herself, we, us, ours and ourselves.

Verb: The part of a sentence containing the verb and any direct or indirect object, but not the subject.

 She smells the pizza. (active) The wet dog smells awful. (linking)

 He appears on screen as an actor. (active) Tony appears angry. (linking)
Read more at http://examples.yourdictionary.com/verb-phrase-examples.html#PykEXOYqaJYerhbK.99

 

Sentence structure. It is important to vary your sentence structure so your writing is not all the same and to select and combine sentence structures for effect. Using different types of sentences will help emphasise different words or ideas. ... Simplesentences have a subject, verb, and object.

 

Samples of Adjectives

1. They live in a beautiful house.

2. Lisa is wearing a sleeveless shirt today. This soup is not edible.

3. She wore a beautiful dress.

4. He writes meaningless letters.

5. This shop is much nicer.

6. She wore a beautiful dress.

7. Ben is an adorable baby.

8. Linda’s hair is gorgeous.

9. This glass is breakable.

10. I met a homeless person in NY.

 

 

The six steps to improve our sentence structure.

1. Ensure the information within the sentence is clear.

2. Make sure to use transitional words.

3. Use care with subordinate clauses.

4. Use active voice.

5. Use active verbs.

6. Follow grammar rules.

 

Writing is a combination of art and craft. The art comes from lots of reading, talking, thinking, dreaming, and writing. The craft is primarily technique. Some techniques are complex, but a few are very simple and will instantly strengthen your writing. In many cases, however, strengthening writing simply means avoiding those things that weaken it.

We have identified 10 words that nearly always weaken writing. In no particular order, they are as follows.

1. Really

“Avoiding this word is a really great idea.” Reason: A really great idea is the same as a great idea. If you need to emphasize something, such as the “greatness” of an idea, use a single word that means what you are trying to say, e.g., “Avoiding this word is an excellent idea.”

2. You

“Sometimes, you feel like writing is too hard.” Reason: I never feel this way, so this statement is not true. The writer probably means “I” or “some writers,” e.g., “Sometimes, I feel like writing is too hard.” “You” should only be used when you are actually writing to, and about, the reader, not when making general statements.

3. Feel

“I feel the government should stop people from writing poorly.” Reason: Which emotion is being “felt”? What is the writer touching and, therefore, feeling?
Usually, the writer means “believe” or “think.” “Feel” is also used by authors to describe a character’s emotions, as in “He felt despondent.” Instead, the writer should show the emotions through the character’s words and actions.

4. Think

“I think the government should stop people from writing poorly.” Reason: If you write an opinion, the reader understands that you also think it. Just say what it is you think, e.g., “The government should stop people from writing poorly.”

 

5. As

“As you write this word, poke out your eyes. It’s weak as it can cause confusion.” Reason: A person usually cannot do two actions simultaneously, so “as” doesn’t make sense in the first sentence. It could be rewritten, “Write this word, then poke out your eyes.” In the second sentence, the writer should use “because.” Until reading the rest of the sentence, the reader doesn’t know if “as” means two actions are occurring simultaneously or means “because.”

6. A lot

“A lot of writing could be made better.” Reason: How much is “a lot”? 100 documents? 50% of everything I have written? 1% of one million books? The term “a lot” is meaningless without the context, but if you give the context, you don’t need the term “a lot.” Also, this is highly subjective. “A lot” to one person may seem like some” to another.

7. Sort of/Kind of

“Using these words is sort of annoying to the reader.” Reason: If using these words is only sort of annoying, you haven’t told the reader exactly what it is. If it is annoying, say so: “Writing this way annoys the reader.” If it is not annoying, tell the reader exactly what it is, e.g., “Using these words bothers readers.” Use words that mean what you are trying to say, and give the reader exact descriptions. This also applies to “kind of.”

8. Like

“Using these words is like baking with spoiled milk.” Reason: If this is like something, then it is NOT that thing. Giving accurate descriptions and using correct verbs
will reduce your need to use “like,” e.g., “These words spoil your writing.” A good metaphor can enhance your writing, but using too many makes writing tedious, so try to think of a different way to express your ideas.

9. Just

“Some people are just persnickety about writing. It’s just the way they write.” Reason: The word “just” doesn’t add any real value to these sentences. Leaving
them out results in the same meanings and makes the sentences much tighter and more direct: “Some people are persnickety about writing. It’s the way they write.” Doesn’t that just sound better?

10. Used to

“He used to write like this when he started writing.” Reason: Using fewer words to express an idea is almost always a good idea, so “used to write” can be written “wrote,” as in, “He wrote like this when he started writing.” The problem is that “used to write” and “when he started writing” both express events in the past, which is redundant. In nearly every case, “used to . . .” can be replaced with a past tense verb.

The sample sentences demonstrate poor uses of these words, but you will find good uses, too. In fact, some of them are perfectly fine in some contexts or when used in
particular ways. Your level of formality, purpose, voice, and audience will determine whether or not to use these words. If you’re not sure whether or not to use them in a particular sentence, our advice is to avoid them.

Precise Edit editors keep a sharp eye out for these troublesome and confusing words. We evaluate their use and, in most cases, find a way to revise the sentences so as
to avoid them. The result is stronger writing that more clearly and more professionally communicates the author’s ideas.

Source: David Bowman is the Owner and Chief Editor of Precise Edit, a comprehensive editing, proofreading, and document analysis service for authors, students, and
businesses. Precise Edit also offers a variety of other services, such as translation, transcription, and website development.

 

 

 

8 Words to Seek and Destroy:

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Suddenly

Then

In Order To

Very and Really

Is

Started

Like

 

Source: https://litreactor.com/columns/8-words-to-seek-and-destroy-in-your-writing

 

According to Fowler, “anyone who wishes to become a good writer should endeavor, before he allows himself to be tempted by more showy qualities, to be direct, simple, brief, vigorous and lucid.”
The principle referred to above may be translated into general in the domain of vocabulary as follows:
(a) Prefer the familiar word to the farfetched (familiar words are readily understood).
(b) Prefer the concrete word to the abstract (concrete words make meaning more clear and precise).
(c) Prefer the single word to the circumlocution (single word gives direct meaning avoiding adverb and
adjective).
(d) Prefer the short word to the long (short word is easily grasped).
(e) Prefer the Saxon word to the Roman (use of Roman words may create complications to convey proper
sense to an ordinary person to understand).
(f) Always prefer active voice to the passive voice in the drafting of documents
Thanks