Copy Edit, Dammit! Guest Post from Natascha Jaffa, Editor with SPJ Editing

With self-publishing making huge headway in the publishing industry, it’s now more important than ever to make sure your manuscript is as polished as it can be. It’s competitive out there, but if your book isn’t what it should be, readers will be stuck on errors and probably not read anything else you put out there.

Not everyone in their right mind goes takes grammar classes. Sadly, I enjoyed it, which is why I became an editor. I LOVE doing copy edits. I’m not sure why, but they make me happy. However, the further in my career I get, the more I notice manuscripts, even books submitted to publishers, are riddled with errors. Perhaps this is because we haven’t learned the correct way to punctuate that dialogue or sentence or it’s because we’ve been taught incorrectly.

Well, hopefully, this post helps you.

I’ve designed this post to point out the five most common errors I see in manuscripts and examples on how to avoid them.

1. Dialogue tags. This includes, “he said”, “she asked”, “they demanded” just as examples. Dialogue tags follow a line of dialogue.

            Shown here: “Oh, baby. Oh, baby,” she said.

Now, let’s look closer.

If you have a dialogue tag (remember our examples from above), your dialogue will end with a COMMA.

            Shown here: “Oh, baby. Oh, baby,” she said.

Also note that the dialogue tag itself is LOWERCASE.

            Shown here: “Oh, baby. Oh, baby,” she said.

Now, in some cases (I hate when this happens), dialogue tags introduce dialogue.

            Shown here: She said, “Oh, baby. Oh, baby.”

Notice, however, the comma has moved. Instead of being inside the quotations, it’s now out, positioned after “said” and introducing the dialogue.

Now, in another case (this is really common), we see continuous dialogue. Let’s say you your character is addressing another character.

            Shown here: “Princess Leah,” he said, “we really should be moving.”

What’s different here? I will tell you. Since he is addressing Leah and you’ve inserted a dialogue tag, the sentence isn’t complete at the end of the tag. Therefore, a COMMA will be inserted after the tag and the rest of the dialogue will be lowercased.

2. Action between dialogue lines. Yay! One of my favorite things to do. What happens when you don’t have a dialogue tag between two continuous lines of dialogue? Let’s see. Very easy.

            Shown here: “Princess Leah,”—he turned in the direction of the approaching storm troopers—“we really should be moving.”

If you don’t have a dialogue tag, use the em-dash to signify action between your dialogues. You’ll notice there is a comma after “Leah”, still making it a direct address and that your second line of dialogue is all lowercase.

3. When to use em-dash. This thing here: —. Aside from signifying action between two lines of dialogue, where else can we use em-dash?

To interrupt dialogue of course!

If you have a character cutting someone off, don’t write, “he cut him off.” Show it with an em-dash.

            Shown here: “Harry, what are you—”

                                 “Shut up, Ron!”

BTW, if you don’t know how to make an em-dash on your computer, try this:

a.      Complete the dialogue before it gets cut off.

b.     Type two dashes (- -), one after the other.

c.      Type any letter you want after the dash, connecting of course. It will transform into a longer dash.

d.     Type space.

e.      Delete random letter.

f.      Type quotation, but please make sure it’s facing the right way! For some reason Word likes to turn this quote the opposite of where it should be. I add a period then turn the quotation around.

4. When to use ellipses. This thing here: … Blasted ellipses. Bane of my existence. This is one of the most wrongly used punctuations I come across. So, here’s a run down of when it’s appropriate to use them and one example of when to not use them.

            Use: to trail off a character’s internal thoughts. Example: I wish Natascha would edit my book… (I can!) This signifies on a dreamlike sigh at the end of the sentence.

            Use: to trail off a character’s dialogue, lost in thought for a moment. Example: “I don’t know. I just think…” She shook her head. “I just think we need to talk about this.”

            Use: to show a slight hiccup in dialogue. Example: “Are you…real?”

            DO NOT USE TO INTERRUPT DIALOGUE. Use an em-dash for abrupt interruptions like we’ve discussed.

5. Direct addressing characters. When two characters are talking to each other through dialogue, there is punctuation involved within the dialogue. One of those is the comma after a direct address.

            Shown here: “Edgar, there’s skin hanging off your bones.” (Name that movie!)

These are just a few of the copy editing errors I see. If you have them down pat, there will be less heartache in the end (and frustration), but remember: it’s nearly impossible for a single person to catch them all.

If you’re interested in learning more, contact me through the links below and I’d be more than happy to help you out and give you a quote. Have a happy edit!

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Natascha Jaffa dedicates her experience to helping writers grow through her editing firm, SPJ Editing, which she considers the best job in the world. When she isn’t editing, you can catch her snowboarding, rock climbing, or training for her first Ragnar Relay.

She’s an active member of International Thriller Writers, National Association of Writers and Editors, Mystery Writers of America and Romance Writers of America.

She is also published in suspense and romance as Nichole Severn.

Writers can find her on Facebook, Twitter, www.spjediting.com and LinkedIn

The Queen Bitch and Pre-Published vs. Unpublished

I woke up this morning and realized I'd been rather quiet on my blog lately. But I've got a good reason. I've been working on editing - editing a story that I want to get out to my line-editing critique partner so I can submit it to an epublisher.

Speaking of epublishers, if you didn't see my news from last week, I was asked by a publisher to submit my werewolf novel, tentatively titled Queen Bitch of Callowwood, for consideration. Last week, they sent me a contract for the publication of Queen Bitch and the novel should be released next year.

I am so excited! This is a dream come true after 25 years of writing stories and hoping to be published. It didn't come without a lot of hard work and effort, particularly letting go of my words, allowing others correct the weaknesses in the story, and rewriting, rewriting, rewriting. I can't tell you how excited I feel with my first contract in hand.

This doesn't mean the hard work is over, it just means I've gotten my foot in the door. Now another editor looks over it and tells me what else I have to modify to make the story the most refined version it can be. I'm looking forward to it despite the changes that may be coming. And also, I'm looking forward to the promotion of it because "published doesn't mean read" and unless folks know the book is there, they won't read it.

So, never give up on the dream of writing. Queen Bitch is not my first completed novel; it's not even my second, but it is the best one so far and the others I've written, after much love and editing, will be out where you can read them, too. Eventually. I've certainly had some demands from some of the Six Sentence Sunday crowd for a few of them! ;)

Good writing is rewriting and and good stories are only good because they've been "peer-reviewed". Take the time and effort and it will pay off in dividends.

Keep writing, keep editing, and eventually someone will ask for your stories (only took me 25 years). ;) It's worth it and the joy you feel when someone wants it is incredible. I dressed up for the occasion.

 Well, okay, it was also Halloween, but I felt like such a star and I got to wear my elbow-length gloves and Cinderella heels.

One thing I'd like to add. If you want to be a published author; you want to make a go of this profession and you're not just dabbling in it, start referring to yourself as a "pre-published" author, rather than an "unpublished" author. It might not seem like a big difference, but mentally, the prefix "pre" sets you up with determination, while "un" suggests you might not ever make it.

Think of it this way: it worked for me. My career in the writing field shot forward after I began calling myself a "pre-published" author. Good luck in all your writing and never give up; never surrender! Happy reading! :)

Proactivity

I'm sure you've heard the phrase, "Good things come to those who wait." It's usually said by parents trying to get a little more time to finish whatever it is they're doing before the kids drive them insane with demands.

In the writing world, this was something I was often told, maybe not in those words, exactly, but something to the same effect. "You gotta wait for the agent/editor/publisher to get to your stuff before you can publish." Very true, particularly if you're waiting for one of the Big New York publishers to get back to you.

However, that doesn't mean you have to stop what you're doing or even stop honing your craft. Yes, you've finished your manuscript; yes, you've submitted it to one or several publishers; yes, they've given you a 16 week response time, but you don't have to stop writing. You don't have to wait by the phone/computer/iphone with baited breath.

Now is a good time to write the next book/novella/series of short stories. Don't wait on the editors. They're busy looking at your manuscript. Now is the time to practice some more. WRITE WRITE WRITE. This is the time to get the new story out there because if they turn down your first story, maybe they'll pick up the next one because it's just a little better, just a little more refined, just as little better planned and sketched out.

In each story I write, I improve my story-writing abilities. I've always been good at "telling" the story to folks, but writing takes a little more discipline and refinement. Talking it out, a story is full of colloquialisms and the words "that", "which", and "because"; telling words. In writing, it's a clunky way of reading and it pulls the reader out of the story. Refining the writing to leave out those words but still get across what I want to; wow, that takes practice!

So be proactive in your writing efforts. Submit to the publishers, query the agents, and then get back to work on the next story, because as Christina Dodd once put up on Facebook: "Professional writers are only amateurs who never gave up." Truer words were never written. :)

Quiet Sunday Reflections

Normally I write on Mondays, but tomorrow, workers will be invading my house to mount a new ceiling fan from our 20 ft living room ceiling and that will distract me beyond measure. Not so good for reflecting or writing.

I've been thinking about technology and the modern author. Okay, not really, but I have recently joined Twitter and it made me think of the first time I started moving into the modern world of communication. It all started with a cell phone from Sprint. I resisted for as long as possible, but capitulated when I started applying for jobs where I might not be home much and I needed to stay in contact with interviewers. It was a good choice for me at the time. Now I wouldn't be caught ANYWHERE without my cell phone (although I'm no longer with Sprint).

My next big jump in technological communication (and communication is the key to every relationship) was Facebook. I was resistant because when did I have time to constantly update my status? I was busy doing stuff that I would write about as my status! But I capitulated because it was a great way to keep in contact with folks in my profession who didn't live in the same city as I did or had moved on to other places and jobs. I could stay up-to-date with what they were doing without having to be in the same university, city, or company as them. It's particularly useful for finding out their upcoming projects. :)

Then I started this blog. For a long time I looked at blogging as a way for people to fan their egos. It seemed self-indulgent to me. But after thinking about it a long time and reading a few blogs, I realized it was a viable way to get your voice out there, good, bad, or mediocre, to be noticed. I'm a writer, so getting my voice out where publishers, agents, and editors could "hear" it seemed like a really good idea; especially if I wanted said folks to become interested in my writing ability. Now I see it as yet another form of interaction and communication; a place where I can offer snippets of my writing where a lot of people can see it.

Now I've joined Twitter. I'm no expert by any stretch of the imagination and I was resistant to it because I wasn't so certain you could really put anything meaningful in 140 characters or less (that's pretty hard, actually). However, I joined Twitter for two reasons. One, many authors communicate as much as possible to as many people as possible, and Twitter is a good place to connect, at least briefly, with a lot of people (readers, reviewers, publishers, etc.). Two, with Facebook cracking down on contests and giveaways, people turned to Twitter for that information and when I start my giveaways (and there will be some, believe me), I'll be able to post it here and tweet it on Twitter.

I'm still resistant to a "Smartphone" because if I want to do computer things, I'll use my computer! I'll use my phone to make phone calls and text! *eye roll* Well, I sometimes use it to listen to music and snap photos, but that's it! Yeah, I know, not much of an excuse. I might succumb eventually. :S

The point of my reflections is any form of communication can be good or bad, but it is what you make of it. I'm trying to make my communications useful, meaningful, and well written (or at least thought-out). So I'm getting my voice out there. Come "like" me on Facebook to read my posts; follow me on Twitter to enjoy my pithy tweets; or follow me on this blog for more involved writing. And feel free to share with other folks! Happy reading, writing and communicating! :)

Editing and Critique Partners

Oh, the dreaded E word!

I don't mean "electronic", which gives book publishers hives. No, I mean someone taking a hacksaw to your work and bleeding all over it until you're not sure you ever wrote anything good to begin with.

Editing.

That said, editors have a thankless job. First, the writers come to them, whining and crying, "Oh please edit my work. It's good. It'll be worth your while; you'll see!" And then when they do as the writer asks, and edit to the best of their ability, the writers whine and cry, "Oh, how could you be so cruel? How could you kill my favorite sentences?" They get it coming and going.

The thing is, you can't edit your own work. You can see the story in your mind, but you're too close to it. You can't see where you've failed to explain it well enough or clearly enough through your writing. Worse, what about all the correctly spelled typos? The spellchecker won't catch it when you spell the darn word correctly, even if it's the wrong word. Taylor Mali gives an excellent illustration of why we need editors and proof readers in his poem The Impotence of Proofreading.

Having someone edit your work is nerve-wracking and scary, but the whole point of being a writer is so someone will eventually read your work! And not your mother, who's very proud of you and will tell you your writing is fabulous even when it's crap. Not your friends, either. They're too scared to hurt your feelings because they know this is "your baby".

You need editors and critique partners, people you can trust to tell you where your story needs elaboration, cutting back, or even rewriting. And you have to trust them to look at the story with your best interests at heart. They are there to help you make the story better. Granted, you don't want people who are derisive or so negative they kill your love and urge to write; but you do want people who critique seriously and with the intent to help you. The comments may be hard to read, but they are meant to make your story the best it can be.

The biggest thing you must do is let go of your "Attachment To The Words". You can't have favorite sentences when you hand off your work to an editor. They might get cut or moved or so rearranged they don't look like they did before they left your hands. You have to let it all go. Once it goes to your critique partners, it will change, probably for the better. The good news is you can choose which comments to take to heart and which to ignore. Maybe your reader didn't get what you were trying to say and a little rewording will help. Maybe they jumped the gun too early and the problem will be explained a little later, so you just need a little more setup to prime them.

A big thing to remember: the editor and critique partners are there TO HELP. The more comments they make, the more they care to make your story the best it can be.

I have (currently) four critique partners who help me smooth the rough spots, fill out the descriptions, and edit the crappy word choices I made. They also come from all walks of life: I managed to find a technical writing editor who can fix my word usage (YAY!); I found a scientific writer who enjoys science fiction and romance stories, and reads, a lot; I have a romantic suspense writer who has a great grasp of romantic elements in the crazy world of conflict; and I convinced a science fiction/fantasy writer to critique my work to help me with the paranormal aspects of my stories.

The more people who read your work and offer suggestions, the better. You'll never catch all the little quirks in your stories, but the cleaner you make them, the greater the likelihood you'll win a contract with a publisher and/or agent.

The biggest thing I want to offer: DON'T GIVE UP, even if you have a lot of work to do on the story you had critiqued. So this story wasn't the best; move on to the next one and learn from the mistakes on the first. Deb Coonts mentioned that the first story is good, the second story is great, and the third one is awesome, because she's had practice and learned from the mistakes. Same thing here. Don't give up after the first story if it isn't as good as you thought. The best stories are yet to come! :)