Inventing Reality Editing Service

Because you’re not sloppy: Careless vs. care less

Oh what a difference a space makes – so don’t be careless and make this typo.

“Careless” with no space means to be negligent or reckless because one hasn’t put enough forethought into or isn’t paying attention to something. For example: Jenny’s careless driving led to a head-on collision.

“Care less” with a space means to that one isn’t interested. For example: A long-time egghead, Jill couldn’t care less about the big football game.

Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. Whether you come from a big city like Worcester, Massachusetts, or a small town like Cuckold's Creek, South Carolina, I can provide that second eye.

Give your story oomph! with narrative drive

Ever read a story before bed and find it so gripping that you stay up far later than you should just to find out what is going to happen? If so, you’ve been a “victim” of narrative drive.

Narrative drive is the force that makes a reader feel that something is about to happen. The more powerful your narrative drive, the less likely the reader is to put down the story.

All of the great works of literature have powerful narrative drives.

But creating a powerful narrative drive involves a lot more than devising interesting worlds as does Frank Herbert in “Dune,” an intriguing main character as does Orson Scott Card in “Ender’s Game” or a fascinating premise as does Isaac Asimov in “Foundation.” It is all of these things and more: good plotting, mesmerizing settings, captivating characters, proper point of view selection, an absorbing theme and an artists’ handling of stylistic issues. So, while we can discuss elements of a story in isolation, as occurs on this blog, always remember that a good story is the sum of these elements.

To obtain narrative drive then requires a full sense of a story’s various elements. Still, there are a couple of things to keep in mind to improve your story’s narrative drive:
• Link description with action - Whenever you opt to describe a landscape or character, ensure that it serves the dual purpose of moving forward the story’s plot.
• Avoid stiff writing by using repetitious and superfluous wording - Poor writing follows a “He did this then this happened” pattern while quality writing takes an “As he did this, this happened” approach.

Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. Whether you come from a big city like Fresno, California, or a small town like Frizzleburg, Pennsylvania, I can provide that second eye.

Stevens Point Journal runs article on my novel

The Stevens Point (Wis.) Journal ran an article in this morning’s edition about my new novel, Windmill. Writes the Journal: “Windmill is about the attempts of a widower and his sons to maintain balance in their lives after a young reporter interviews the family to write a feature story about their generations-old windmill. The reporter is a dead-ringer for … (the) deceased wife. ‘The four characters find themselves questioning their deepest values in very profound ways,’ Bignell said...‘All of us have faced many of these very same questions as we were growing up.’” I graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in 1998 with a master’s degree in English education. The Green Bay (Wis.) Press-Gazette, the Appleton (Wis.) Post-Crescent, and the Door County (Wis.) Advocate picked up the article and ran it as well. Windmill is available for purchase online at Amazon.com.

Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. Whether you come from a big city like Tulsa, Oklahoma, or a small town like Drain, Oregon, I can provide that second eye.

Editing client Thonas Rand publishes second novel

An editing client of mine published his second book today – and an appropriate one at that for the Day of the Dead. Thonas Rand’s “The Fall of Society” tells the story of the end of the world, which has come not with a whimper but in a bellowing roar. In an outbreak that spreads faster than any government can deal with, civilization is wiped out and chaos reigns true. The dead have risen and rule across the land, killing anyone or anything with a heartbeat. Random groups have managed to survive among the living six months after the infection hit, but supplies are limited, exhaustion is constant, and places to hide are dwindling. When three groups of wayward people come together by chance, they must overcome their differences if they are going to beat the odds as they face tens of thousands of the ravenous undead. This is the second book by Rand that have edited, the other being the sci-fi “Star Light”. You can purchase “The Fall of Society” online at Amazon.com.

Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. Whether you come from a big city like Honolulu, Hawaii, or a small town like Beaver, Oklahoma, I can provide that second eye.

Five Great Quotations about Poetry

“Poetry is language at its most distilled and most powerful.” – Rita Dove

“A poet ought not to pick nature’s pocket. Let him borrow, and so borrow as to repay by the very act of borrowing. Examine nature accurately, but write from recollection, and trust more to the imagination than the memory.” – Samuel Taylor Coleridge

“A prose writer gets tired of writing prose, and wants to be a poet. So he begins every line with a capital letter, and keeps on writing prose.” – Samuel McChord Crothers

“All bad poetry springs from genuine feeling.” – Oscar Wilde

“Poetry is all that is worth remembering in life.” – William Hazlitt

Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. Whether you come from a big city like Fort Myers, Florida, or a small town like Knock 'em Stiff, Ohio, I can provide that second eye.

Promote your book with television interview

As a self-published author, you’d be wrong to think that landing a television interview is out of your realm. There are a number of local and cable programs always on the look for people to interview, so be sure to send them your media kit. You may want to do a little more research, though, about who exactly to target. Based on the book’s topic and genre, some programs will be more ideal than others for you. Seek out television interviews just as you would those for a radio program by sending out your media kit.

Generally, you want to follow the same guidelines as you did for a radio interview in preparing for and conducting yourself during a television interview. But as television is a medium in which people can see you, it poses a few unique guidelines:
• Look neat – Comb your hair and get rid of the dangling jewelry. If possible, opt for contacts over anti-glare eyeglasses. If a male, be shaved and straighten your tie.
• Wear the right colors – Royal blue and pastels, both in solid colors, look good on television screens. Navy blue, black and white tend to look like a blob, and fine patterns tend to create a moiré effect.
• Sit up – By sitting up and leaning slightly forward, you’ll be able to breathe better, making your voice sound better and reducing any nervousness you might have. You’ll also look engaged in the conversation.
• Don’t focus on the camera – To appear natural, that you actually are in a conversation, keep your eyes on the person interviewing you.
• Stay calm – Get rid of the gum, the pen in your hands, and the coins in your pockets. Don’t rock or swivel in your chair. Doing so makes you look nervous.
• Get a good night’s sleep before the interview – Your tired eyes and posture (as well as that mid-interview yawn) will look bad on television, no matter how hard you try to look alert.

Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. Whether you come from a big city like Tucson, Arizona, or a small town like Zap, North Dakota, I can provide that second eye.

 

My new novel, 'Windmill', released today

My debut novel, Windmill, officially went on sale today! Windmill tells the story of Carl Steinar and his sons, Peter and Lyle, who for 15 years have maintained a tenuous balance to keep together their family and farm on Nebraska’s western plains. Like blades of a well-oiled windmill, each works in harmony with the other. But when Abbie Blaire, the new reporter in town comes to write a story about them, a monkey wrench is thrown into their perfect machine: She is the spitting image of the wife and mother the Steinar men lost years ago. They soon find themselves on new trajectories in which their needs and goals can only collide. Several book readings for Windmill are planned during the next couple of months across west-central Wisconsin and the Twin Cities, so watch postings here (and personal invites to you) for dates, times and locations. In the meantime, Windmill can be purchased online at Amazon.com.

Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. Whether you come from a big city like Grand Rapids, Michigan, or a small town like Frying Pan Landing, North Carolina, I can provide that second eye.

Aim right: Bull’s eye vs. bullseye vs. bulls-eye

With all of these different spellings of bull’s eye (or is it bullseye?), how do you when you’re on the mark with the right one?

The good news is that no matter which one you use, you’ll score a direct hit. All are acceptable spellings.

Check with your house or publisher’s style guide to determine which is preferred when you write a piece, though. For example, Associated Press style (which newspapers and many magazines use) calls for spelling it bull’s-eye.

Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. Whether you come from a big city like Rochester, New York, or a small town like Beech Bottom, West Virginia, I can provide that second eye.

Recent editing client releases first novel

An editing client of mine from this autumn, Kevin S. Leongood, this week released his first near-future political novel, “For the Republic”. In the novel, Jerry, an electromagnetic scientist, decides that his country is ready to change for the better and he has a new invention that will turn everyone's world upside down. The plot thickens as Jerry tries to develop his machine without being caught by an Orwellian government. Soon the revolution goes into full swing with propagandized war and a central government all too ready to cause death and destruction. The protest against the war becomes a riot as Jerry’s machine changes everyone’s perception of reality and challenges the role of government. The novel is available online as an ebook.

Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. Whether you come from a big city like Baton Rouge, Louisiana, or a small town like Big Delta, Alabama, I can provide that second eye.

Editor’s books on sale at Volume One store

Each of my three published books are now on sale at the Volume One store in downtown Eau Claire. Volume One, the premier news guide to entertainment and the arts in the Chippewa Valley, boasts an art gallery and store that sells all things “Eau Claire”; it is located at 205 N. Dewey St.

The three books on sale include:
• Hikes with Tykes: A Practical Guide to Day Hiking with Kids
• Hikes with Tykes: Games and Activities
• Love Letters to Sophie’s Mom

Previously, the books have only been available by ordering them online. Volume One carries a large collection of other Chippewa Valley writers’ books as well.

Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. Whether you come from a big city like Allentown, Pennsylvania, or a small town like East Thermopolis, Wyoming, I can provide that second eye.