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Select right word to avoid reader confusion

In any story you tell, your choice of words matters. Selecting the wrong word can lead to a number of problems that quickly turns off the reader to your writing.

Poor word choice results in three general issues: clarity, vagueness and awkwardness.

Clarity
The worst possible outcome of selecting the wrong word will be readers having no idea what you’re writing about. That forces them to reread the sentence or passage, which increases the chances that they’ll lose track of the storyline. You can be unclear in a number of ways:
• Misused words – Sometimes a similar sounding word is used, as in Our building is assessable by wheelchair. The writer really meant accessible.
• Unwanted connotations or meanings – Often the reader will laugh at such sentences, for example, The stowaways knew the only way to stop the pecan truck was to dump the man’s nuts all over the road.
• Ambiguity – While jogging through the park, a dog darted in front of Dawn is confusing because the reader doesn’t know if the dog or if Dawn were jogging.
• Subjective tension – If you wrote He raised his eyes, you wouldn’t literally mean that the character moved higher on his forehead, but the wrong word choice here creates a difference between what you’ve written and what you wanted to say.
• Jargon/technical terms – Unless the reader is a bicycle repairman, Because the fork had a negative air chamber, Tony removed the cover cap from the bottom of the left fork leg will make little sense.

Vagueness
Using inexact and fuzzy words leads to bland sentences that fail to create a vivid picture of what is occurring. For example: She seemed really tall.

Words like seemed and really don’t give the reader a detailed enough picture of the scene or character. Was she tall or not? And if she was tall, then just how high was she?

Awkwardness
Sentences become difficult to understand because using the wrong word forces a writer create structures that make only a little sense. This almost always results in a sentence lacking rhythm. For example: My buddies were more anticipating than the dates.

The writer means to say that his buddies are feeling a greater sense of anticipation than their dates. That makes more anticipating a poor word choice. To correct it, a different form of the words more anticipating needs to be used and the sentence should be slightly restructured, perhaps as, My buddies enjoyed a greater sense of anticipation than their dates.

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 Tampa, Florida, or a small town like Deadhorse, Alaska, I can provide that second eye.

Create meaningful settings in your story

Setting is the story’s time and the place in which the plot unfolds. Sometimes it’s referred to as the “scene.”

For example, in "Star Trek: The Original Series", the setting typically is the 23rd century and various parts of the starship Enterprise, such as the bridge, sickbay, engineering and transporter room. The various locations that the landing party visits on the planet also is part of the setting.

Setting helps shape your story’s color and mood. The conflicts the characters face hinge on the setting and the situations it creates for the characters. On occasion, the setting itself must be transformed as the main character resolves his central problem.

When describing the setting, follow these rules:
• Give concrete details of the place – Appeal to as many senses as possible. All of us live in a world in which we constantly see, hear, smell, taste and touch. So also should your characters. We’ll discuss this more in the next step.
• Ask how your main character would perceive this place – Write your description of the setting from that viewpoint.
• Divide descriptions of the setting into three sections – For example, start with the foreground, then in the next couple of sentences go the middle and at paragraph’s end to the background. Or try left-center-right or sky-eye level-ground.

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 Seattle, Washington, or a small town like Uncertain, Texas, I can provide that second eye.

Five Great Quotations about Readers

“People do tell a writer things that they don’t tell others. I don’t know why, unless it is that having read one or two of his books they feel on peculiarly intimate terms with him; or it may be that they dramatize themselves and, seeing themselves as it were as characters in a novel, are ready to be as open with him as they imagine the characters of his invention are.” – W. Somerset Maugham

“There is creative reading as well as creative writing.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“What really knocks me out is a book that, when you're all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it. That doesn't happen much, though.” – J.D. Salinger

“Writing is an occupation in which you have to keep proving your talent to those who have none.” –Jules Renard

“Easy reading is damn hard writing.” – Nathaniel Hawthorne

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 Miami, Florida, or a small town like Normal, Illinois, I can provide that second eye.

Ready your story for submission to publisher

When submitting a story to a magazine or a book publisher, your manuscript should appear in a specific format. Following this format is important for a number of reasons. First, the format makes reading easier for an editor. You certainly would rather want an editor to spend more time enjoying your writing then trying to figure out what words you’ve written. In addition, using a manuscript format is a sign of professionalism. After all, if you can’t make the effort to present your story in a readable form, then an editor probably is wondering if you’ve taken the time to write a quality story.

Here are some manuscript basics to follow:
• Paper – Use white 8.5 x 11 bond; 20 pound is sufficient. This is the standard letter-sized paper that you’d put in a photocopy machine or a printer. Do not use erasable paper.
• Margins – Leave 1 inch of blank space on each side of the paper.
• Typeface – 12 pt. Times New Roman. Don’t use boldface or italics; instead, underline words when you intend for italics to be used in the text.
• Alignment – Run the text ragged right (aka justified left).
• Double space – No extra space should appear between the paragraphs, however.
• Indentation – Indent the first line of each paragraph by 3-5 spaces.
• Sides of paper – Type on only one side of the paper.
• First page of short stories – Place your name, address, phone number and the word count on the first page. Don’t place the “rights offered” on the first page. Center your title about 15 lines from the top, then put “by” and your name beneath it. Use the name you want to be published under at this point in the manuscript.
• Headers – For the second and subsequent page, an inch from the top in the upper right corner of each page type your name, story title, and the page number.
• Ending – At the story’s end, center “END” in capital letters two lines below the last line.
• Printer quality – Use fresh toner or ribbon. Don’t send “draft-quality dot matrix” copies (yes, some people still are using those printers).

While the manuscript basics presented here are fairly standard across the industry, always read the magazine’s or publisher’s writer’s guidelines to see if they have some unique requirement that breaks these recommendations. This is particularly true for e-magazines, which also are concerned about the ease of posting your accepted story onto a website.

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 Austin, Texas, or a small town like Bald Knob, Arkansas, I can provide that second eye.

Use YouTube to promote your book

Along with the Google search engine, YouTube now is the most popular way for finding information on the web.

And why shouldn’t it be? Human beings are visual creatures – we like to see things rather than just have them explained to us. With three generations now having grown up with television dominating their free time, people are attuned to video presentations.

To get on YouTube, you’ll need to create a “channel,” which essentially is the same as an account.

The ins and outs of creating and editing videos fall beyond the purview of this blog. Rest assured, several useful, easy to understand tutorials exist online and in book format, however. I also should note here that you probably will need to buy some equipment and software to create a video. Don’t consider this a daunting task, though; you might be surprised by how easy and fairly inexpensive it is to do (If you have teens, they probably can set you up!). If you have a webcam on your laptop, you’re already off to a good start.

Most videos are short – anywhere from a couple of minutes to around 10 minutes. Currently, YouTube allows you to upload HD videos in various formats for up to 15 minutes.

So what do you make a video about? Almost anything you a might blog about. For example:
• Public appearances – Run snippets of your book readings and guest speaking appearances at writing conferences or in roundtable discussions.
• Your tips on subject matter – If you’ve penned fiction, you might focus on the craft of writing. If you’re authored a nonfiction book, share advice about your subject matter.
• Answer readers’ questions – Such questions might include seeking of advice on the subject matter you wrote about, wondering why certain events occurred in your novel, or inquiries about your background.
• Any news about your writing – Announcements of upcoming articles and books, awards received, and updates to readers on how far along your next book is all are possibilities.
• Your thoughts on other books – Review books in your genre or on your subject matter. As on your blog, don’t write a scathing review lest you sound like you’re only trying to plug your book.

During these videos, always make sure that you mention you’re the author of such-and-such a book. Remember, the idea of the video is to plug your book so you can increase sales.

Once you’ve posted a video to YouTube, you automatically can post a link to it on Facebook and send out a tweet on it at Twitter. You also should mention it on your blog with a link to the video (or just repost the video to your blog).

Finally, one neat aspect of You Tube is that you can monetize your videos; that is, you can place ads on them that can earn you dollars. As with your blogs, unless you become an extremely popular writer, this is an extra stream of revenue that probably won’t amount to much. But who’s counting dollars?

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 San Antonio, Texas, or a small town like Toad Suck, Arkansas, I can provide that second eye.

Submitting do’s and don’ts for magazines

So you’ve got a story written and are about to send it to a magazine or a publisher. Congratulations! One of the largest barriers preventing beginning writers from becoming established is that they never finish their work.

But now that you’re ready to send out a short story or novel, there are some professional guidelines to follow. These “rules” largely are intended to make life simple for editors, who literally wade through hundreds of manuscripts a month. Failure to follow them is disrespectful of the editor.

In any case, not meeting these standards makes reading your piece more difficult, and anything that distracts editors from your actual story works against you. Many good manuscripts are rejected simply because there aren’t enough slots in a magazine or a publisher’s schedule for them. There’s no reason to give a competing piece of equal value the edge simply because you didn’t follow some basic professional guidelines.

Don’ts
When submitting a manuscript for publication, don’t:
• Send it in non-manuscript form so it stands out (colored paper, colored ink, specialty typeface)
• Bind your manuscript with staples, ring binders, clamp binders, comb binders, strings or brads; paper clips and rubber bands are OK but unnecessary
• Place each page of your manuscript in a sheet protector
• Place a creation date on the manuscript
• Place a rights offered statement on the manuscript or in the cover letter
• Place a copyright symbol on the manuscript
• Write a cutesy cover letter
• Beg the editor to buy your manuscript so you can pay for some emotionally moving cause
• Warn the editor not to steal your ideas (don’t worry, he won’t)
• Place extra spaces/an extra line between paragraphs
• Place -30- at the end of the story
• Turn a page upside down, dog-ear a page, or paste two of them together to see if the editor has read the piece
• Send it in safe-deposit boxes, couriered envelopes, wrapped in fancy paper
• Make your envelope cute: tie-dying it, covering it in stickers, or writing political statements all over it
• Send it to the wrong address; this includes sending it directly to the editor even though the guidelines say to send it to another email address or to send it only by snail mail
• Submit more than one story at a time, unless the writers’ guidelines say you can
• Send your story to two or more magazines at the same time, unless the writers’ guidelines say you can; a story sent two or more editors is called a “simultaneous submission”
• Send a gift to the editor
• Miss deadlines

Do’s
When submitting a manuscript for publication, do:
• Send a SASE (self-addressed stamped envelope)
• Send you stories to an editor whose choices you already like; he’s more likely to like yours
• Be willing to work with an editor who suggests changes
• Call an editor or agent to talk about questions and problems concerning business if your manuscript has been accepted (but don’t overdo the calls)

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 Detroit, Michigan, or a small town like Carefree, Arizona, I can provide that second eye.

Do the right thing: Altar vs. alter

There are days that some editors pray writers will change their habits with these two words.

Altar is a noun in describing a place where religious ceremonies are held: The priest offered communion at the altar.

Alter is a verb meaning to modify or adjust: The engineer knew he would have to alter the design to make the device more efficient.

In other words, you can pray at an altar that people will alter their behavior!

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 Phoenix, Arizona, or a small town like Last Chance, Idaho, I can provide that second eye.

Mimic sounds to appeal to sense of hearing

As appealing to a sense of hearing when writing, you may want to include the sound itself. For example, if describing the sounds of insect-like aliens in the distance as writing a science fiction novel, you might write something like The buzzing grew larger.

Buzzing is an example of onomatopoeia, or a word that imitates the sound it represents. Other examples of onomatopoeia include: clang, kerplunk, pow, purr, splash.

Using onomatopoeia creates “imitative harmony” in your story, enhancing the reader’s sense of being there, experiencing the events. To achieve this, you must ensure that the word accurately mimics the sound and doesn’t instead come off as campy.

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 an urban area like California's Inland Empire or a rural area like Loving County, Texas, I can provide that second eye.

Five basic elements make up a story

What is a story? An idea or a setting or a character alone do not make a story. A fictional story is all of those and more.

For the convenience of analysis and discussion, stories often are broken into parts. These parts typically are referred to as the five elements of fiction. They include:
• Plot – How the problem in the story is overcome, typically thought of as physical action
• Setting – Where and when this action occurs
• Character – Whoever attempts to solve the story’s problem as well as those who create the problem and those that appear incidentally
• Point of view – Perspective from which the story is narrated
• Theme – Purpose for which a story is told

It’s easy to think of the five elements of fiction as a matter of the 5 W’s and 1 H, or what, where, when who, why and how. Plot is what happens in the story. Setting is where and when the story happens. Character is who the story happens to. Point of view is how the story happens to be told. Theme is why the story happened to be told, or its message.

Each of these elements appears naturally in the story, whether you consciously intend them to or not. Consider the “Star Trek: The Next Generation” episode “The Best of Both Worlds”. The plot is about stopping a Borg invasion of the Federation. The setting is the 24th century (various stardates are given) in various star systems and aboard the starship enterprise and the invading Borg cube. The characters are the Enterprise’s crew, particularly Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Commander Will Riker and Lt. Cmdr. Shelby. The point of view largely is from an outside perspective, as if we were aboard the Enterprise. The theme is that individuality and self-determination triumphs over collectivism.

Virtually all of the problems with poorly written stories are that one or more of these elements are in some way muddled. In addition, you may perfectly nail each of these five elements but still tell the story poorly because it lacks flair; such problems are a matter of style, which is a part of understanding the craft of writing though not an element of fiction itself.

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 an urban area like California's Orange County or a rural area like Loving County, Texas, I can provide that second eye.

Five Great Quotations about Why We Must Write

“Why do writers write? Because it isn't there.” – Thomas Berger

“All writers are vain, selfish and lazy, and at the very bottom of their motives lies a mystery. Writing a book is a long, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand.” – George Orwell

“One hasn’t become a writer until one has distilled writing into a habit, and that habit has been forced into an obsession. Writing has to be an obsession. It has to be something as organic, physiological and psychological as speaking or sleeping or eating.” – Niyi Osundare

“Writing is its own reward.” – Henry Miller

“We do not write because we want to; we write because we have to.” – Somerset Maugham

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 Atlanta, Georgia, or a small town like Atlanta, Idaho, I can provide that second eye.