Inventing Reality Editing Service

Fix scene by employing black box analysis

One question a number of writers have when editing their novel or short story is if a scene succeeds or not. Sometimes they feel the scene lacks importance, yet they hesitate to cut or revise as it’s tightly written with crisp dialogue or rib-splitting humor.

A solution for evaluating a scene’s importance is to employ a black box analysis. It’s a term coined by CFSW’s David Smith.

The analysis works like this: Isolate the scene by viewing it as a black box from which characters can leave and enter. Then ask yourself a few questions about the characters:
• What motivated each character to enter the black box (or scene)?
• Did each major character risk either gaining or losing something by entering the black box?
• Did each major character act to fulfill a goal while in the black box?
• Did each major character actually gain or lose something when they left the black box?
• Did each major character change at all because of what happened to them during their time in the black box?

Each of these questions can help you pinpoint the problem in a scene. For example, if a character had no motivation for entering the black box, perhaps they either should be written out of the scene or given a motivation for entering it. If a major character took no action to achieve a goal, perhaps the passage needs to be revised to ensure that they do.

If multiple problems are pinpointed, that’s a good sign that simply revising a couple of sentences of dialogue or adding a couple of sentences isn’t enough. Instead, rethink the scene and then rewrite it.

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 Dallas, Texas, or if you come from a small town Why, Arizona, I can provide that second eye.

How to embed fonts in a pdf of your manuscript

Sometimes when uploading a pdf of your formatted book to a print on demand company, you’ll get a warning message that fonts are not embedded your file.

Most of the time, this won’t be a problem. To make the process easier, companies often simply will embed the fonts for you. If you’re using common, standard fonts such as Times Roman, all will be fine.

However, if using a specialty font that you downloaded from the Internet or created on your own, or if using nonstandard characters (such as checkmarks and bullet points), this may be problematic. Those fonts and characters will be replaced with default settings, and that almost certainly will mess up your layout or at least introduce goofy looking letters that make no sense at various spots in your manuscript (For example, bullet points might be replaced with the letter n or g).

If that occurs in your manuscript, you’ll want to embed the fonts in a pdf of your manuscript and upload that new version.

Embedding fonts in your manuscript is easy if using Microsoft Word:
• Open the Microsoft Word document of your manuscript
• Click “File” and “Save As”
• Select .PDF as the file type
• Check “Optimize for Standard” option
• In the lower right side of this window, click the “Tools” dropdown arrow
• Select “Save Options”
• A new window will pop up; check “Embed all fonts in this file”
• Right below it, uncheck “Do not embed common system fonts”
• Click “OK”
• Click “Save”

The pdf of your manuscript now has all of the fonts used in your Word document embedded in it. Upload this new pdf to your print on demand vendor.

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 Chicago, Illinois, or a small town like Humptulips, Washington, I can provide that second eye.

Don’t learn this in stages: Fazed vs. phased

Hopefully you’ll be able to learn in one quick shot the difference between the words fazed and phased.

Fazed is a verb meaning to disturb or to cause one to feel disconcerted: Charlie was not fazed by his girlfriend’s temper-tantrum.

Phased is to carry out a plan in gradual steps: The new computer system will be phased in over the next several months.

If you can’t remember the difference, hopefully you’re editor won’t be fazed (er, bothered) by this.

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 Los Angeles, California, or a small town like Hell, Michigan, I can provide that second eye.

Maintain tension throughout your story

Any story you tell by definition has a plot, characters, setting, point of view and theme. But to really make a story pop, an author has to interweave and play these elements against one another so that the story has tension.

Tension is the force behind the need to find resolution. It stems from the hook that caught the reader in the opening lines, that there’s an interesting central problem to solve. The rest of the story needs to focus on solving that problem.

But the author can’t make the outcome – the resolution of the problem – obvious to the reader. The author should always leave open the possibility that the problem won’t be resolved. Of course, most readers know (or at least expect) that the problem will be resolved. By creating doubt, the writer causes the reader to wonder how the problem will be resolved. The greater this tension, the more likely the reader will stick with you through the story.

Generally, the best way to create doubt is to make the problem increasingly more difficult to resolve as the story continues.

Consider the tension created in what is perhaps the best “Star Trek: The Next Generation” episode, “The Best of Both Worlds, Part I”. The show opens with attacks on a Federation outpost and ship that appears to be a Borg invasion. Great anxiety ensues as Starfleet Command hastily organizes an armada as its own leaders admit they’re not ready for the Borg. The problem worsens as the Enterprise engages the Borg, begins to lose the battle and hides in a nebula. The Borg force the Enterprise out and abduct Captain Picard, leaving the crew in the hands of Commander Riker, who is doubtful of his own leadership abilities and finds himself at odds with the Borg expert, Lt. Cmdr. Shelby. Though the Enterprise is able to temporarily halt the Borg advance, an away team sent to retrieve Picard finds that he has been transformed into a Borg. As the away team reports this to Riker, Picard – as Locutus of Borg – orders the Enterprise to surrender, saying that everything Picard knows the Borg now know and that resistance is futile. Riker orders the Enterprise to fire, or for the crew to kill its beloved, former captain.

The story constantly leaves the viewer wondering how the Enterprise/Federation will overcome the Borg invasion as the situation for our heroes grows increasingly dire. By episode’s end (which was a season cliffhanger), apparently the only way to resolve the problem is for the crew to kill the series’ main character and hero, the man they are most loyal to.

Certainly the story’s settings – aboard the Borg ship, on a world where a colony has been decimated – are intriguing. Certainly the characters – Riker’s self-doubt, Picard’s transformation into Locutus – are fascinating. Certainly the plot – repelling an alien invasion – is interesting.

But combining and playing these elements off against one another to create tension – now that’s spellbinding.

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 New York, New York, or a small town like Bantam, Connecticut, I can provide that second eye.

Editing client’s new book charts infant’s journey

A recent editing client of mine, Carol Lee Ramie, has published her book “Jessica’s Journey.” A true story, Ramie describes the difficult pregnancy of her daughter and the days after in which her newborn granddaughter teeters on the brink of death. As one reviewer wrote of the book, “This is truly a story of inspiration, love, hope and, sadly, tragedy.” “Jessica’s Journey” is available online and due for release in paperback.

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 Modesto, California, or a small town like Hard Scratch, Iowa, I can provide that second eye.

Five Great Quotations about Journaling

“Advice to Young Journal Keepers. Be lenient with yourself. Conceal your worst faults, leave out your most shameful thoughts, actions, and temptations. Give yourself all the good and interesting qualities you want and haven't got. If you should die young, what comfort would it be to your relatives to read the truth and have to say: It is not a pearl we have lost, but a swine?” ― Rosamond Lehmann

“Exercise the writing muscle every day, even if it is only a letter, notes, a title list, a character sketch, a journal entry. Writers are like dancers, like athletes. Without that exercise, the muscles seize up.” – Jane Yolen

“Write down the thoughts of the moment. Those that come unsought for are commonly the most valuable.” – Francis Bacon

“Journal writing is a voyage to the interior.” ― Christina Baldwin

“These handwritten words in the pages of my journal confirm that from an early age I have experienced each encounter in my life twice: once in the world, and once again on the page.” ― Terry Tempest Williams

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 Lancaster, Pennsylvania, or a small town like Disco, Wisconsin, I can provide that second eye.

Editing client publishes first book, on Parkinson’s

An editing client of mine from this winter, Steven Keller, has published his first book, “Parkinson's: Hidden Truths.” Written not by a doctor or a science reporter but by a man who’s lived with the disease for years, Keller shares his personal story of dealing with Parkinson’s, describes causes of and treatments for the disease, and examines how you still can lead a full life by adjusting to its physical and emotional strains. “Parkinson's: Hidden Truths” is available online as a paperback or 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 Spokane, Washington, or a small town like Looneyville, Texas, I can provide that second eye.

Client publishes short story, poetry collection

E. Robb Martin, an editing client of mine from this winter, has published his second book, “Short Stories and Poems to Match.” The book is a collection of essays and poems that capture the history of a bygone era, from living in California’s farm labor camps and to going to the local drive-in (without the parents). A number of the pieces are about the importance and meaning of family. “Short Stories and Poems to Match” is available online as an ebook with a paperback about to be released.

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 Chattanooga, Tennessee, or a small town like Jot-Em-Down, Texas, I can provide that second eye.

Client publishes her first novel, set in Africa

One of my editing clients from this winter, Roxana Gillett, has published her first novel. “The White Elephant Kneels” tells the story of African-born Lillian Drake, who after being almost killed on her tenth birthday by an unholy black leopard, flees to the United States with her father, a Baptist missionary who promises her a “normal” life in California. Bound by her love of wild animals, Lill grows up to become a respected veterinarian. Twenty years after leaving Africa, the suspicious death of her husband and a sudden turn of events involving a white African elephant force Lill to return. Within hours of landing in Africa, Lill is faced with the reality of who and what she really is and discovers those whispered childhood stories of witch doctors and the Mbali jungle are far more than simple superstitions. Voodoo and the ability to see souls sets her life in motion – and if she’s not careful, sorcery and black magic - will end it. “The White Elephant Kneels” is available online as an ebook and soon will be out as a paperback.

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 Provo, Utah, or a small town like Dismal, Tennessee, I can provide that second eye.

Everywhere a sign and a line: Cue vs. queue

Seeing this error in a few writers’ manuscripts indicates the need for an entry about these two similar-sounding words.

Cue can be either a noun or a verb for a signal to do something: The teacher’s nod was Annie’s cue to begin her presentation.

Queue can be either a noun or a verb for lining up: The students got into a queue for lunch.

The line of writers mixing up these two words now should be a lot shorter!

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 Scranton, Pennsylvania, or a small town like Funk, Ohio, I can provide that second eye.