Inventing Reality Editing Service

Five Great Quotations about Editing

“To write is human, to edit is divine.” - Stephen King

“You can never read your own book with the innocent anticipation that comes with that first delicious page of a new book, because you wrote the thing. You’ve been backstage. You’ve seen how the rabbits were smuggled into the hat. Therefore ask a reading friend or two to look at it before you give it to anyone in the publishing business. This friend should not be someone with whom you have a romantic relationship, unless you want to break up.” — Margaret Atwood

“I apologize for the length of this letter; I didn’t have time to make it shorter.” - Blaise Pascal

“Everything you write must be read aloud. Once all the context items are in place, this is the final test for any written piece...” - Jiro Adachi

“The best time to hire an editor is when you have completed your manuscript...The closer to finished the writing work is, the more thorough and cost-effective the editing process will be.” - Kit Cooley

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript 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. I can provide that second eye.

Develop good taste by reading the masters

If you want to be a good writer, you need to develop good taste. This doesn’t mean you should become a literary snob but that you need to expose yourself to good writing to learn what makes it so.

While each genre has it conventions, almost all writing in Western civilization shares similarities, especially in plot structure and craftsmanship. These two aspects of writing, in particular, get at the core of what Western readers universally consider “good storytelling,” regardless of the genre.

You probably already are an avid reader. And if you consider a story or novel you wrote to not be very good, it’s because you are aware of what is quality writing.

The key to successful writing is to allow this innate sense of good taste to mentor and shape your skills. You can learn from what you read by consciously thinking about how other authors did it.

Developing good taste can’t be done by reading whatever is out there, though. Just as a master chef wouldn’t learn what is a quality dish by dining everyday at McDonalds, so you’re not going to learn to be a great novelist by reading hacks, online news articles, or nonfiction.

Instead, read the master storytellers. Begin with those who are considered the best in your genre. Not all may be to your liking (Consider that three of the masters of the science fiction genre – Heinlein, Asimov and Bradbury – have radically different writing styles.), but you’ll probably discover some fantastic authors along the way. Next, expand your knowledge by reading the masters of a genre similar to yours. A science fiction writer might pick up action-adventure novels while mystery writers can grab police-crime thrillers. Finally, read the masters of literature. Homer, Shakespeare, Hemingway and many others all have greatly influenced modern writing and every genre we read today.

So, uncertain how to solve a problem in your story or of what to write next? Then crack open a book by a master. The answer is there, waiting for you to discover it.

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript 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. I can provide that second eye.

Tips for setting up your book presentation

Many book authors are happy to simply do what they enjoy most, which is write. You also have to promote your published books, though, and a time-honored way of doing so is by making public presentations, such as signings and readings at bookstores or other businesses that might carry your titles.

Usually these presentations allow you to get publicity for the event, meaning that those attending have a strong interest in your book’s topic. Such a captive audience can be introduced to other books you’ve written, increasing sales of your older titles.

Despite these benefits and the popularity of such presentations, there are too few resources for authors about how to set up and deliver them.

Like other authors, I spent a long time learning the hard way – through trial and error – how to handle signings, readings and presentations, and not just for a single book either. I’ve done them for my first novel and for a series of nonfiction books, as well as for a poetry collection. I’ve talked about my books to audiences at bookstores and at retailers. I’ve read to an audience of one and audiences of several dozen. I’ve delivered presentations at conferences and workshops. All of this experience informed not just my efforts as an author but made me an invaluable source for my editing clients.

Here are some of those tips:
• Determine if a book presentation is a good decision
• Potential locations for holding a book presentation
• Arranging a book presentation
• How to deal with stage fright
• Checklist of steps for delivering a presentation

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript 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. I can provide that second eye.

Editing client releases his first ‘Civil War’ novel

An editing client of mine has released his first novel, a paranormal tale in which the ghosts of Confederate soldiers battle Federal authorities. Boyd Parker’s “Ghost of a Chance” tells the tale of the Feds trying to round up Civil War re-enactors, who are supsected of fomenting terrorist acts on behalf of a suspected shadow Confederate government. When agents move in, the re-enactors find they have an ally from the very past that so fascinates them. The book is available online.

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript 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. I can provide that second eye.

Quick fix: Long-term vs. longterm vs. long term

Here’s a set of words that have been an ongoing problem among writers.

Long-term with a hyphen, as in long-term disability, is the correct form.

The confusion probably comes from the fact that a similar adjective, longtime, is now widely accepted in dictionaries and stylebooks as hyphenless. That isn’t the case with long-term, though, at least in the short-term.

And, of course, long term as two words always is incorrect. A compound word used as an adjective, a hyphen is needed.

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript 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. I can provide that second eye.

Four writing prompts: Mysterious gift

Good stories center on the clashing of characters’ goals and motivations. Sometimes a character’s goals and motivations arise upon receiving a mysterious gift. Here are four writing prompts for stories that involve the motivation of resolving the mystery of a gift.

Man vs. man
As the main character attempts to find out why he received a mysterious gift, he learns that another person wants this item. What actions does this nemesis take to commandeer the gift? Why does the main character simply not give up the gift? What is the secret behind the gift?

Man vs. society
The main character possesses a wonderful talent – a “gift,” as others in society term it – perhaps as a musician or an artist. What if the main character does not wish to express his gift as society wishes him to? Why does he want to act contrary to society’s desires?

Man vs. God(s)
A gift comes in the form of a “miracle.” What if the main character, though, doesn’t see it as a miracle? What if this miracle is not enough to resolve a need, wish or prayer?

Man vs. himself
The main character possesses an ability – a “gift,” as some view it – that he views as a terrible burden. In fact, the character doesn’t want to use his gift. Why is this? And what if a crisis arises that only the main character can resolve by using his special ability?

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript 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. I can provide that second eye.

Ways to end a story that’ll make readers happy

For readers, the ending of a story offers closure – and more than just literally coming to its last word. They’ve been on a journey with a character who they became emotionally invested in. A good storyteller understands this and so offers an ending that addresses the readers’ psychological needs.

While there are multiple ways to accomplish this, generally, stories end in one three ways – normalize world order, wish-fulfillment, or a conceptual breakthrough.

Normalize world order
When the main character solves the central problem that set the story in motion, the ending marks a “return to normal.” In short, the world exists at story’s end just as it did before the story began. This form of story is melodramatic in nature and so common in genre fiction. While most readers expect a “return to normal” since it’s a convention of Western storytelling, your tale need not be limited to this kind of ending, however. Instead, make the journey more interesting by having characters learn something along the way that cause them to change for the better. In this way, order is restored but the world (at least for one character) is better than before.

Wish-fulfillment
In these story endings, once the character solves the problem, he becomes rich, famous, a champion, gets the perfect woman, etc. In some way, his status improves. The potential problem with such an ending is that it often is unrealistic, even absurd, when one thinks about them. After all, what really are the chances that Luke Skywalker would fire the one shot that hits just the right spot so that he destroys the Death Star? I know, I know, the chances are “one in a million.” But that’s the point. Such endings, of course, are expected in specific genres. For example, in romances, the girl will get the guy.

Conceptual breakthrough
This ending involves the main character learning a valuable lesson, aka “conceptual breakthrough,” that causes characters to grow as people. Such endings are the point of more literary-oriented stories. While even genre fiction centers on some type of lesson or sacrifice that a character learns/makes that allows him to solve the problem, such as believing the ends don’t justify the means, the difference is that a conceptual breakthrough marks a significant turning point in the character’s outlook on life. The character becomes a different person that the one he was at story’s beginning.

Of course, there is overlap among these different types of endings. In fact, all three could theoretically occur in a tale.

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript 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. I can provide that second eye.

Five Great Humorous Thoughts on Writing

“The thing all writers do best is find ways to avoid writing.” - Alan Dean Foster

“Writing is like sausage making in my view; you’ll all be happier in the end if you just eat the final product without knowing what’s gone into it.” - George R.R. Martin

“Everybody does have a book in them, but in most cases that’s where it should stay.” - Christopher Hitchens

“Writing is easy. All you have to do is cross out all the wrong words.”- Mark Twain

“All thoughts, secret or spoken, belong in a coffee table book written in Braille, so you can really feel the emotions.” - Jarod Kintz

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript 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. I can provide that second eye.

Immerse yourself in writing for 10,000 hours

Most of us will agree that to get better at something, practice is necessary. To become a world-class master at something, however, requires an enormous amount of practice; indeed, journalist Malcom Gladwell in his book “Outliers” proposed the 10,000-hour rule.

In anecdotal examinations of Canada’s top hockey players, businessmen like Bill Gates, and musicians like the Beatles, Gladwell found that the key to their success was a matter of practicing a task for about 10,000 hours.

Translate that to how you might become a top-notch writer. It requires a daily commitment to writing. This doesn’t mean 10,000 hours of talking about writing or thinking about writing or reading good writing (though all of that helps) but 10,000 hours of actual writing.

This daily commitment must continue over a lengthy period of time. If you spent eight hours a day doing nothing but writing, you would need to spend 1250 consecutive days or nearly 3.5 years, to master writing. Four hours a day of writing equals nearly 7 years. If you wrote only an hour a day, you would need 27 years to get to 10,000 hours.

Of course, 10,000 hours is an average. On the down side, you may need more practice time. On the up side, you may require fewer. In addition, you’ve already been writing for some time, so you’ve already started chipping away at the 10,000 hours.

Regardless, the lesson to be taken away here is that if you want to be a top-notch writer, you must commit yourself daily to actually writing. So…what will you write about today?

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript 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. I can provide that second eye.

Tips to avoid stage fright in book presentations

For many writers, public speaking – even if it’s just reading from one’s book – is a daunting experience.

Nervousness about speaking can turn into stage fright. While some fear is natural, if unchecked it will negatively affect your presentation.

Fortunately, there are a number of steps you can take to dampen your apprehension:
• Practice beforehand. Familiarity with the material you cover will give you increased confidence. • Avoid caffeine, sugar and alcohol before the presentation. These chemicals can exacerbate your nervousness. Instead, stick to water.
• Interact with the audience before the presentation. This helps you become more comfortable by creating a relationship, even if a minor one, with the audience and by building your confidence when others respond with interest to you.
• Remain aware of your posture. Like mom said, you want to sit up straight and relaxed during a presentation. This actually projects an aura of confidence, which others will respond positively to, further building your comfort level.
• Shift your thoughts from your fear of messing up or of not being accepted to thoughts that are calm and reassuring. Imagine that you’re at that one place where you are most at peace. Breathe deeply, and if necessary, pause for a few seconds and concentrate on listening to the rhythm of your breathing.
• Focus on those in the audience who are paying attention or giving other positive nonverbal feedback. When a person smiles at your joke or nods in approval, make eye contact with him. Don’t stare solely at that person (or you’ll make him nervous!) but frequently come to back him – and others who are reassuring. Besides boosting your confidence, those audience members will feel an even stronger bond with you.
• Don’t worry about making mistakes. Most audience members won’t think twice about it. They will notice your nervousness and embarrassment, however.

Remember: What you present to readers likely will be received quite well. After all, they came to your presentation because they found you, your book, or your topic intriguing! What will cause them to react negatively to the presentation will be your fear of not being accepted, as they’ll find your nervousness distracting. In short, wipe away the fear, and you’re a winner.

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript 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. I can provide that second eye.