Inventing Reality Editing Service

Create infographics to support your book

Among the best ways to present information on your blog, website or in your book – especially if writing nonfiction – is an infographic. A representation of information in visual form, you can see an example of one to the right of this text (The infographic is a visual representation of part of this entry!); click on it for a larger version.

Visitors to your blog and website are up to three times more likely to click an infographic than other types of content, such as videos, pictures and text. After all, which looks easier for you to read – this article or the infographic to the right?

That’s because when done right, infographics are easy to digest in very little time and they are engaging thanks to being visually pleasing and sometimes fun.

Even if you have no design experience, you still can make an infographic with ease. Start by writing the text. Then select a design platform to make them; a lot of software and even online apps have templates, sometimes for free. Among the possibilities for designing infographics are Adobe InDesign, Canva, Piktochart, Infograph.ly.

Most infographics include five elements:
• Headline – Catchy and engaging, the headline in a few words tells you what the infographic is about, such as How to Be a Better Writer or 5 Tips for Creating the Perfect Pen Name. The headline should be in larger letters than the text that follows it. Sometimes a secondary head or subhead appears below the headline in a smaller font size to elaborate on it.
• Text – This consists of the words that support the headline. They often are written as incomplete sentences and in bulleted lists so that they can be quickly read. Always be sure to include the source of the data or information used to create the text.
• Imagery – Pictures or illustrations can be used to enhance the text. For example, in the infographic The 5-Step Writing Process, a number might be used to show which step the text represents (such as a 1 for brainstorming) or icons might be used, such as a pen on paper for the third step of drafting.
• Whitespace – Whitespace is the empty unfilled space that appears between headlines, text and imagery. Think of whitespace as the canvas upon which you aesthetically balance headlines, text and imagery to maximize readability. It doesn’t have to be white or even a lone color.
• Branding – Always include a link to your website on the infographic, usually at the bottom where it won’t compete with the text and imagery. A company logo, if you have one, also is a good idea. As your infographic is shared on the Internet, branding gives you free advertising.

Ideally, you want to construct an infographic that appears in your book. This helps maximize the benefits of your efforts – you enhance the readability of your book while at the same time have an item that be posted on social media platforms to promote the title and your author’s website.

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.

5 Must-Know Rules for Writing Academic Papers

• Understand instructions before writing paper
• Types of academic papers you could write
• How to properly punctuate 'et. al'
• Examples of how to use e.g. vs. i.e. 
• How to use page numbers in APA Style Citations

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.

5 Novums for Science Fiction Writing Prompts

Science fiction stories typically arise from a novum, a scientifically plausible concept that is a “reality” in the tale. The novum might be an mechanical device like robot servants, artificial intelligence, or faster-than-light spacecraft; it also can be a hypothetical idea such as “The Earth is a scientific experiment run by aliens to determine the meaning of life” or “The government outlaws books.” The author then asks “What if?” exploring how the world with this novum is different than ours.

Among the problems of many novice science fiction writers is instead of introducing a new novum they rely on used furniture – that is, they borrow novums from popular SF series. After all, how many novels have you read that use starships exploring the galaxy for the Earth-based Federation? Barely changing names to appear as if you are not appropriating – a starcraft seeking M-class worlds for the Earth-centered Alliance – still doesn’t cut it as original or fully using the potential that science fiction offers to examine our culture or humanity.

To help SF writers, here are some novums of potential near-future inventions from which stories could be built:

Helium-3 mining
What if Helium-3 were mined on the moon to power nuclear fusion reactors on Earth? How would this operation function?

Hypersonic vactrains
What if maglev trains and pneumatic tubes were combined to create a fast, new transportation system that connected major cities? The fastest train could reach speeds of 4000 mph, compared to 300 mph for maglev trains.

Picotechnology
What if picotechnology – technology on the scale of trillionths of a meter (far smaller than nanotechnology) becomes practical and everyday? How will manipulation of the structure of atoms themselves change our lives?

Three languages left
What if globalization leaves the world with only three languages – English, Mandarin and Spanish? How does this affect political systems and culture?

Tropical cyclones in the Mediterranean
With global warming, by the 2060s tropical cyclones become common in the Mediterranean, wreaking havoc among coastal communities and major population centers. What steps will those cities and nations take to deal with the problem?

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.

5 Ways to Create a Killer Opening Page

• Don’t underestimate first page’s importance
• How to write your story’s opening line
• Always start your story in the middle
• Hint at protagonist's intentions on opening page
• Establish story’s point of view in opening lines
• BONUS: “The road to hell is paved with works-in-progress.” - Philip Roth 

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.

5 Great Quotations about Poetry

“Poetry is about the grief. Politics is about the grievance.” - Robert Frost

“Poetry is thoughts that breathe, and words that burn.” - Thomas Gray

“A poet’s work is to name the unnameable.” - Salman Rushdie

“Poetry is nearer to vital truth than history.” - Plato

“Poetry is just the evidence of life. If your life is burning well, poetry is just the ash.” - Leonard Cohen

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.

Writers must be comfortable with failure

To be successful, writers must be comfortable with failure.

Remember that no first attempt at a short story, novel or nonfiction book will be perfect. In fact, it probably will be more awful than good.

The challenge is to learn from the experience – to identify what can be improved and how to do so, and then to try again by writing another draft.

Remember that no second draft of a short story, novel or nonfiction book will be perfect either. This new version, though, should be better, more refined and markedly less bad that the first draft.

And so you examine again what went wrong, explore techniques to make it better, and write yet another draft.

Remember, almost no third draft of a short story, novel or nonfiction book will be perfect either. But you know what to do...write another draft.

And then another draft and another and another until you get it just the way you want it.

I know, it sounds dull. It’s not magical. Rather than grow bored with this process, though, you must instead maintain momentum. As you revise and rewrite, you must grow excited that the manuscript is getting better and better with each draft.

To maintain your enthusiasm, you must come to understand that “failure” is part of the writing process. Embrace it, and you’ll succeed!

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 Battle of Britain novel

A recent editing client of mine has published his first novel. Part historical fiction, part spy thriller, Sean Connors’ “Desperate Summer” weaves a tale of love, courage and betrayal during the long, hot summer of 1940 and the Battle of Britain. Tense, twisting and turning, the novel follows Hatfield Watkins’ journey from innocent Kansas farm boy to deadly ace, aging Luftwaffe fighter pilot Erwin Eichmann’s fight against the arrogance of the Third Reich, and the dark struggles of a conflicted Rachel Towning, a beautiful but deadly spy. As they fight a battle that they did not ask for but desperately need to win, they are forced to face the truth about themselves…and each other. 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.

Learn More About Self-Publishing: Whether writing a novel or nonfiction, whether planning to print a paperback or an ebook, 7 Minutes a Day to a Self-Published Book guides you through the self-publishing process, from the title page to the index, from designing a cover to formatting your text.

Editing client publishes her latest kid’s book

A long-time editing client, Jana Meador, has published her latest children’s book. “Vole Bunch of Fun” follows the adventures of the Vole family, seven adorable burrowing creatures who keep managing to find trouble in their Alaskan village home. Under the watchful eye of Mama, there's no end to the excitement found everyday by strong Big Eyes, curious Sniffy, cute Chewy, big-footed Hoppity Hop, Little Torn Earn, and Tiny Whiney. Join them in these short, endearing tales as Big Eyes gets lost, Chewy suffers from a troubled tooth, Hoppity Hop discovers a magic wheel, and more for a Vole Bunch of Fun! The book, lushly illustrated by Ian Welsh, 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.

5 Writing Prompts for Science Fiction Writers

Science fiction stories typically arise from a novum, a scientifically plausible concept that is a “reality” in the tale. The novum might be an mechanical device like robot servants, artificial intelligence, or faster-than-light spacecraft; it also can be a hypothetical idea such as “The Earth is a scientific experiment run by aliens to determine the meaning of life” or “The government outlaws books.” The author then asks “What if?” exploring how the world with this novum is different than ours.

Among the problems of many novice science fiction writers is instead of introducing a new novum they rely on used furniture – that is, they borrow novums from popular SF series. After all, how many novels have you read that use starships exploring the galaxy for the Earth-based Federation? Barely changing names to appear as if you are not appropriating – a starcraft seeking M-class worlds for the Earth-centered Alliance – still doesn’t cut it as original or fully using the potential that science fiction offers to examine our culture or humanity.

To help SF writers, here are some novums of potential near-future inventions from which stories could be built:

Biorepository and genomic information system
What if there were a national biorepository and genomic information system, holding data on every citizen? How would this transform healthcare? Could the repository and info system have other applications, such as serving as voting I.D.?

Claytronics
What if any object in our lives – from our motor vehicles to our toys, from our buildings to our furniture – could change their color or shape upon command? The use of catoms (aka claytronic atoms) could make this a possibility.

Deep-ocean mining
What if deep-ocean mining were widespread, made viable by advanced robotics and telepresence? Rare-earth metals and methane hydrate deposits would be the miners’ targets.

Flood barriers in coastal cities
With rising water levels, what steps can coastal communities take to save themselves from flooding? Focus on a single city, such as New York.

Virtual telepathy
What if brain-computer interfaces were commonplace? How would this change the way we communicate and access information?

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.