Rob Bignell's Blog, page 301

Editing client publishes his first travelogue

A recent editing client of mine has published his first book, “Here and There; This and That,” a collection of newspaper columns and essays about travels he and his wife have taken. Originally published in the Adams-Friendship, Wis., and Wisconsin Rapids newspapers, among the many adventures Gib Check’s columns tell about include: discovering new friendships in Tuscany; digging for diamonds in an Arkansas field; hiking into the Grand Canyon; facing off bison on a South Dakota highway; spending a night with museum dinosaurs. The book is available for purchase online.

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 Daytona Beach, Florida, or a small town like Rabbit Hash, Kentucky, I can provide that second eye.

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Editing tip: Don’t worry about being satisfied

Having trouble with a passage? Simply write something different in the spot that bothers you. Even if you’re not satisfied with what you’ve just written, don’t worry about it. In a week, re-read the passage. Does what you’ve written now sound fine or does it still need revising?

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 Daytona Beach, Florida, or a small town like Rabbit Hash, Kentucky, I can provide that second eye.

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What a difference a letter makes: Adopt vs. adapt

Writers who misuse these two words should modify their writing.

Adopt is to make one’s own, such as taking on the responsibility of a minor a child or integrating an idea into your belief system. For example, The city council plans to adopt strict restrictions on gentlemen’s clubs to discourage them from moving into town.

Adapt means to adjust to a situation. To wit, The company had to adapt to a new economic reality and change its product line.

Now, incorporate this knowledge with conviction!

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 Toledo, Ohio, or a small town like Gnaw Bone, Indiana, I can provide that second eye.

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Writing Prompt: Random words

Suffering from writer’s block or need to add some spunk to your writing? The problem may be that you need to change up your routine.

To that end, try this tip: Open a dictionary or a thesaurus to any page and select a random word. Do this four more times, and carry the list of words wherever you go. When you find yourself with down time, write a paragraph about how the surroundings you are in – the conference room, the landscape passing by you on the bus ride, a store while waiting in line – exemplify that word. Better yet, select the words for your list from a story you’re penning, focusing on incomplete images or concepts in your manuscript.

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 Ogden, Utah, or a small town like Rake, Iowa, I can provide that second eye.

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Apply technique learned from writing guides

Learn about specific structural and style flaws that can hamper your writing. Troll through books for suggestions about how to address such problems when revising (One book you may find helpful is my 7 Minutes a Day to Mastering the Craft of Writing.). Ask yourself how you can apply these tips to your writing.

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 Lakeland, Florida, or a small town like Hygiene, Colorado, I can provide that second eye.

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Five Great Quotations about Fantasy Fiction

“Fantasy is hardly an escape from reality. It's a way of understanding it.” - Lloyd Alexander

“If you go too far in fantasy and break the string of logic, and become nonsensical, someone will surely remind you of your dereliction...Pound for pound, fantasy makes a tougher opponent for the creative person.” - Richard Matheson

“Don't use metaphors in fantasy; your readers will take them literally. Or they may take them figuratively - but if so, they'll also take your magics and transformations figuratively. Either way, you're in trouble.” - Teresa Nielsen Hayden

“Fantasy doesn't have to be fantastic. American writers in particular find this much harder to grasp. You need to have your feet on the ground as much as your head in the clouds. The cute dragon that sits on your shoulder also craps all down your back, but this makes it more interesting because it gives it an added dimension.” - Terry Pratchett

“Fantasy is silver and scarlet, indigo and azure, obsidian veined with gold and lapis lazuli. Reality is plywood and plastic, done up in mud brown and olive drab. Fantasy tastes of habaneros and honey, cinnamon and cloves, rare red meat and wines as sweet as summer. Reality is beans and tofu, and ashes at the end.” - George R.R. Martin

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 Ventura, California, or a small town like Big Ugly Creek, West Virginia, I can provide that second eye.

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Writing Inspiration: My words can light the way for someone else on a dark path.

Even if your book never changes the world – let alone influence other authors in its genre – your writing still can make a difference just by affecting the lives of a few or even of a lone reader.

Suppose you publish a book about how you survived cancer. Your trauma can let readers know they are not going through their fear and radiation treatments alone, that someone else has suffered the same despair, the same “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.” Your triumph can provide the hope and inspiration that they desperately need.

Or perhaps your book gives the reader an idea that becomes their life passion. Maybe the character of your book volunteers, stirring a reader to help at a food pantry and work to end world hunger. Maybe the science fiction story you wrote contains some device that is so cool – portable phones and desktop computers, for example, appeared in many futuristic stories published during the mid-20th century – that a reader works toward inventing it and in doing so changes the world for the better.

You need not write a profound book to make a significant difference in another’s life. If penning nonfiction, your book may help others better manage their money, get a date and find love, improve their parenting, discover a new delightful dish to prepare, organize their home, plan their vacation, understand how the world works, and much, much more. In fact, often nonfiction directly affects peoples’ lives for the better because it provides valuable information that they’re seeking.

Even fiction with no profound message and that serves solely as an escape can help people. Sometimes people need just a few minutes a day to get away from the world’s crushing troubles and responsibilities, and your mystery novel or space adventure short story might just be the turn of the valve they need to release some pressure.

Once you publish and get out in public to promote your book, you’ll likely meet many readers who will want to share their story of how it affected their lives. You’ll be surprised by their stories and the unexpected ways that your words made a difference.

Indeed, for every reader who had the courage to tell you their story, another dozen never will, as they don’t know how to contact you or are too shy to tell their tale. The truth is your book will have a much greater impact than you ever will know.

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 Springfield, Massachusetts, or a small town like Burnt Corn, Alabama, I can provide that second eye.

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Sales advantages of writing nonfiction books

If you’ve got ideas for both a novel and a nonfiction book, you may want to write the latter first.

If only from a sales perspective, nonfiction books tend to garner more sales than novels. According to a recent Gallup poll, 46 percent of Americans have nonfiction book on their nightstands; in contrast, only 35 percent of Americans have fiction at their bedside.

Nonfiction also offers a marketing advantage for new writers. Readers of fiction will go with a book by a big, recognizable name over an unknown when choosing a title to buy. That’s not the case with nonfiction readers; while the author’s expertise plays a minor role in the decision to buy, what matters most to readers is how well the book’s topic matches their needs or interests. Given this, the competition isn’t quite as tough in nonfiction as it would be for novels.

Furthermore, there are a lot of niche topics left to exploit in nonfiction. Mainstream publishers have tended to favor topics that have wide appeal, meaning there are lot of areas in which few if any titles have been published. This means there is a thirst for books that have yet to be written – books that you could pen!

If the nonfiction topic you choose to write about is of high appeal to male readers, all the better. A National Endowment for the Arts survey showed that nearly two-thirds of male readers choose nonfiction books over novels. Women, however, generally prefer prefer novels, with 55 percent of them opting for the fiction book.

Of course, you always should write what you’re most passionate about. Churning out nonfiction books when you dream of writing the next Great American Novel means you’re writing for the wrong reasons and probably will turn out drab, flat text.

But if your passion for either format is equal and you hope to make a little money self-publishing, then going the nonfiction route definitely is a good choice.

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.

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Editing tip: Use parentheses and keep going

If a line is vexing you, simply place it in parentheses and continue writing the next sentence. Through the day, you can think about what might be written in the spot you skipped.

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 Boise, Idaho, or a small town like Cut n' Shoot, Texas, I can provide that second eye.

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Feeling left out? Accept vs. except

Opposites might attract, but you shouldn’t mix them up. Alas, that’s what occurs all too often with accept and except.

Accept means to receive or believe, as in Residents of New York City accept the fact that often they will meet people who do not fluently speak English.

Except means to exclude, as with Residents of Los Angeles would snarkily say Southern California includes all coastal areas from Malibu south – except for San Diego.

Here’s an easy memory trick for these two words: We accept things with an A grade but exclude them like we would our EX.

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 Syracuse, New York, or a small town like Hicks, Alabama, I can provide that second eye.

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