K.D. Dowdall's Blog, page 56
June 26, 2017
10 Tips For Proof-Reading and Editing!
Proof-Reading and Editing Tips
These are very informative, yet simple and easy to do. Melissa writes that “I spend most of my work hours editing other people’s work and self-editing my own writing. In fact, I spend more time on self-editing than I do on writing. So, I thought I’d share a few of my favorite tips for self-editing.” This is a revisited post from months ago, however, I am editing my recently completed manuscript and I think it is worth reading again! I hope yo think so too!
– Melissa Donavan, http://www.writingforward.com
1.Accept Favor Requests for Editing
When a friend, family member, or co-worker asks you to look at a draft, do it. Even if you’re busy, even if you don’t feel like it or have your own projects to write and edit, take it on. The more editing you do, the better you get at it, and that means you become better at editing your own work, too.
2. Know When to Turn Off Your Inner Editor
There’s a time and place for editing, and often, the first draft is not it. Some writers craft sentence by sentence, perfecting each paragraph before moving on to the next. If that works for you, great. But if you spend hours stuck on word choice or sentence structure and you can’t move forward with the project, turn off your inner editor, blind yourself to typos and grammar mistakes, ignore bad writing, and just let your fingers fly.
3. Make Sure You’re Wearing Your Editing Hat
When you edit, make sure editing is really what you’re doing. In other words, be aware that editing is not scouring the text for typos and stray punctuation marks. Editing is when we strengthen story, sentences, and paragraphs. Proofreading comes later. That’s not to say we don’t do a little proofing while editing or that we don’t do a little editing while proofing. I know I do. However, I always do a full revision focused on editing and another on proofreading. For more complex pieces, I do multiple edits and proofs.
4. Edit On-Screen and Track Changes
Many writers and editors swear by the printed page. But that’s a messy and inefficient way to edit. If you start editing on-screen, you’ll adjust to the new format and soon find it’s much easier than marking up print. If you’re making big revisions (as you should during editing) and you’re worried about losing the original text, use Microsoft Word’s feature, Track Changes, which does just what you’d expect — it tracks all the changes you make as you edit. Then you can go through and review every edit and accept or reject those changes individually or collectively later. This is also a great way to edit twice — once to make the changes and again to approve them.
5.If You’re Not Sure, Look it Up (and Know What You Don’t Know)
Your greatest wisdom as an editor is knowing what you don’t know. Having resources in your arsenal is one thing. Using them is something else entirely. Don’t be lazy! Remember that every time you look something up, you learn something new and expand your writing skills. Plus, the more you look things up, the less you’ll need to look them up in the future. Eventually, they become a natural part of your writing process.
6.Keep a Grammar Manual and Style Guide Handy
When you’re proofreading and editing, you need to be meticulous. Don’t cut corners. If you’re not sure about grammar, spelling, punctuation, or context, you need to be able to open up a grammar manual or a style guide, so make sure you have the right resources handy. Be vigilant, be correct, and use good judgment, keeping in mind that sometimes it’s best to bend the rules, but only if you know what the rules are and why you’re breaking them.
7. Run Spell-Check and Grammar-Check First
Before you do anything, run spell-check and use your word processing software’s grammar checking tool (if it has one). Automated checkers don’t catch everything, but they can catch a lot, and that means you’ll have more time and brain energy for manual editing. Also, use the find-and-replace feature, which allows you to quickly find or replace a single error multiple times. For example, many people are still in the habit of using a double space after a period. I always do a find-and-replace to replace all those double spaces with the modern standard: single spaces after every period or terminal punctuation mark.
8. Read Slowly and Out Loud
The most crucial aspect of proofreading and editing is reviewing every single word and examining the written work at the word, sentence, and paragraph levels. Plus, you should be able to assess every document or manuscript in its entirety to check for readability, organization, and flow. This means you’ll have to go over each piece numerous times. To separate yourself from the content so you can better evaluate the writing, read slowly and read out loud. You’ll catch a lot of minor mistakes and typos this way.
9. Listen for Wording and Rhythm
Editing involves more than checking for grammar, spelling, and punctuation. When you read the piece out loud, pay attention to the rhythm. Does it flow smoothly? Do the sentences alternate in length or are there a series of really short (or really long) sentences that have a droning rhythm? Break up some of those longer sentences and join some of the smaller sentences together to give the writing better rhythm and more musicality
10.Pay Attention to Formatting
Formatting is actually separate from editing. This involves things like font (size, face, and other formatting options, such as bold or italics), paragraph and line spacing, and indents. Chapter titles and subheadings, for example, should have the same font and spacing. Citations should be formatted with consistency (and preferably, adhering to a style guide). Keep an eye out for inconsistencies in this area.
BONUS TIP: Review to Perfection
I like to follow a five-step process for editing:
Read the entire text.
Second pass focuses on wording and readability.
Third review focuses on editing for word choice and sentence structure.
Fourth pass is proofreading (check for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and typos). This is where I read out loud, slowly.
Final review and polish.
(Repeat step five until you can’t find anything to improve – or not.)
Good Luck with Your Self-Editing!
Me Without Healthcare….
About Health Care in America. Compassion, Empathy, Caring, Hope, these are the qualities that make us human – without them we are put scavengers upon the earth. If this cruel, inhuman debauched “healthcare for the rich bill” is passed, we will know that many of us are indeed not human. Remember what you give to others – will also be served unto you.
Again, a rare occurance to get political on my blog. Because whether people agree with me or not, this is a matter of life & death. The AHCA/BCRA must not pass!
I do not joke about death. Yet, after asking nicely with no movement & amendments sure to get worse, I know no other way to get through.
The 13 authors don’t want to be called heartless or murderers then don’t pass this cruel bill.
Some may say it’s extreme, but I’m tired of playing nice & being ignored, & getting canned responses about how I must take more personal responsibility when I’ve taken plenty.
I’ll be sending this mock obituary through to my delegation tonight because I think they need to see the consequences of a “Yes” Vote:
Nicole “Nikki” S. died of chronic rejection in a Philadelphia hospital.
Nikki was born on May 25, 1977 in Watertown, SD…
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June 25, 2017
Choose The Write!
This post, “Choose The Write” by Didi Oviatt, is a must reblog. She stands for so many of us writers who cherish our freedom to write, what we see, what we know, how we feel, about what needs to be written in the light of day or the darkness of night. Authenticity as a writer is true creativity with out the bonds of convention that tie it down to simplistic platitudes. Please read what author Didi Oviatt says with amazing authenticity.
via https://didioviatt.wordpress.com/2017/06/25/choose-the-write
I’ve mentioned before that I’m from a small town. What I haven’t mentioned is that its a small “Mormon town” in Utah. That’s right folks I was raised by an LDS family and I grew up having a certain perception of right and wrong pounded in my head. I however, am one hard headed individual, and somehow developed my own opinion, as many of us “sinners” do… Weird right? lol
To make things worse, not only do I NOT believe in a religion that’s so big on Joseph Smith, but I also like to drink wine and beer, and I write sweary books with naughty scenes in them! *** Insert Gasp Here***
The point of this post isn’t to show what a rebel I am, or even to encourage those weirdo’s who think its cool to do naughty things merely for the attention. I actually hate that. There is nothing that…
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June 23, 2017
What Book You are Currently Reading?
I love the idea of sharing what we are reading and thoughts about the book we are reading. I just finished and reviewed Aggravated Momentum by author Didi Oviatt and it is one of the best mystery murder horror stories I have read. There is no way you can guess the ending. In fact, I barely slept a wink last night. Thank you Charles for another great post that brings people together!
charles french words reading and writing
I am always interested in hearing what books other people are reading, and the blogging world has many interesting, intelligent, and engaging people in it. I am lucky to have met many of you through this blog.
I usually have several books going at one time, so I will mention that I am rereading Stephen King’s Hearts In Atlantis, which I am teaching in my Contemporary Fiction class at the Wescoe School of Muhlenberg College. I am also reading The View From the Cheap Seats by Neil Gaiman and Aggravated Momentum by Didi Oviatt.
So, what are you reading?
Please follow the following links to find my novel:
Thank you!
The book trailer:
Maledicus:Investigative Paranormal Society Book I
My radio interview:
June 20, 2017
A Tuesday Review: The Son of Nepal by J.J Sylvester (Book 1 of the Sons of Thunder)
[image error]This intriguing novel, The Son of Nepal, by author, J.J Sylvester, is a fascinating, uniquely beautiful story. It is told with a Middle Eastern flair for story-telling, that I found utterly enchanting. When a novel can transport the reader to a different place and time – that is extraordinary. It is beautifully written, with a lush cadence like prose that moves brilliantly through the entire novel.
Johannan, our hero, is very brave in his pursuit to find a cure for his beloved’s blindness and gives himself over to be used by a Great Spirit, such is Johannan’s desire to return sight to his beloved.
What is Johannan to learn from his quest, as he searches for months on end to find the magical cure, but only a true heart, he has been told, will the Great Spirit choose to grant Johannan’s wish. Johannan is very brave and suffers great hardship in his pursuit to find a cure for his beloved’s blindness, and therefore, he should, shouldn’t he? Will the parables this novel evokes ring true or will they not? We are often told: be careful what you wish for, true love conquers all, think before you leap, and everything comes with a price!” What price will Johannan pay or will the Great Spirit, bestow on him the happy life that Johannan has sacrificed so much to achieve for his beloved?
Johannan’s story is powerful and is so meaningful, even about our own lives, that we should take heed, for we are vulnerable as well. Is what we wish for honorable and good—only in our hearts, will it ring true.
Visit J. J Sylvester’s website and see a sample of his books: via https://theeverplanes.com/2017/04/23/the-son-of-nepal
June 17, 2017
8 Ways to Convince Book Bloggers to Review Your Book
D.A. Bale June 12, 2017
Book bloggers actually do want to review your book! But we don’t have a lot of time so when you forget to include vital information or don’t follow the submission instructions, your requests end up in the trash bin. Here are 8 ways to convince me—and other book bloggers—to review your book:
via http://www.bookdaily.com/ There’s no reason to pile on and make your request email an epic read – that’s your novel’s job. When approaching reviewers keep your request on point. Give each blogger exactly what they ask for – no more, no less. Remember, we get lots of emails and the easier you make it for us, the greater your chance of acceptance. Here’s what should always be included.
1. Reviewer’s name: Guess what? You may have to read through the blog a bit to find it. Check contact information. Read all the way to the bottom of submission guidelines. It’s there. Now address your email to an actual person. Don’t write a generic salutation like To whom it may concern, Madam, Sir or other nonsense. Personalize it like Hi, D or Ms. Bale. Start requests using a smidgen of professionalism.
2. Your name: State this in your first sentence and again at close. Something like My name is Wendy Woman, author of Windy Woods, and… Sign off with Sincerely, Wendy/Ms. Woman. You get the drift.
3. Book title: Again, include this in paragraph one similar to the example given in #2.
4. Word count: If your request is for an eBook, include word count. If for print, reference page count. Reviewers need to have an idea of the time investment required.
5. Genre: Thriller, Mystery, etc. In a world of crossovers and sub-genres it can be difficult to classify your novel’s niche. Try and focus on the main thematic element. Is it something taking place in a galaxy far, far away? Science Fiction is for you. A post-apocalyptic world? Dystopian. Who done it? Mystery. Fast-paced, high stakes? Thriller. Even if your novel has elements of romance, action, or mystery classify it under one main heading then choose the underlying classifications to further identify it, such as Romantic Suspense – a romance novel with elements of suspense. As a reviewer if I’m told a novel is thriller, then I expect a fast-paced read. If it ends up plodding and drags my review will reflect this perceived negative due to deviation from the genre’s norms. But if this same book was referenced as a fantasy, I’d expect a more character-based journey and the slower or uneven pace would fit. Therefore my review would not perceive this as a negative. Simply put – KNOW YOUR GENRE – and know it well.
6. Time frame: If you have a hard date for reviews (release party, tour, campaign), tell a potential reviewer up front. Otherwise, don’t even mention time frame in your email. If a hard date is the case, always give a minimum of two months lead time. This allows reviewers to decide if they can meet your deadline. Don’t email two weeks before said date. We may not even get to your request within that time. Conversely, if you are like most authors and have no established date by which you need reviews, don’t say anything about a time frame. Referencing you want a timely review goes back to the slap in the face moment mentioned earlier. We try to make reviews timely – but timely to authors and timely to reviewers are very different. Authors are happy when reviews are posted the following week. Reviewers are happy when we post the following month (or two, three…).
7. Book blurb/synopsis: Sell reviewers on your book. Make it sound like something we’ve gotta read ASAP. Don’t do the lazy thing and simply provide a link. Copy/paste description/synopsis/blurb into the email body. Make it easy for reviewers to take a chance on you, an unknown indie, to want to read your novel.
8. Subject line: State Review Request or Book Review. Don’t get all flowery or funky and make the email subject line long and convoluted. Anything longer won’t show up in a condensed line anyway.
***
See? It isn’t difficult to compose a concise request detailing a novel’s basics. You don’t need to write another manuscript to get your point across. You don’t need to brow-beat reviewers or blow sunshine up dark places. You don’t need to denigrate or puff yourself up to get a point across. If reviewers want more simply go off submission guidelines – follow reviewer guidelines first and foremost.
Otherwise, lean on the side of KISS – Keep It Simple, Silly!
WANT TO SHARE THIS TIP? TWEET THIS:
The Handmaid’s Tale
This review is a must read! I remember being terrified after reading this novel years ago. The danger of an authoritarian regimen is closer now than ever before here and in Europe. When far-right religious dogma and white supremacist combine, their goal is to deny human rights, science, culture, education, and democracy, so aptly brought forth in a very realistic presentation in this telltale book. via https://aviewtoabook.com
I read this novel many years ago, and after reading it once again, I found it to be even more relevant in today’s political climate.
Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale is a horrifying dystopian account of what life would be under repressive, rightwing fundamentalists who have taken over the government. Atwood’s writing is sparse, but elegant. In this world, women are disenfranchised, indoctrinated and controlled by watchers. The fictional Gilead, the new republic, endeavors to supplant the population with white only children. Women of childbearing age are farmed out as breeders to the Republic’s Elite Commanders who, under direct supervision, have sexual intercourse with the women after a Bible reading ceremony.
The narrator, Offred, meaning she is of Fred, who is her commander, remembers her life from before in various flashbacks throughout the novel. She had been the mother of a daughter and married to a man she loved. They…
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June 15, 2017
Hug An Author!
Thank you Jennifer for posting this timely request and I hope more readers will leave a review, it means so much! K. D.
June 14, 2017
A New Review of Maledicus: The Investigative Paranormal Society Book I
Maledicus, by Dr. Charles F. French, IS riveting and excellent. It is completely engrossing and compelling reading. It is the kind of book that is unforgettable!
charles french words reading and writing
“I highly recommend the book Maledicus by author Charles French. I found it riveting and excellent! Can’t wait for the next one!”
Kathi Christman Janton
I want to thank Kathi Christman Janton for her wonderful review of my book, which she posted on Facebook.
Please follow the following links to find my novel:
Thank you!
The book trailer:
Maledicus:Investigative Paranormal Society Book I
My radio interview:
June 11, 2017
LIEBSTER Award!
Thank you very much to Dr. Charles French for nominating me for the Liebster Award! It is always an honor to be recognized by other bloggers, so I am happy and humbled. Please visit Charles French at: https://charlesfrenchonwordsreadingandwriting.wordpress.com and you will find a lively, intelligent, and entertaining blog.
The Rules:
Say thank you to the person who nominated you for the award.
Answer the 11 questions you have been asked.
Nominate and notify 11 bloggers for the award.
Ask those you have nominated 11 questions.
The Questions:
1. Why did you choose book blogging over something else?
If one loves books, talking about books, reading books, and writing books, then there is no better place to be than with others who feel the same!
2. What is one thing you’re really passionate about beside books?
I have always loved learning, studying, finding answers to complex questions, developing knew skill sets and enriching my understanding of the great arts.
3. Have your reading tastes changed over the years?
I have always loved reading a wide variety of different books, however, historical works, fantasy, and fairy tales are also my favorite.
4. What is your favorite vacation spot?
Anywhere on a snowy mountain top, a tropical lagoon, or a historically famous city anywhere in the world, like Rome, Italy!
5. Do you collect anything (other than books)?
I collect history books, books on Celtic culture and history, art books, and antique paintings.
6. What has been your favorite book so far this year?
Tidewater by Libbie Hawker, a historical retelling of Pocahontas and John Smith and it is now one of my most favorite books.
7. What is one law you would change if you could?
I would make a new law that includes a basic litmus test regarding fitness to become President of the United States, for instance, the Meyers Briggs test and a written test for the nominee regarding the our Constitution, The Amendments to the Constitution, and The Articles of Confederations.
8. If you had to donate money to a charity, which one would you choose?
The World Hunger Project and Saint Jude’s Hospital for Children with Catastrophic Illnesses.
9. What is your favorite genre to read?
I love historical fiction and this question is difficult to answer, because fantasy is also tops for me.
10. What is your dream car?
I don’t have a dream car vision, only that it gets me where I need to be and it is safe.
11. What do you consider your greatest accomplishment?
Beyond receiving a PhD in Clinical Nutrition and the highest award: The Owl Award, offered by my University in 2002, It is my two wonderful and beautiful daughters who are my greatest accomplishment.
My nominees:
https://insearchofitall.wordpress.com/
https://didioviatt.wordpress.com/
https://lisalancaster.wordpress.com/
https://zombiesalmonthehorrorcontinues.wordpress.com/
https://jazzynews.wordpress.com/
https://artemisdelmar.wordpress.com/
https://lynnefisher.wordpress.com/
https://annabellefranklinauthor.wordpress.com/
The Rules:
Say thank you to the person who nominated you for the award.
Answer the 11 questions you have been asked.
Nominate and notify 11 bloggers for the award.
Ask those you have nominated 11 questions.
The Questions:
1. Why did you choose book blogging over something else?
2. What is one thing you’re really passionate about beside books?
3. Have your reading tastes changed over the years?
4. What is your favorite vacation spot?
5. Do you collect anything (other than books)?
6. What has been your favorite book so far this year?
7. What is one law you would change if you could?
8. If you had to donate money to a charity, which one would you choose?
9. What is your favorite genre to read?
10. What is your dream car?
11. What do you consider your greatest accomplishment?
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