You need a proofreader...even if you are one! @CarolABrowne #pubtip #writerslife

by Carol Browne

In my working life I wear many hats. Those worn by the writer and the proofreader you would assume to be created by the same milliner, but they are mutually exclusive. This is one of many reasons why we all need proofreaders.

No time for false modesty because I know I’m a very good proofreader—in fact, your actual grammar Nazi—and I have a particular talent for spotting typos. You would think, therefore, that when I do my own writing, I would eliminate errors as I go along, like a highly efficient chef who leaves the kitchen clean and tidy while producing a gourmet meal. But no. I make silly errors that are clearly brain glitches, like putting “at” instead of “as.” When you write or type, the hand is often quicker than the eye, but the brain leaves them both at the starting gate and chaos ensues.

When I proofread my writing and then ask my beta-reader for her opinion, I expect she will find errors I have missed. This happens when you are an author because you are too close to your work, too involved with it, to be able to step back and see the flaws. The brain often sees what it expects to see. So when it expects to see “its” but by mistake you have written “it’s”, the brain will continue to see “its” until hell freezes over. This inability to be objective is another reason why you need a proofreader.

Many words and phrases in everyday speech are used incorrectly and a good proofreader will know this. “Bored of”, for example, is a recent colloquialism and not (yet) acceptable in formal English. You can be bored by or with something but never bored of it. Another common mistake is to write “should of” instead of “should have”, which is an example of people writing words as they hear them. So, correcting erroneous usage is another reason why you need a proofreader.

Some people you just can’t help, however. A local business continues to advertise its computers and “assessories” two years after I tactfully pointed out the (common) misspelling. Grammar Nazis are frequently resisted, but resistance is futile if you want your business to look professional.

We all make mistakes, hit the wrong key without realizing it, and have misconceptions about grammar and spelling. (I’ll admit here to my eternal shame that before I became a proofreader, I used “shalln’t” instead of “shan’t”. Unbelievable.)

Using a proofreader doesn’t mean you are inadequate, it means you care about what you’ve written. It means you want your book, CV, assignment, trade ad, blog, etc. to be as flawless as possible, particularly if something important, like a job or qualification, depends on the finished product.

Don’t rely on the spellchecker either. If you’ve typed “there” when you meant “their” or “sort” instead of “sought”, you need a human proofreader to catch those bad boys because a spellchecker will give you ten out of ten for spelling every time.

Experienced proofreaders tend to be knowledgeable on a wide variety of subjects. My work covers topics as diverse as photography, education, nursing and psychology. They are good at research and have a sixth sense for knowing if a word is right, wrong, or should be queried. Sometimes you need a proofreader to save you from embarrassment, too. I’m sure the Polish friend who made this particular mistake won’t mind me mentioning it, but putting “bottom” instead of “button” mushrooms did give me an interesting image to giggle at. Meanwhile, my local village shop should have used a proofreader, but instead chose to display a printed sign asking customers to “bare with us” during renovations.

I’m hoping this is an error-free blog but, if not, I blame it on the fact that I wore my writer’s hat during its composition. Meanwhile my proofreading business has undergone a reboot on Facebook. Please drop by and say hello. All Likes gratefully received!

High praise for Carol's latest book that is a beautiful anthology of poems and short stories.

No one says it better than Amazon reviewer, faeriemoonmama, who describes the book as “atmospheric”:

“The poetry is steeped in a love of nature, magic and mythology. The short stories hold interesting twists. No spoilers! The Boomerang Effect (dabbling with a love spell, Martin Nevis finds himself having second thoughts) A Force to Be Reckoned With (an outcast with thoughts of being “destined for something great” wants to join the police force) and Transformation (once bullied, Patricia attends a school reunion and emerges victorious) were my favorites.

Give this collection a read, you won’t be disappointed.”

Read more on Amazon.

Carol Browne regards Crewe, Cheshire, as her home town and graduated from Nottingham University in 1976 with an honors degree in English Language and Literature. Carol writes speculative fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. She is also a ghost blog writer, proofreader, copy editor, and copywriter. Along with a passion for gardening, Carol is an avid animal lover.

Carol lives in the Cambridgeshire countryside with her dog, Harry, and cockatiel, Sparky.Pagan and vegan, Carol believes it is time for a paradigm shift in our attitude to Mother Nature and hopes the days of speciesism are numbered.

Stay connected with Carol on her website and blog, Facebook, and Twitter.

Need a Grammar Checker? @Grammarly to the rescue! #amediting

"We proofread 400+ freelancer profiles from all eight categories of the Elance platform for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. To adjust for quality of work, we only selected freelancers with an average rating of four stars or above. We then looked at correlation between earnings and number of mistakes. We hope the direction the data is pointing in spurs some thought and conversation about the importance of good writing."

Go to grammarly.com/grammar-check to find out more.

Professional Misconceptions by @Emilia_Mancini #journalists #bookresearch

Guest Post by Emilia Mancini

My editor side has seen an influx of book submissions with journalists as main characters lately. This is great for me. I love reading about journalists!

I’m a freelance writer for a local magazine in the daylight hours. Yes, I cover features instead of hard news, but I had to go to journalism school for this, and I certainly have to live the journalist life: deadlines that bitch slap the crap out of me, editors who aren’t happy with my story, sitting outside (not exactly stalking) the house of a source who won’t return my calls so I can catch them face-to-face…

So, yeah, I really love reading stories about journalists. I even wrote one as Marci Boudreaux.

But I get a little worked up when I read misrepresentations of reporters. Just this week, I vented to the LLL ladies about this very topic (which lead to this lovely post). Now I know you are writing fiction and things get twisted and turned and exaggerated, but if you are writing contemporary, you have to be somewhat realistic and I’ve found that frequently isn’t happening when journalists are being written into fiction.

I just want to take a moment to clear the air a little so if you are considering using a print journalist as a character in your book (for good or for evil) some of these stereotypical, panty-bunching mistakes aren’t made in your manuscript.

1. Easily my biggest issue with people writing newspaper articles is using the phrase “this reporter.” As in, “This reporter was told the world is round.” This phrase may have been used 100 years ago, but it isn’t used now. It insinuates the writer into the article, which is completely unprofessional and no newspaper editor would let this in. Ever. Reporters are telling the facts, without opinion, personal interpretation, or commentary…unless they are an opinion columnist.

2. Reporters don’t have money to throw around. Newspaper reporters make less than 30K per year, maybe 35K if they work for a decent-sized paper, but overall, we are a very poor lot. In The Messenger, my main character came from money. She had a nice apartment, clothes, and car because she used her trust fund to get these things. She was the misfit in the news office based on the those with vs. those without mentality of her co-workers. Overall, unless you set it up otherwise, your reporter should drive an average car, shop at average stores, and live in average homes. Sure, there are exceptions, but your everyday newspaper reporter does not drive a Lexus.

3. Sensational commentary in a news article would never happen. Reporters write facts. They have sources (quotes from experts, witnesses, or validated research) to back up these facts. This is a requirement for making it to print because people like to sue newspapers. Editors will not approve/print scandalous content. Serious reporters aren’t going to insert opinion, personal jabs, or any other commentary.

4. Newspapers as a whole are broke. This means reporters take their own pictures with the shared office camera and drive their own cars to get the story. Newspapers do not provide photographers to go on assignment with reporters and they don’t provide transportation (though if a reporter is full-time, gas mileage may be reimbursed).

5. The last time I, or one of my co-workers, wore a suit to an interview was…oh, right, never. Print journalists don’t dress in business suits. At least not your average reporter. Think business casual. Khakis or nice jeans and a semi-dress shirt. A skirt and blouse. One editor I know loves his corduroys, but suits are just not something I’ve seen in the newsroom—except for the publisher, but he’s in business meetings all day with other men/women in suits, so that makes sense.

6. I know reporters are usually viewed as a force of evil. Some probably are. We share the horrors of the world more than we share the laughs. But, honestly, if the media only covered the good things, the public would criticize them for not being truthful about the events of the world. Most people view reporters as heartless demons who would step over dying babies to get the scoop. The truth is, we’re human, too. Maybe we don’t break down on the scene, but I guarantee you, even the toughest of reporters have gotten emotional over something they covered. Don’t portray your journalist as a one-dimensional heartless story-grabbing asshat. That’s a stereotype that has been overplayed.

Okay, so that kind of wraps up the biggies. The moral of this blog post? Do some research, whether it is a journalist or a doctor you are including in your manuscript. One phone call and a few questions is all you need to make sure you aren’t making crucial mistakes when representing a profession. Most people are more than happy to tell you what their job is really like. All you have to do is ask.

Here's a little teaser from my latest sexy release for your reading pleasure.

It took Kyle one look to realize he wanted to seduce his best friend’s mother. And one kiss to realize he didn't have to.

It was lust at first sight when Kyle met his roommate’s mother Kate. Kyle, a college transfer, was too far from home to visit on short school breaks, so Justin took him to Minneapolis where his mother was serving up a family meal for Thanksgiving.

One look left Kyle with a healthy obsession for Kate which grew with each visit. When he landed an internship in Minneapolis, he moved in with Kate for the summer, and got in touch with his voyeuristic side. It wasn’t until one late evening and a few too many glasses of wine that Kyle began to suspect his attraction wasn’t one-sided.

When he dared to push the issue, he found Kate more than willing to succumb to his seduction.

To read an excerpt from Seducing Kate, please click a vendor's name. Musa Publishing - Amazon

Emilia Mancini is the naughtier side to author Marci Boudreaux. Emilia stays hidden in the shadows like a nefarious side kick, slipping out only when the stories Marci wants to share are a little too grown up to be called sweet romance.

Seducing Kate is Emilia’s second release and, at least for the moment, her crowning glory.

Be sure to check out the Pinterest board for Seducing Kate.

Visit Emilia on her website. Stay connected on Twitter and Facebook.

Tuesday Toolbox - Bad Words Your Mother Never Told You Not to Say

Did your mother ever threaten to wash your mouth out with soap for saying naughty words? I remember watching my brother get his mouth washed out with soap. The terrible, naughty word he dared to speak was…“shut up.”

You can make a safe assumption that I never heard the words most people consider bad enough to be offensive—well, until I started riding the school bus, but that’s another story! I certainly wouldn’t have said them. Imagine my surprise when I started getting edits that were color-coded with all the bad words I needed to take out, words that I used every day in front of my mother!

Actually. Just. That. Completely. Even.

Actually, when I’m just writing the draft, these are words that seem completely justified, even necessary. For the most part, however, my writing becomes stronger when I remove them.

Speaking of stronger, I needed to obliterate passive voice from my writing.

Seem/seemed. Feel/felt. Made/make. Thought. Believed. These are filtering words that I blogged about here. They need to go. http://saradanielromance.blogspot.com/2013/03/tuesday-toolbox-lose-filter.html

Was. This passive verb, along with his buddies had and could, takes over my drafts and leaves me with the unpleasant soap residue in my mouth. Here’s an example from my latest manuscript:

Draft: He was treating her with the same polite distance…

Revised: He spoke to her with the same polite distance…

The revised version not only shows the hero performing an action. It also gives the reader a more concrete impression of his previously vague treatment.

I don’t pretend to have all the answers. Eradicating overused words and passive sentence construction is something I struggle with during each book. But I now recognize my weakness words, and I use Microsoft Word to search for and highlight each one. I look forward to the day when I address them all before they reach my editor’s desk and I save myself from a thorough mouth-washing.