Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Editing - First Impressions Count!


Why do we edit? Is it simply to check spelling and grammar, or are we thinking ahead to how our work will look to others? As writers, we need to present our work in the best possible fashion, whether we are trying to get past the gatekeepers at publishing companies, or self-publish. 

We can make the decision to edit our own work (which I do), or we can choose to hire out the editing. (If we are working with a publisher, we will probably do a quick edit before sending our manuscript, but the final editing will be done by the publishing company.) Editing does check for spelling and grammar errors,  but it also checks for continuity of thought in your work. 

Tools that we need to do a good editing job include the spell check build into whatever word processing program we are using, a copy of The Chicago Manuel of Style, a copy of the Associated Press Stylebook, a dictionary and a thesaurus.

Your initial editing will be done digitally. Then it pays to print out your work, preferrably single spaced, and edit line by line manually. By doing this you will pick up errors that flew by you in the digital copy. You might want to edit and print at least twice. To save paper, take the copy from the first print editing and use the backside to print the second print editing.  

Watch for the small things, like not italicising internal dialogue in a book. Look for words that are showing up repetitively. Look for words that are redundant. How much of your writing is in the passive tense? Your readers will soon be bored if there is no action going on!

Remember that you are the author - in the editing process you can change your mind about a whole lot of things in your story. Just be sure to make a list of these changes,  that you can make sure that your story stays consistent. 

From time to time, I am at a loss for a word, or phrase. (I call these senior moments!) I will put in a "placer" word or phrase, knowing that eventually I will remember the word (or phrase) that I wanted to say. In editing, make sure that these places words/phrases are actually replaced with the correct word/phrase! That would be one huge, embarrassing mistake! 

It is also a good idea to check for overuse of things like exclamation points (I am guilty of this), and ellipses (I a guilty of this too!). 

These are all things that I do when editing my work. Other people may do things differently. We are all working towards a common goal - writing that looks professional, and reads smoothly!

(c) January 2018 Bonnie Cehovet
Reproduction prohibited without written permission from the author.    


Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Writing A Better Newsletter

I have done newsletters on and off over the years. Right now I am developing a newsletter that will, hopefully, help me promote my writing. I send it out on a monthly basis, and tweak it as I get feedback. (Many thanks to my friend Jamie Morris for her wonderful suggestions!)

I am always looking for ways to ramp up my newsetter. I do have the target audience - people who read my work, and other authors. I try to vary the content enough to hold the attention of my newsletter audience. (I was aghast to find out that having 10% of those that received my newsletter actually opening it was a good percentage! Note to self - write better subject lines!)

I include links to writing related articles, blogs, and tools that have crossed my path. From time to time I will include links to other authors whose work I admire. I also include links to books that I already have out there, and snippets from my WIP (thank you Jamie for this suggestion!).
Things that we can all do to make our newsletters better are:
  1. Keep our intended audience in mind when pulling the newsletter together.
  2. Create an editorial calender. For me, since my newsletter goes out monthly, that would be creating a list of twelve topics that I would like to address. the months that have major holidays I cheat, and use the holiday to base my newsletter around.
  3. Format the newsletter to look professional.
  4. Use an professional e-mail sender, such as Mail Chimp.
  5. Make you newsletter easy to scan, with bold headlines. People won't read your newsletter unless they see something that interests them.
  6.  Give your readers information (or links to information) they can actually use!
  7. Include links to your previous work - I have links to four of my books at the end of my newsletter.
  8. Include a pic of yourself, so that your readers can relate to you on a personal level.
  9. Be consistent - don't ramble!
  10. Make sure your readers can opt out easily if they want to.
  11. Ad images to create interest.
  12. Use a logo and tagline that will brand you for your readers.
  13. Include links to your professional site, as well as your social media sites.
  14. Check your newsletter before you send it, checking for spelling, grammar, and consistent photo size. 
(c) January 2018 Bonnie Cehovet
Reproduction prohibited without written permission from the author.

Monday, January 15, 2018

Character Driven vrs Plot Driven - Yikes!



Good question - does it really matter if a story is character driven or plot driven? For me, the answer is easy - I want to write a series of cozy mysteries based around the same characters, so my stories will be character driven. But ... they also have to have an interesting plot to drive the story line and hold the readers interest. Each writer needs to determine for themselves where the balance is between character and plot in their stories. 

Every writer will have a natural preference - a way in which they prefer to tell their stories. How can a writer tell what their preference is if they really are not sure?  Some things to think about are:

Character Driven Stories:

1. The story is based around one or more characters.
2. The author creates the world of the story, but the characters control their own actions within that world.
3. The focus is on the internal changes that the characters experience.
4. The reader becomes very involved with the characters, what makes them tick, their attitudes, and what is behind their actions. The layers of each characters persona becomes evident as the story evolves.
5. The ending of the story is unpredictable.

Plot Driven Stories:

1. The story is based around events.
2. The focus is on ideas, rather than people.
3. There is a clear end goal.
4. Characters are making quick decisions that move the plot forward - there is not a lot of focus on developing the characters themselves.
5. The development of the characters is a backdrop to the plot itself.

Have fun with this!

(c) January 2018 Bonnie Cehovet
Reproduction prohibited without written permission of the author.

Monday, January 8, 2018

The Art Of Writing Prompts


I love writing prompts! They do so much to expand our horizons as writers. Really? Yes, really! Why is this?

1. They act as a kick start to creativity.
2. It is a great way to learn to barnstorm ideas.
3. You can use many things as prompts - images, single words, phrases, themes ... whatever works as a focus mechanism.
4. The material that comes from writing prompts can take on a life of its own!
5. Writing prompts, and sharing what we write, helps us connect with our writing community.

Here are some sites to play with:


I am going to be including a writing prompt in my monthly newsletter from now on. Here are a few to get started with:

1. Use the word "Mother" as a focal point.
2. Use the word "Fury" as a focal point.
3. Picture a door, and write about what you might find on the other side.
4. Focus on "Death", nad how it has affected you personally.
5. What does stress feel like to you?

Don't stop and think ... just write! If you want, set a timer for five or ten minutes, or for however long you want to write. Whatever you do ... just write!

(c) January 2018 Bonnie Cehovet
Reproduction prohibited without writen permission of the author. 


Long Chapters Or Short Chapters - What Is Your Preference?

Does it make a difference to a reader whether the chapters in a book are long or short? It does to me. I like shorter chapters, as they feed...