Ramblings-n-Writings

Are you looking for a way to get on the good side of your editor? For those who don’t know, I spend a large majority of my time working as a freelance editor for a small publisher. I’ve learned a lot over the years and realize that every author writes differently and has a different style. However, for every author, the fundamentals of grammar remain the same.

Over the course of the past few months, I’ve become aware of some trends in how authors write and what I find myself editing in manuscripts. Having spent some time teaching high school English, I know that these trends are all things that at some point these authors were familiar with but more than likely filed away in the cobwebs somewhere.

So, consider this the first of many free words of advice on how to improve your own writing. My goal (which I may or may not meet all the time) is to post new words of advice every Saturday. The topics will more than likely come from my work during the week. If you have a particular topic you would like me to address, feel free to leave a comment!

1. Avoid sentences starting with “There is/are” or “It is/was” – These are weak sentence openings. With a little bit of creativity, your sentence can become much stronger. Watch the following….

• There are three kinds of people in today’s world – doers, procrastinators and slackers.
• Three kinds of people exist in today’s world – doers, procrastinators and slackers.
• In today’s world, people can be classified in three categories….
• Informal research shows that society is made up of three kinds of people….

Do you see the difference? Obviously, which variation you choose depends on the context. The point is that a concrete subject and action verb are far stronger than a filler word (there) and a linking verb. Think details. (By the way, sentences starting with “there” and “it” are pet peeves of mine. )

And a quick way to find the “there” and “it” culprits is to use your word processing program’s ‘find and change’ feature. Give it a try on your current project. You might be surprised how much you use these little guys.

2. Avoid filler adverbs. Adverbs are okay to use. Sometimes they add a lot to the meaning of a sentence. However, constantly inserting adverbs (and even adjectives) can make sentences tedious and unnecessarily long. Make sure that your adverbs are essential to the meaning of the sentence. If they are not, they need to go.

3. Avoid using the same phrases over and over again. For instance, one of my recent projects was filled with the phrase “in fact.” That’s a not a bad phrase, but when it appears in every paragraph, it becomes a nuisance. And sometimes, the information contained in the sentence really isn’t a fact. Other filler phrases are “that is,” “for example,” “for instance” and the list goes on. If you find yourself using the same phrase over and over, ask yourself if it is absolutely necessary. Do you need to precede every illustration with “for example” or will your reader understand that you are giving an example?

4. Commas and periods always go inside the quotation marks. No exceptions. Question marks and colons are dependent on the context.

That’s all for this week. Come back next Saturday for some more rules you can put into practice. Leave me a comment and tell me what you think. What do you struggle while you write or self edit?

Related posts:

1. Editor’s Words of Advice #2
2. Editor’s Words of Advice #3
3. Interesting Grammar Question
4. Needing Advice on Decisions
5. Plagiarism: My Next Pet Peeve

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