Style Guide Per Novel

Happy Thursday, good people of the blogosphere! Well, the snowpocalypse is still going strong and I'm considering writing a collection of fictional short stories about things that happened. But that's for another day! Today, I wanna gab about style guides for your novels and why they're important. So, grab your pens and notebooks and let's get going!

First and foremost, we all get an itch now and then to break a writing rule. This is all well and good until you don't break it consistently. For each of your novels, you should have a short list (in a notebook or separate Word document) which details the rules you're breaking or the particulars of your own style.

What the heck am I talking about?

I'll give you an example:
Character A always uses the word wanna rather than want to when speaking.
Character B not only uses want to and never wanna when speaking, but also never puts an S on the end of toward.
Character C is a mother and never, ever curses as one of her quirks.

So you're writing along and you throw the word wanna into Character B's speech. This is totally fine; write on. You feel the need to have Character C and Character B face off with dialogue. It's a heated argument  which the two almost come to blows over.

Suddenly, Character B is saying something about Character C walking backwards out the door. Add to that, she's suddenly in Character B's face, screaming expletives. Still, all good; write on.

Now it's time for editing. Chances are, you're going to catch those expletives and find tamer ways for Character C to say what's on her mind. During the heat of the battle, will you remember to check for that S on the end of backwards?

This is where your style guide will come in handy. Once you're done writing, you can do a quick find and replace on any phrases you've decided the characters will use or any rules you're breaking to check and make sure they're consistent.

When you send your novel to your editor, be sure an attach your style guide. This will help all those involved because the editor can also be sure you're breaking the rules consistently, and they'll know of any particular quirks your characters have and add or remove things as needed.

It doesn't take long to create a style guide. But the payoff is enormous.

If you have certain writing quirks, keep a running list of those, too. I'm an author who doesn't put the S on the end of backward, toward, forward, etc... so I know to do a search for those words when I'm done and be sure I'm consistent.

Make sense?

Good print book formatters keep style guides on the novels they're working on, too. Again, it's all about maintaining consistency.

For I, Zombie, I had a rather extensive style guide. Folks from Southern Louisiana have a particular way of speaking. They tend to leave the G on the words anything, bring, along, and everything, but drop it from nothing, doing, having, and leaving. Since I wanted to be true to the regional dialect, I had to be sure everyone spoke the same way (except when Tammy was on the air). It's quirky, but it's consistent.

Style guides are especially important for series. You can't have Character A suddenly belting out want to in novel three when he hasn't for the last two books.

What's in your personal style guide? Have you ever made one for a specific novel?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

PoSSeSSive S

Happy Hump-day, everyone! Snow in Georgia again and all the kiddies are out of school. I have to say, I'm more than ready for spring so I can get back to a normal schedule. This weather and being sick last month has really thrown me off. Anyway, enough about all that. Let's move on to today's post about the possessive S. Grab your pens and notebooks and let's get going!

If you aren't familiar with INDIE Books Gone Wild, allow me to share a bit of information with you. Every now and then, one of us posts on that blog about grammar, punctuation, or other little tidbits we find frequent errors revolving around. Before we get to the good stuff here, pop on over there and check out Tia's post on the Apostrophe. Yeah, it matters. Go read that sucker.

Now, I'm a Chicago Manual of Style lady. I have a copy of the 15th edition, and I follow it to the letter when doing an edit. Of course, this causes some of my clients to have small hernias when they don't agree with my edits or they have a style guide that's different from mine (which is totally fine, they should go with what feels right to them). I try to be very clear on our About Us page over on IBGW and state that I use the book I own as a reference. So, today's discussion will be the rules from that style guide.

When you show possession of a singular noun (not the demonic kind), the rule says you add an apostrophe and an S to the end of the word (section 7.17). Examples:

• Dora's shoes.
• Kitten's playground.
• Lola's necklace.

But what if those words end in S?

Well, here's where we get into a bit of a pickle. When choosing names, one usually avoids the ones ending in S so they don't have this conundrum. If you happen to select one that ends in S, how do you handle it? This is where the general guides don't agree.

If you're showing possession of a collective, like a family or group whose names or title of the collective end in S, the solution is easy, you add an apostrophe to the end. Examples:

• The Huss' house (this is the Huss family).
• The Picketts' son (this is the Picketts family).
• Those kittens' meows (more than one kitten).
• These dogs' leashes (more than one dog).

However, if you have a character who's named Cleatus, how do you show possession?

In section 7.18, page 282 of The Chicago Manual of Style 15th Edition, it states: The general rule covers most proper names, including names ending in s, x, or z, in both their singular and plural forms, as well as letters and numbers. This means writing the name and adding an apostrophe with another S at the end. Examples:

• I saw Cleatus's sneakers over there.
• We went to the mall to get Kriss's new purse.
• I can listen for hours to Venheis's violin.

Now, this is the way it's written out in the guideline. I think, when reading, it keeps me from thinking there's more than one Cleatus who owns sneakers I saw over there, and makes the possessive name read more easily.

All this is great! But...

Yeah, you knew there was a but. *grin*

In section 7.23, there's a suggestion for an alternative usage by simply adding the apostrophe to the end of the name. While easier to remember and apply, I think it reads with a clunky timbre. But, try it both ways and see what works for you. This goes back to Tia's post I mentioned above, where she talks about Strunk and White.

Before we wrap this post on possessive S up, I'd like to remind you of another rule of possession you may not be familiar with. Section 7.24 talks about more than one noun. When mutually exclusive, both nouns get an apostrophe S. If both are owning the same item, only the second named gets the punctuation. Examples:

• My daughter-in-law and son's house.
• Our niece and nephew's car.
• or
• My ex daughter-in-law's and son's houses.
• Our niece's and nephew's cars.

Seems a lot of stress rests on the S.

How can you avoid this when writing fiction? Easy: Choose names that don't end in S when you're making your list.

I hope you all enjoyed our little lesson for today. If you have questions, comments, or otherwise, feel free to pop them into the comments section.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Most Popular Posts of 2013

Happy Tuesday, everyone! I know, I know, I'm late. But, I have good reason. This morning, I had a meeting with Ms. Sandi Tuttle, a dentist appointment, and a very sick child to contend with. Onward and upward! Today, I'm going to give you all links to some of the posts on my blog that have had the most traffic. They're probably the most useful posts, too. Strap in, get your fingers ready to do some clicking, and let's get going!

Because all posts are better with a cute baby with cake on his hands and feet.

Up first, I'm gonna give you my two free PDFs. These have been downloaded a lot and are free for you to keep and share, providing you don't change any of the content.

This one is on Branding Yourself.
This one is a A Novel Checklist.

Now, we move on to the posts!

Monkey Wrenches
Dialogue Tags vs Action Tags
Pesky Pronouns
Human Nature Series (last post)
Enneagram Personality Types
Comma Part 3 (links to part 1 and 2 included)
Timeline Tips
Common Editing Errors
Templates for Using MS Word for Print
He Said, She Said, Who Said What?

Love those? Here's a page with them all (plus others that didn't get as much traffic but are still just as useful). I even categorized and summarized them. Yup, all for you readers.

Thanks for making 2013 awesome. I hope to bring just as much great content in 2014!

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Kristina Circelli Author Interview

Happy Monday, good people of the blogosphere! In keeping with my Monday theme, I welcome you to another UtopYA Con 2014 unofficial author interview. If you haven’t picked up your tickets for the event yet, click the name to grab yours today. In addition to getting to meet some wonderful YA and NA authors, you’ll get to be surrounded by books for three days. How awesome is that? So get your tickets and come meet us!

Let’s get to the good stuff. Grab your steamy mug filled with your beverage of choice, your posh armchair, and meet Ms. Kristina Circelli.

Jo: Welcome to the blog, Kristina! Good to have you here. I hope you’re looking forward to this as much as I am. Through my digging around, I found some rather interesting tidbits about you I can’t wait to share with my readers. Ready?

Kristina: Sure am! Who knows what you dug up about me. The Internet’s a scary place …

Jo: Yes it is! You’d be amazed at what I find about my authors! I perused your blog and found you only post on a now and again type basis. Is there a big reason you don’t write there more often?

Kristina: The biggest reason is time. I have a day job in addition to my books and editing business, so most of the time whenever I do something (event, book release, cover reveal, etc), I limit it to quick Facebook and Twitter posts because that’s all I have time for. I was doing really well with the blog when I first started it, then slowly lost momentum. Hopefully I can get back into it, since I really did enjoy writing blog posts. But, to be honest, for a while there I was only posting about movies and random stuff that had nothing to do with my books. When I had to actually post about work stuff, I got bored.

Jo: Blogging is time consuming! I don’t know how you ladies with full time jobs do it. Your Helping Hands series has an interesting premise. Where did the inspiration for that come from? Have you ever been involved in a child abuse case in any way?

Kristina: The inspiration came from several different sources, one of them being the book Ursula Sunshine, about a little girl who was abused and eventually killed by her stepfather, while her mother sat back and let it happen. I was really angry after reading the book and wondered why no one was willing to lend a helping hand (hence the title). I shadowed caseworkers for research as well, among other experiences. The individual stories are a culmination of things that built on one another for years until I was able to put them all together. The series started as just The Helping Hands, but I fell in love with the characters, especially bad-asses Melanie O’Conner and Tyler Mason, and had to keep telling their stories. Now, seven books are planned for the series (four are out, and I’ll be starting the fifth one in 2014).

Jo: I love that you’re doing something with your writing to open peoples’ eyes to some of the horrors out there no one’s paying attention to. *high five* Talk to me about being a creative writing professor at the University of North Florida. Was that the job you set out to do from the beginning or did it just happen? What kind of assignments are your favorites to hand out?

Kristina: No, it actually kind of fell on my lap and was too good an offer to pass up. I had gone to UNF to speak with an old professor about going for my PhD (which I haven’t done yet, but it is a goal of mine). During the course of the conversation, he broached the topic of teaching and basically offered an adjunct position for the next semester on the spot. Who could say no to that!

I’d never taught before, so I shadowed a few classes and ran my lesson plans by other professors. I was totally in over my head, but that’s kind of how I do things. Just jump in and wing it, and hope it all works out for the best. I’ve done both online and in-class teaching, and in class was great because it forced me out of my comfort zone and made me take on an authoritative stance, which has helped me in so many other areas of my life now.

I think my favorite assignments are our discussions on writing. I teach intro classes, so there are a lot of debates on what writing is, what makes a good story, so-called “rules” of writing, and so on. It’s great hearing the students’ opinions and having lively discussions on what it means to write, and challenging them to improve their craft.

I will say though that I took this semester off to build my editing business and I’m not sure if I’ll return in the spring. Teaching was never my ultimate goal and I am using the experience to improve my craft as much as I encourage my students to do. If I do sign up for the spring, it will likely be online this time around.
Also, side note because I love talking about it. When I eventually go for my PhD, I plan to continue my master’s thesis - which was titled, ‘Landscape of Mirage: An Examination of the Loss of Native American Culture in Correlation to the Destruction of Nature.’ It compares the ties between culture and nature, particularly in literature. The topic fascinates me.

Jo: Wow. PhD. I may pass out! You go, girl! Why did you start Red Road Editing and where do you see it five years from now? Edited for anyone we may know?

Kristina: Oh, I believe I have a few you may know :). Sarah Ross was my very first client. I also edit for M. R. Polish, Heather Hildenbrand, Dawn Pendleton, Magan Vernon, and most recently Adam Kunz ... to name a few.

As a kid, I always wanted to be a writer and editor. Instead of playing house or doctor or cops and robbers, I was playing Literary Agent. Because I was a nerd (OK, and still am). I dreamed of working for a publishing house and reading/editing manuscripts all day long. The older I got, the more I realized I could do it on my own, not even have to leave the great state of Florida to work for one of the Big Six.

So, I founded Red Road Editing. Red Road is a tribute to one of my novels (Walk the Red Road, Book 2 in The Whisper Legacy), and also my Native American heritage. To walk the Red Road means to follow the path of your ancestors, staying true to your culture and who you are. For me, it’s about embracing my heritage and celebrating our history of storytelling, and staying true to that tradition.

Five years from now, who knows! I’d love for the company to grow, maybe one day take on additional editors all under one roof. I’d also love to hold classes or panels kind of like I did at UNF where we have debates on different aspects of writing. I think that would be a lot of fun. The business has grown leaps and bounds this year alone (I started January 1, 2013) so I see great things happening next year.

Jo: I’m learning cool stuff from this interview. I had no idea what walking the red road meant! Interesting! How long have you been visiting Silver Sands Middle School? What started it and what’s your favorite part about it?

Kristina: Well, technically I’ve been visiting since I was about 12, since I went to school there for three years. Now, I’ve gone back the past two years for official author talks with a panel, along with a few solo chats with individual classes that were reading Beyond the Western Sun.

Jo: That’s an amazing thing you're doing. How awesome of you to visit with kids! You know one of the authors I’ll be doing an interview with later on (Carol Kunz). Can you give me an awesome, insider question I should ask her?

Kristina: Ask her what she did with her very first paperpack proof (for The Childe) :)

Jo: I’ll do that. Thanks for the tip! *winks* We all know you love Doritos. What flavor is your favorite?

Kristina: Blue Ranch Doritos all the way! Actually, my absolute favorite is Blazin’ Buffalo & Ranch, but some wiener at the Doritos company made the decision to discontinue them. I boycotted for about 24 whole hours.

Jo: LOL! I like ranch, too. Yummm! What do you think about the Doritos Locos Tacos from Taco Bell?

Kristina: I’ve … never been to Taco Bell. Yup, ya heard me. Not even once. (Okay, I suppose there is a chance I went when I was little, but I don’t remember it, so it doesn’t count.)

Jo: Oh my… You simply must try one. Just once in your life. Why did you choose to create a series based on Native Americans (The Whisper Legacy series) and their beliefs (besides being Cherokee), and what have you learned from your family that you may have worked into the books?

Kristina: Well, being part Charokee is why I wanted to. My great uncle is an Elder, so I grew up with him teaching me the stories and legends and language. Whisper, the main character, has been in my head for years and years until I finally built the story around her. The first book, Beyond the Western Sun, is a culmination of everything he taught me, and the other two books are based on my own research throughout the years.

The biggest reason for the series though is that I wanted to share my culture, something that means so much to me. My heritage is one of the most important things in the world to me, and not a lot of people really “get” what it means to be Native American. With The Whisper Legacy, I hope to bring to light a lot of the cultures and legends that people don’t know about. I want to tell stories, as my ancestors once did.

Jo: Storytelling does have strong roots in Native American history. That’s awesome. I asked N.L. Greene this question as well but I love getting a multitude of opinions. I see you live in Jacksonville, Florida. Did you grow up there? Have you had any run-ins with paranormal activity related to the Bermuda Triangle? Are you a believer that something is out there we don’t/can’t understand?

Kristina: I’m a huge believer. And huge paranoid freak that a ghost or alien or demon is going to possess me one day. I actually forced my husband to get us an alarm system after I saw a ghost in our garden … because that will TOTALLY protect us from a ghost.

I’ve had all sorts of weird things happen. Growing up, I’d sometimes come home from school to find everything on the top of my bookshelf on the floor, laid out in perfect order. My family swears up and down it wasn’t them (and they think I’m making it up), so I have no idea what was going on there. I think my childhood ghost followed me to Jacksonville (I grew up in the Daytona Beach area). My late cat, Sir Whisky Sour, used to stare into the foyer and just howl, staring at the air. Creeped me out. Just recently, the kittens started to do the same thing and all I can think is NOOOOOOO.

And why? Because the ghost likes the foyer. One year around Christmas, middle of the night, I wake up to the sound of a Frosty the Snowman ornament/table decoration singing and dancing and lighting up. I go out there and shut it off and am scared out of my mind, because this particular ornament hasn’t worked in about three years … (I think this story is on my blog somewhere, with a picture of demonic Frosty, haha).

The garden ghost may have been an alien. I’m not entirely sure. It was dark and I was leaving for work. The headlights passed over the garden and the shadow crossed the headlights and disappeared into the woods. The husband and neighbors think it was a homeless guy chowing down on our veggies, but how many homeless dudes do you know who have super tapered waists and pencil-thin shadowy legs and oval-shaped heads?

Sometimes when I’m trying to sleep I hear voices, like on a radio. When I lift my head and look around, they disappear. This could just be because I’m kinda delusional, though.

Jo: Who knows, an alarm system may pick up a ghostly apparition! Okay, that’s more than a little creepy! *shivers* I don’t think you’re delusional. For the record, I think believing we're the only things out there is a little haughty of us. Tell us why you chose to write your featured book of the week.

Kristina: They say that, in time, we all must grow up.

Keep your feet on the ground. Get your head out of the clouds. You dream too big. Such words force us out of childhood, out of our dreams, and into reality - if we let them. While our bodies may grow up and our minds may mature, our imaginations transcend the meaning of time.

To say that I grew up would be the truth. To say that I stopped dreaming would be a lie. My love for writing was born out of dreams, both waking and sleeping, that took me to worlds everyone else said could never exist. Perhaps this life is too limited in its possibilities, or maybe it is our lack of sight that keeps us from truly seeing.

You might even say that writing was, for me, an act of rebellion. Mermaids aren’t real? People can’t fly? Luck dragons are made-up creatures? Well, let me prove the many ways in which you are wrong. In books, there is no such thing as “impossible” - and that is what I love most.

The Never took hold in my mind many years ago, a story of what happens after we grow up, but cannot forget our dreams. Some of you may recognize its origin, the long-ago told tale of magic, or you may have heard my endless chatter about the boy who never says good-bye. The Never is not a story of what happens next, but rather, what happens when one woman decides to stop believing in the limitations around her and instead believes in herself - what she can do, what she can see, and what she can dream.

It is an unfortunate reality that we all must grow up. But, The Never has allowed me the rare opportunity to step back into a childhood that was all too short and be among the stories that keep my dreams alive, even during those pestering waking hours.

Even now, I am the one who stays on shore for fear of sea monsters. I am the one who looks for faeries in the flowers. I am the one who is terrified by the thought of being possessed, yet still hopes to meet a ghost or alien. I am the one who lives in The Never, if only in my dreams.

I hope you too enjoy the trip into the impossibly possible, and in the end, let your dreams take flight.

Jo: LUCK DRAGONS! *huge grin* Wow. The Never sounds awesome! I’m gonna have to check it out! Thanks so much for sharing. That’s all the time we have for today. Is there anything you’d like to add?

Kristina: Thanks for having me! I loved the questions, so much fun to answer.

Since we’ve talked about the Whisper books, check out Beyond the Western Sun! It is free across the board for ereaders. Check it out on the Kindle!

Jo: I’ll have to check that one out, too! Oh man, so much great stuff from you to read. Thanks so much for stopping by and letting me dig through your personal life today, Kristina! I can’t wait to meet you at UtopYA in June.

Now, a little about Kristina’s featured book of the week.

Title: The Never
Author: Kristina Circelli
Genre: Fantasy
Length (print): 276 pages
Buy Links: Amazon Kindle  B&N   $2.99

Synopsis:
*Due to mature content, The Never is recommended for readers ages 18+*

“Out of nothing, we create something.”

Arianna has spent her entire life being called a dreamer, an artist who created a world no one else can see. And for her entire life, she has taken the medication that keeps that world – and the one who brought her there – at bay.

Now an adult, Arianna reawakens that part of herself kept locked away in the darkest corners of her mind. When she hides her medicine from her fiancé’s ever-watchful eye, he returns – the shadow in the night who collects her for an adventure known only in her fantasies.

But something is different about this world called The Never. It is no longer the cheerful place filled with light and laughter that she knew as a child. Now, the sea creatures drag their visitors into the depths of murky waters. The natives battle to the death against the tribe of children. And the pirates, led by the feared captain called The Hunter, seek out Arianna for their own sinister plans.

As Arianna goes deeper into The Never, she discovers just what her connection to the land means – and must choose between her life rooted in reality, and the world where anything is possible.

Scratch your itchy mouse finger and give Ms. Circelli a follow on social media!

Twitter: @KCircelli
Facebook: Circelli Books Novels by Kristina Circelli
Red Road Editing

Pinterest: KCircelli
I haven’t been on Pintrest in forever. Fair warning, I pin a lot of pics of Tom Hardy.

Thanks for giving Kristina and me your ear for a little while! She’ll be on the sidebar of the blog with her featured book for the next two weeks. Be sure to come back next Monday for a guest post by this awesome author.

Do you have questions for Kristina? Ask them in the comments!

Well, that’s all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Common Editing Errors

Happy Friday, good people of the blogosphere! Is it the last day of school for your kids, too? I sit here, cringing with the knowledge mine will be home all next week. Why? Because that means work comes to a screeching halt and I have a zombie novel to edit. About that, I got the most awesome bookmarks in the mail last week. Take a look:

These will be available exclusively at UtopYA Con 2014. 

If you don't have tickets to that event yet, you should. YA authors from all over the world will be there with their wares. You can get your tickets here:
www.utopyacon.com

But that's not the topic for today. I'm gonna talk to you about common editing errors in the hopes it'll help you avoid these pitfalls. So, grab your pens and notebooks and let's get going!


Learning to edit a book is like anything else, it takes practice (along with a handy reference guide to what works and what doesn't). Over at INDIE Books Gone Wild, we give editing tips now and then. If you follow them, your book will cost less to have edited by one of us.

Today, I'd like to go into some of the things to watch out for when you're doing those edits.

1. Watch for homophones. I know that seems like an obvious SMH thing, but they're more common than you think.
2. Use commas with care. In these two sentences: I went to the window and Bob moved to my side. I went to the window, and Bob moved to my side. You can see the one without the comma flows more easily. While they're both correct, common sense tells you to nix the comma on that one for readability.
3. Adverbs can be cut if you use stronger verbs. Do a search for ly endings and eradicate by pumping up your prose. Here's a post that goes into that.
4. Pay attention to pronouns. This is one of the most common errors I find when editing. See a post here about how to see if you're using the right one.
5. Use contractions! Again, something I find a lot of when editing. We speak in contractions and read them more easily than we do when the words are broken out in two pieces.
6. Watch out for the big words. Your reader knows you're a writer with a gargantuan vocabulary. Be careful not to shove it down their throats.
7. Repetition in word use or information given. Okay, you told us his eyes were blue. Either find a new way to describe those peepers or cut the repeated information altogether.
8. Hunt down your ize and ization words and kill those, too.
9. KISS your reader. Keep it Simple, Silly. Use shorter words and smaller sentences (but remember to create variation, too) because readers can process information better when you do.

I hope that helps. I'll be working my way through I, Zombie today in an attempt to eradicate my own writing errors.

What do you think? Did you know to watch out for those?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Book Review - The Final Omen

Happy Tuesday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I bring you yet another Indie book review. This one is for Final Omen, book four (and the last) of the Second Sight series by Heather Topham Wood. Grab your coffee (or tea, for those of you in the UK), pull up a chair, and let's get going!

First, a little about the book I'm writing this review for:

Title: The Final Omen - Second Sight Book Four
Author: Heather Topham Wood
Genre: New Adult Paranormal Romance
Length: Approx 185 printed pages
Buy Links: Amazon Kindle $3.99 B&N Nook $3.99 Smashwords $3.99

Description:
Psychic Kate Edwards had seen her death in a premonition. She was given the opportunity to stop her murder from happening and finally reconnect with her love Detective Jared Corbett. However, fate had different ideas…

Kate finds herself trapped between life and death. Her only companion is Rose Corbett, Jared’s long dead mother. Rose offers answers to many of Kate’s long-awaited questions and alludes to what the future could hold. However, before Kate can finally be happy, she must complete a seemingly impossible task: save Jared from his own tragic fate.

The Final Omen concludes the thrilling Second Sight series.
New Adult Paranormal Romance-Ages 17+ due to language and sexual situations.

I just love the covers on these books. I do wish the author's name weren't vertical, but that's my designer brain kicking in. You know, that old "all type should be one way or another" thing. I do appreciate that there are only two fonts. I see too many designers mixing more than two (or two of the same family serif or sans-serif) which just looks like a mistake.

On to the good stuff!

I was the proofreader for this book so I got to see it before anyone else. Of course, I still ran out and picked up a copy when it was released so I'd never ever lose it. I read the first three books in the Second Sight series and fell in love with them. This one blew me away. Ms. Wood has really pulled out all the stops to make it both terrifying and sweet. Let's get to the review!

From a reader's perspective:
I love, love, love Kate and Jared! He's such a sweet guy. I adore the sweet guys and haven't ever really been into the "bad boy" who breaks girls' hearts and is a callous jerk. Enter Declan. He's a player to the Nth degree. I was glad when he finally accepted his lot in the last book and decided to leave Kate alone. In this installment, he's working with Jared as they try to solve Kate's murder. That was a twist in and of itself. *NOTE* This won't ruin the story because the boys teaming up happens in the first few pages of the book. I'm not about spoilers. Kate has always been a character I could root for. She's no different in this book. I was quite the strange kid growing up and didn't bask in the limelight so I can identify with her insecurities and social withdrawal. When I found out who the killer was, I choked. I totally didn't expect the twist and it left me horrified (which is GOOD). The Final Omen isn't bogged down with a ton of description and gives a lot of the meat and potatoes we all love. It was a wonderful and satisfying conclusion to the series.

From an editor's perspective:
The story had great flow, few errors, an awesome twist that wasn't foreshadowed at all, and a wonderful premise. Top marks!

My rating:
1 Star for showing me a damaged girl who learns to love herself
1 Star for a brilliant story
1 Star for pacing and a wonderful ending
1 Star for giving me an awesome twist
1 Star for quality of writing
Overall, 5 out of 5 stars. Ms. Wood's best book in this series! I would recommend to anyone who loves a sappy romance tinged with murder mystery, action, and a great story to hold it all up.

I do hope you pick up a copy of The Final Omen. You won't regret it.

Have you read the series? What do you think?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Book Review - Intrusive Memory

Happy Thursday, good people of the blogosphere! Today is another book review day. Yeah, I heard that cheer! I get to tick off another box for my wonderful December, 2012 series of posts where Indie authors had the unique opportunity to sell me their books (and win one of mine!). I've knocked quite a few off my list already. Once I'm done with this one, I have just two more to go. Sit back, relax, grab a cuppa, and let's get rolling.

First, a little about the book on the chopping block today:

Title: Intrusive Memory
Author: Leonardo Antony Noto
Genre: Autobiography/Child Abuse
Length: 222 printed pages
Link to Purchase: $2.99 Kindle $8.99 Paperback

Synopsis:
Intrusive Memory is the true story of how I overcame a hellish childhood, pulled my life back together, and realized my dream of becoming a physician. This book is not for the fainthearted. It begins in the mental hospital where I spent much of my childhood after being removed from my home by Child Protective Services, then whirls the reader through a cascade of pathological environments including a violent military school and Mississippi jail. This is the story of how I fought against the odds and against my inner demons to survive, claw my way into medical school, and succeed by graduating in the top of my class!


**Will not appear in my final review:
You all know I'm a graphic designer. Because of that, I oftentimes take a moment to comment on a book cover. This one blew me away with it's arresting image and bold typeface. Very nicely done.**

Now, on to the good stuff!

I purchased this book on Amazon after picking up a sample and getting sucked in by the story. Intrusive Memory is haunting, to say the least, and will make you  thankful for what you have right in front of you. Enough cavorting around, on to the review.

From a reader's perspective:
I got sucked right into the world portrayed on the pages of this book. Being the child of an abusive mother is one thing; being the victim of such extreme abuse as outlined in this story is something else altogether. To give you an idea of how vested in this tale I became: I grew angry at the parents for not being there like they should've been, the administration for not stepping up and taking responsibility along with proactive measures, and the system in general. I wanted to step into the book and slap people for being callous, catty, and manipulative. I cared about what happened to Leo by the end. So, there's the good. For the bad, I have to say the asides where the author took page upon page to tell me about how this diagnosis is made or how that symptom is recognized were unnecessary and threw me right out of the story (Leo's progression). In my opinion, these things would've been better left for an afterword (author Robin Cook oftentimes does this). Then, if I wanted to read it, I could've; I wouldn't have had to slog through it to keep getting my meat and potatoes. They made what could've been a very satisfying meal into an endurance of stamina. But it pulled at my heartstrings and had a great level of tension throughout (a saving grace).

From an editor's perspective:
This book is in severe need of an editor. There were a number of instances of the wrong word being used. Sown (which means to plant something in soil) and sewn (which means to stitch one thing onto another) were confused often. Run-on sentences were everywhere, and I wished many times the author used commas more frequently (not something you hear me say often). Filler words ran amok and I highlighted half the book for spelling, grammar, punctuation, or other errors as I was reading. With a great editor, this could be a runaway best seller.

My Rating:
1 Star for making me keep reading
1 Star for making me angry at faceless characters on a page
1 Star for giving me a character I could care about
- 1 Star for the amount of medical information in the story
- 1 Star for overall editing/writing quality

Overall, a solid 3 out of 5 stars. If you enjoy a book that makes you think, or even one that makes you appreciate your situation (I hope it's better than Leo's), this is a great choice.

I do hope you take the time to pick up a sample of this book. You may decide to keep reading, like I did, and enjoy yourself very much.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Checklists for Novels - Part 2 of 3 - Deepening Plot and Structure

Happy Tuesday, good people of the blogosphere! And isn't it a grand day! The sun is shining and words are everywhere for the grasping. Today, I'm continuing my printable checklists and taking the plot and structure lists from yesterday a bit further. No pens and notebooks. Just bring your mouse and printer, please. Let's get going!

Deepening Plot:

• Does my protagonist have a goal?
• What is that goal and why does it matter (who cares scenario)?
• When do I introduce the doorway of no return (should be in the first 1/4 of the novel)?
• Is my antagonist evil/bad enough?
• What's the relationship between my protagonist and my antagonist?
• Is it strong enough to warrant their continued angst? Why?
• What does my protagonist believe in deeply?
• How does that change?
• Did I make the change believable?
• What opinions did I alter to garner a change of core beliefs?
• Is there a sub-plot?
• If yes, could the sub-plot stand on its own?
• What was the reason for it?
• Can I take it out and keep the suspense/action going just as well?
• When I lay my plot out, does it flow in a linear fashion?

Deepening Structure:

• The Beginning

1. Have I shown the protagonist's world in enough detail so the reader understands the rules?
2. How did I do that?
3. Is the protagonist directly involved in creating or upholding those rules?
4. How so?
5. Do I have a dynamite opening line?
6. Is my prologue necessary?
7. Action first?
8. If no, how can I rearrange the story so explanation comes later?

• The Middle

1. Is there a sense of death hanging over my protagonist's head (physical, emotional, professional, or psychological)?
2. Could my protagonist simply walk away from the conflict and lose nothing (this should be a no)?
3. Why?
4. Is there plenty of action, reaction, and more action going on?
5. Are my stakes high enough?
6. What can I (or did I) do to raise them?
7. How did I set up the final battle or show that it's coming?

• The End

1. Did I answer all the questions I brought up in my reader's mind during the tale?
2. Is my ending a knockout, that'll leave my reader breathless or scratching their head?
3. Was my ending predictable?
4. What kind of ending do I have (objective reached, objective lost, or dangling)?
5. How did I set that up?

If you can answer all these questions without a second thought, your novel is very well built. These aren't checklists for when you're starting to write. They're for the final product. It'll help you spot holes you need to fill.

Remember, feel free to print these out or save them as you wish. If you want to share them, I'll be putting up a PDF tomorrow of all six together. All I ask is that you don't alter them in any way if you redistribute on your own site.

Tomorrow, a checklist for scenes, dialogue, and complexity and one on character. Be sure and come on back for those!

Are these lists something you've done in the past; or, is this all new to you?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Things I've Unintentionally Learned From Books

Happy Thursday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, we take a little break from writing to discuss reading. If you're a writer, you're a voracious reader (or you should be, because one cannot write without reading). I'm going to share a few things I've learned over the years through reading books, research when editing books, and proofreading jobs. Buckle in and let's go!

As any of you who've followed my blog for any length of time know, one of my favorite authors, who's now deceased, is Alice Bordchart. She's the author of The Night of the Wolf trilogy and a series she never got to finish (that ties in with the others) called The Dragon Queen. Because I love book covers, here's one of them:

What I learned from this series: Caesar was a vile man. His wife, Calpurnia, was a psychic. Why Greeks were sent to the Colosseum to fight. How Romans and Greeks interacted. What the land looked like back then. And oh, so much more!

From the other series, I learned: Guinevere was the one Arthur needed to save him from his mother. How wolves in the wild interact with one another. Much history about wars that erupted over Europe.

Now, not only was Alice an expert on Ancient Greece and Rome, she's also the sister of the famous Anne Rice. I didn't realize I was learning at the time. But when asked questions in World History I, I knew the answers because I'd read Ms. Bordchart's books.

Another one of my favorite authors is Rick Riordan. From his Percy Jackson series, I've learned a ton about mythology and Greek and Roman beliefs. A new book comes out in October in that series and I'm super stoked! From his Kane Chronicles series, I've learned about Egyptian gods and goddesses. You wouldn't believe how much of it is discussed even today!

Master of medical suspense Robin Cook has taught me about DNA alteration, how insurance companies are raping the consumer, and how medical professionals sometimes get around claim restrictions. One of my favorites by him is Chromosome 6.

This is one that's never hit the mainstream. He was the genius behind Contagion and Invasion, too!









From Cornelia Funke, I learned a little imagination can take you places you never dreamed, and that most readers actually fall into their stories (and I wasn't alone in this).

An Indie book I'm reading, titled Looping in Limbo, is teaching me so much about golf it's unreal! And I'm loving it!

Now, from some of my own writing, proofreading, and editing.

I learned more about Genghis Khan than you could shake a stick at when writing Yassa. Never one to care much about vicious tyrants, I found him to be extremely intriguing and unearthed a strange truth about his life: He had to fight hard to get what he ended up with, and it may have all been for the love of a woman.

When I edited Canopy, for Crystal Lee, I learned a lot about construction of buildings and what it was like to be in the head of a fifteen-year-old girl.

Inzared: Queen of the Elephant Riders, by Linda Leander, forced me to research the circus, the early 1900's, and Gypsies when I did the edit. I learned a lot about snack food and when it was invented. For example, did you know popcorn wasn't a popular treat until the Great Depression hit in the 1920's? Neither did I!

I've also learned about Japanese culture, what it meant to be a Samurai, and how the mind of men in that country work. Through the edit for Chasing Memories, I did research on Wiccans, Yellowstone park, and Colorado. And when I proofread Sixty Days of Grace, I learned a lot about raising a child with Bi-Polar disorder and how to be thankful for each and every day I'm given.

When I wrote The Bird, I found out there's a cool place in Pennsylvania called Ringing Rocks National Park where, if you hit the stones with a hammer, they ring.

My daddy always told me reading was a waste of my time. But, without books, how would I have had the chance to learn all these wonderful things? Sure, I could sit down and read the dictionary; but learning it through a story is so much better. Either way, I'm reading.

So, when people tell you to put down that book because it's rotting your brain, tell them you're studying and to stay out of it. After all, you never know what gems of knowledge a novel may unearth.

Besides, books like Pride and Prejudice tend to change us into the best versions of ourselves.

What have you unintentionally learned from a book?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Editing vs Proofreading - What's the Difference?

Happy Monday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I'd like to go over the difference between an edit and a proofread; including what you should expect from each. These are just a couple of the services we provide over on INDIE Books Gone Wild. If you aren't sure what services you need, this post will help you decide and tell you how to prepare for each one. So grab those pens and notebooks and let's get going!

Editing

This is a service where you send your book to someone and they fix basic grammar and construction issues, punctuation, transitions, spelling, inconsistencies, and look to cut your word count. A good editor won't change your voice, they'll make it more legible.

Any editor you choose should give you a sample edit of your first chapter to see if you're a good fit. At IBGW, we use that first chapter to rate the quality of your writing and base our price from there. Why? Because if it doesn't take us as long to edit your book, you won't pay as much. You're paying your editor for their time and knowledge of the English language.

Be sure your editor uses a style guide so you'll know what changes to expect and have a reference.

An inline edit looks something like this:

Inline changes and notes in the sidebar are things you should expect. At IBGW, we strive to make you a better writer during our edits by providing education and noting things you should be watching out for. Every writer makes common errors; but if you know what they are, you're less likely to repeat them if you learn from your mistakes. This, I believe, is something every editor should do.

Proofreading

Different from editing, proofreading is all about looking for good transitions, proper use of punctuation, spelling issues, and redundancy. A proofreader should be able to speed-read your work and highlight issues without going into great detail. Your editor should be catching everything else. Many proofreaders will highlight things your editor may have missed and sling out a comment; but you shouldn't expect that. They're looking to give your manuscript a final once-over before it goes to print. All your T's should be crossed and your I's dotted after your manuscript is returned by a proofreader.

Your editor should never be your proofreader. They're too close to the work by the time the edit is done, and they'll miss things, just like you.

At INDIE Books Gone Wild, we use one person on our team to edit and another to proofread. Proofreading is included in the price of your edit. There's no need to shell out more money for someone else to do it. We even write it up in your contract and book your proofreading for you. That's part of the benefit of working with a team rather than a single person who tries to do it all.

No matter who you choose to work with, make sure you've read something they've written or edited and are comfortable with them as a person. Be sure you can respect their comments when your manuscript is returned. There's nothing worse than questioning every change someone makes. Trust is a huge part of the writer/editor relationship.

As a final note: Regardless of who you work with, be sure to have a contract. If your editor or proofreader balks at the idea of a contract, or won't let you read/look it over before you're expected to sign, run away. A contract is there to protect you both and shouldn't sway power one way or the other. Also, make sure it has an out clause.

I hope this helps you all in some small way.

That's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

The Period

Happy Thursday, good people of the blogosphere! I know what you're all thinking: Oh, how can she come up with something about the period I don't know? Strap on in and find out after you grab your pens and notebooks so we can get to it!

Everyone learns what a period means when they begin learning to write. It's finality, the end, and appears on the backside of a sentence. When you forget a period, your sentences bleed together like zebra running from a hungry lion. Can you imagine a story devoid of periods?

Did you know there's more than one use for a period?

As with every post on punctuation I'm going to be doing, this one uses information from The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th Edition.

Periods

While a period indicates you've come to the end of a declarative sentence, it can also be used to indicate something left out. Think about it. When you're abbreviating something, you put a period at the end. When you write, etc., there's a period on the end. Your period should always appear inside quotation marks (single or double), inside parentheses or brackets when they contain a complete sentence unless inside another complete sentence, and put three together to indicate a trailing off of speech (called an ellipsis).

Colons can replace periods when introducing an inline list or when something is being described.

When not to use a period:
At the end of a heading, subheading, running head, signatures, or addresses (to name a few). If your subhead is in line with the text, a period is necessary to separate the subhead from the text. Never in a vertical list. These lists should be preceded by an opening statement and a colon. Line items don't get periods.

Abbreviations
When using a period in an abbreviation, it always goes directly after the last letter and all other punctuation rules apply as though the abbreviation is a complete word.

But did you know you can also put periods on the end of incomplete sentences and it be okay? If you're writing in colloquial style (a style more similar to spoken language), it's perfectly acceptable. It's also okay to use before block quotations unless the quote is introduced by a word that indicates "this is because" or tells you to look out for what's next. In those cases, a colon is appropriate.

Maybe you already knew all this; maybe you didn't. Either way, I do hope you pay close attention to the periods in your life and how they affect you.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Dashing Dashes and How to Use Them

Happy Hump-Day, good people of the blogosphere! I bet you think you know all there is to know about dashes. Well, I'm here to tell you, you may not know as much as you think. This is a post you don't want to miss! So, grab those pens and notebooks and let's get going!

There are so many ways to use hyphens and dashes. This post is going by the rules outlined in The Chicago Manual of Style 15th Edition. First, I'm gonna show you what each one of the five looks like, then we'll go into how they're used.

Hyphens, en dashes, and em dashes are the most commonly used.

Hyphens

Hyphens are used to separate numbers or group numbers, in compound words, names, and for word division.

A little known use of the hyphen is in dialogue when referencing American Sign Language.

Examples of hyphen use:
Would you believe she wore a box-hat to the party?
Please call 1-800-888-8888 to find out more.
My book's ISBN is 978-1477489031.
My niece can sign A-P-P-L-I-C-A-T-I-O-N very quickly.

Going into names and compound words is best left for another day. It's a whole section in and of itself.

En dashes

It literally means "between" or "up to and including." It's used in dates or times or in place of a hyphen when one of the elements of a compound adjective is open. Some people would use a slash, but an en dash works as well. It can also be used to separate a college name from the city if there are more than two in the state with the same name. There are no spaces with en dashes unless indicating something is ongoing.

Examples of en dash use:
I went to Columbus for four years, 1995–1999, loving every minute of it.
My life has been long (1977– ) and I can't wait to have more fun. *Note the space after the en dash.
He went to the University of Tennessee–Chattanooga, not the University of Tennessee–Knoxville.
We went to Mexico as non–Spanish–speaking people.

Em dashes

This one is for setting off elements in novels. Some people use parentheses, commas, or colons to do this; but an em dash works as well. It will also separate a subject from a pronoun, indicates a break in speech when someone is cut off (unlike when someone trails off—those are indicated by an ellipsis), or replaces a comma. You can use them with other fun punctuation as well—like exclamation points!—as a tool to set off the phrase.

Examples of em dash use:
Should I—can I?—go to the party tonight?
"I was thinking we should—" I cut her off with a lift of my hand. "No. Probably not a good idea because she'll be there."
When the old man walked up—and he was walking really slowly—we showed him the way to his seat.

2-em & 3-em dashes

2-em dashes are used to represent something left out. The rule here is: If it replaces a part of a word, don't leave space on either side; but if it replaces a whole word, leave space. A 2-en dash is most commonly used to block out profanity. Oftentimes, these are shown by using four hyphens.

3-em dashes are used in bibliography to indicate this name is the same name as the one before, but it's a different title or work. These are shown by using six hyphens.

Examples:
2-em: She let loose with many words like —– and they blew my mind.
3-em: ——, Yassa. Jo Michaels: CreateSpace, 2012.

I hope this helps straighten some of the confusion out. I find these errors quite a bit when editing.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

It Takes a Team

Happy Monday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I'm talking about the people it takes to bring a book from rough manuscript to published work of brilliance. Yup, that's right, your publishing team.

We all have folks we love to use for certain things. But how many people does it take to create a book? Let's have some fun and take a look inside this publishing madhouse, shall we?

• Writer. Without the writer, what's the point? They're the real powerhouses behind all that wonderful literature you consume. Their imaginations open up and drag you, kicking and screaming, into a whole new world.
• Editor. This is the person the writer should be buddies with. Not cappuccino drinking, dress shopping, book swapping buddies; but someone you get along with that you know has a staunch work ethic along with a firm grasp of the English language and the building blocks that make an excellent book. Like the ladies over at INDIE Books Gone Wild, eh?
• Proofreader. Someone else who can catch all those niggling little errors that throw readers out of the story. A misplaced comma, period, misused word, or errant thought thrown into a paragraph where it doesn't belong.
• Cover Designer. Your brilliance in art. Someone who can bring your story into an image that's compelling. They should also have a strong grasp of the art of Typography. This is your book's face. It should be clean and have the makeup applied properly.
• Book Formatting Guru. We all need one of these hanging around. Someone who makes us look good in print or on an e-reader.
• Sales Platform. This is the company that sells copies of your book and keeps part of the profit. We don't like them much, but they're a necessary evil and we all have a favorite one.

Yes, it takes a team to publish a book. Who's on your team?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

INDIE Books Gone Wild

Happy Tuesday, good people of the blogosphere! I'm happy to see you've made it through Monday. Today, I'm officially announcing the start-up of INDIE Books Gone Wild. If you haven't noticed the addition of the logo over on the right side of my blog here, I have to ask if your head has been under a rock the last couple of weeks. Wake up and smell the wonderful!

A little bit about INDIE Books Gone Wild:
We're a team of editors dedicated to helping Indie authors shine. We work individually and as a group to bring you the best edit of your manuscript money can buy. That's right, we charge for our work. But what you get for your money is two sets of eyes; one doing your edit and the other doing your proofreading. That's right, your proofreading cost is built into the price of the editing.

Our goal is for you to seek out the IBGW logo when you consider hiring an editor. If you see that logo, you know you'll get one hell of an edit on your book.

We strive to, not only teach you how to become a better writer as we edit your manuscript, but to help you produce the best book possible. Browse our About Us page and read a few of our blurbs!

As a bonus, we market every book we work on. That's like having a team of people helping you push your book for free!

Services we offer:

• Proofreading
• Editing
• Beta-Reading
• Print Book Formatting
• Open Critique

Our last item is something special. In the open critique service, you get a four-week writing class, complete with materials, that will give your craft a kick in the ass toward awesomeness. This is great for new authors or established ones. The price? Only $400; and it includes all the books you'll need.

So, if you haven't taken the time to check us out or like our Facebook page, please take a moment and do so now. We're gonna have an awesome contest soon. Here's the link:
http://facebook.com/indiebooksgonewild

So pop over and give us some love!

Do you use an editor? Why/Why not?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Books You Just Can't Finish

Happy Thursday, good people of the blogosphere. Yes, Thursday is upon us once again and, as always, it's the day before Friday and the start of an awesome weekend! You've made it through hump-day and are on your way to freedom. Rejoice! Today, I'm talking about those niggling little things called: Books You Just Can't Finish.

Until I got into reading Indie books, I rarely came across a book I just couldn't finish. Now, I run across them rather frequently. While I'm not going to be so crass as to list titles, I will say there have been a number from my Indie Fever reading challenge list I couldn't get through. I tried, I did. But, when someone uses the word as in place of when, and, because, and where (as well as many verbs), I can't even stomach the word as where it's supposed to be.

Or, the worst, dialogue is stilted and feels forced along with the book being improperly formatted. Sorry, but I'm thirty-five years old and have too many other things to do than force my way through a book I don't like.

Please, for the love of all that's good in the world, HIRE AN EDITOR!

I hear it all the time: Why aren't my books selling?

Well, I can give you one reason: When someone reads a book with five or more errors on every page, they don't want to read anything else written by you. It doesn't matter if your story is the greatest one since Harry Potter; if someone can't read it, it's not going to sell. Period. Ever. If it's your first book, people won't pick up anything else you ever write.

Isn't an editor the best investment you can make for yourself and your work? It makes you look like you know what you're doing when you publish a book that's been edited by someone who follows a style guide like The Chicago Manual of Style or The Elements of Style.

It also helps when that editor is a reader and has been educated in the craft of writing.

Sorry I went on a rant today. It's just frustrating to offer a great service at a decent price and not have people take advantage of it when it can make them money in the long run.

Have you come across a book lately you couldn't finish? Why? Please don't list titles. This isn't a bash-fest.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Editing Tips

Happy Tuesday, good people of the blogosphere! Today I'm going to be giving you some editing tips and telling you how to catch those niggling little errors that drive readers like me bananas.

If you're a regular visitor to my blog, you'll know I keep a handy link list to relevant content herein. This is for you, not for me. It lets you find what you're looking for at a glance without having to do an irritating search or browse through hundreds of posts to find great information. This post will contain links to a few of those posts for your referencing pleasure. A lot of my visitors take notes while they're here, and you might want to consider doing so as well. So, grab your pens and notebooks and let's get going!

If you're a writer, you should be going through no less than four rounds of edits before sending your content off to your editor. What's that? You don't use an editor? You should. They'll catch things you can't. But, if you insist on doing all your editing yourself, here are the five major edits that need to be done in your work:

1. Storyline - This is the first edit and should consist of you going through the storyline very carefully, line by line, making notes on what your characters are doing at any given point. You don't want an apartment on the first floor in this chapter only to have it on the second floor two chapters later, or your character to be asleep in bed and then having a conversation on the other side of town in the next sentence. Check dates for linear flow. Fact check now as well. Make sure elements and language used match the era and voice of the character. Make all your notes before you change anything. If there's anything to add or any holes to fill, do it now.

2. Cut Out Superfluous Words - Go through your manuscript with a possessed red pen. Kill as many of these words as you can: that, just, for, to, began, thought, as. Reword where necessary. Take out sentences and adjectives you don't need. Remove adverbs. This post will show you why you don't need them: -ly

3. Pronouns - This is a big one. Check each pronoun and the person or thing it references. Make sure you aren't using them incorrectly. Here's a handy guide: Pesky Pronouns

4. Consistency and Punctuation - This is where you check your flow. Make sure commas aren't sprinkled around like fairy dust. Be sure your sentences flow well. Read and re-read to be sure you've been consistent when spelling a word, using language, or using a reference. Check your chapters for tension. For the love of all that's good, use contractions unless writing formal speech. Chase the S! Search the words backward, forward, toward, etc... and check to be sure the s (if you used it) is consistent. Beware the homophone and make sue you're using the right word. Use semicolons now and then. If you aren't sure how to do that, check out this handy guide: Semicolons

5. Proofread - Give it one last once over. Check it all to make sure there aren't any of the issues listed above hanging around and everything is spelled correctly, all quotes are in place and are the right kind (see image below), and all i's are dotted and t's are crossed. This is your last chance to make it beautiful.

I use a literary editor. Every writer should. She goes line by line and checks everything. But every writer should also go through the first four items on this list before sending their manuscript off to be corrected. Your best bet is to let your story chill in a drawer for a couple of weeks after you're done writing it before you start the process above.

I hope this helps in some small way. I know being an indie author isn't easy, but if you want your work to get great reviews that don't bash your writing, put in the time.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo