All posts by NewEngland_Muse

I'm a traditionally and self published author. I write in the genre of children and YA at the moment but working my way up to adults. I'm a sports loving, photo taking gal who loves to sing/dance to my own enjoyment. I love to laugh even at myself. I am also owned by 8 birds and 2 hamsters, and yes they know it. :)
Editor, Freedom, Writer

Editor:Why I Need One

4 Comments

2013-03-22 10.20.35

I know there are tons and tons of links about why authors need to get an editor. Today’s post is why I need one. I am fortunate to have an amazing woman as my editor. She works tirelessly fixing my bunch of words to where they sparkle.  I will be perfectly honest. I am not a fan of commas. I don’t know where to put them with accuracy. I wrote once on my FB something along the line to how I was sure glad as punch that she knew where they went for I sure as hell did not. I don’t. Something so simple but if you do it wrong it will completely mess up a paragraph, page and eventually a chapter if you make enough mistakes.

I am not always sure when to make a chapter break. I get these right a good portion of the time but not always. Nancy will swoop in and leave in the margins where one should be and I am grateful for that.  There has been times I have not made any chapters at all. A great example of this was NaNoWriMo 2012 where I have 60k plus works but no chapters. I did separate them so it did not look like a hot mess. The sad part is I am still adding to this story I fear what it will look like when I am finally done and have to hand it over to her. I will do my best to separate it where it should be. I had gotten so wrapped up in this story, I wrote the required 50k words in two weeks.  I just wrote and wrote not caring about editing but about the words.

Nancy has spoiled me plan and simple. She lets me be an author without worrying about edits as I am writing down the latest story or MS. Knowing that about her I can be free and just work on my craft. I know a lot of editors heck majority of editors would probably kick me to the curb and say I need to find someone else. At which point I would have to man up and do a better job.

She has polished my query letter and my MS so well that publishing houses even in the rejection letters are saying how polish my work is in content, yeah me, and in edit which is yeah Nancy.  We make a good team. She allows me to write without worry about what I am going to do after. I am so grateful for her. I hope my fellow writers have a great person in their corner. It truly makes a huge difference in where I started to where I am at now.

Editing, Guest Post, Writers

Guest Post:Editing

4 Comments

shblogo1

Today we have with us a guest post from a dear friend of mine.  She is a talented editor and author. I wanted to showcase her talent.

Guest Post

Editing . . . Do I Really Need It?

As writers and authors, we all know editing is important. A couple of people will say that it’s really not needed, but come on now, you know that’s not true. If you want your books to shine, getting it polished and properly edited is a must.

There are some of us who don’t need extensive editing in order to get our work to the best standard it can be, while others need a couple passes before our book is ready to be unleashed to the world outside. There’s nothing more exciting than letting your baby go, and watching it take flight.

There are quite a few different options in which to edit a book. Basic editing allows you to take care of those pesky grammatical, typographical, and punctuation errors. Capitalization, spelling, vague wording, and missing words are also fixed during this phase of editing. Editors also look for repetition and awkward sentence structures.

If a more extensive edit is needed, an editor will look for all of the above, as well as fix inconsistencies, look for clarity in writing, and pay close attention to tone, tenses, and generalization. This will allow the editor to make changes based on what he or she feels is a must while still maintaining the author’s tone/voice throughout the edit itself.

There is also the option of a more developmental edit. Here, the editor will make revisions as he/she sees fit. If something needs to be rewritten, the editor will do so, and make note of the change for you. The editor will also take a look at development of your character, story, plot, setting, and facts. The story’s pacing/flow is also scrutinized in order to make sure that action moves along, and doesn’t stall in certain places. Dialogue/proper word usage is also examined, and fixed accordingly.

We mustn’t forget about proofreading. This is definitely a must in order to ensure that nothing was left to chance with the edit itself. This is the final step before sending your book out for publishing.

There are times that with certain changes made, the story itself will change. Keep in mind that the changes an editor makes are just that – changes. An author doesn’t have to keep every change an editor suggests. If you feel that something suggested doesn’t mesh with the message you tried to convey, that’s fine. You don’t have to accept it. You can keep what you’ve written as is, and move on to the next portion of the edit itself.

Most of us assume that keeping most of the changes made by editor in your work is crucial. It’s not. View the changes made as a guideline, of sorts. Sometimes, an editor’s suggestions will allow you to take a look at what you’ve written, and view it in a different light. It’ll open up a slew of possibilities that you didn’t see before. Often-times, this will lead you to fix what you thought was wrong in the first place, and make it better than before.

Editing is needed in order to make your work better than it was before. Be it basic or extensive, it’ll definitely benefit you in the long run. Don’t disregard the option just because you might think you don’t need it. Take a leap of faith, and let a second set of eyes peruse your work before letting it loose in front of your intended audience. Sometimes, that extra step is all that’s needed in order to give your book that little polish and oomph so that it’ll shine in your reader’s eyes.

inkwell

Bio:

S. H. Books Editing Services was established in March 2013.

Our goal is to provide you with quality editing, book formatting, and proofreading services.

Authors know that it’s imperative to have a clear, concise manuscript when it comes to submitting their work to a publishing company. Those pesky errors/typos are sometimes hard to miss. A fresh pair of eyes in catching what you didn’t see before allows you to mold your manuscript just the way you want it to be.

That’s what we’re here for. We’ll avidly work with you to get your manuscript to where it should be, polishing your book to the best of our ability as we go along.

Links:

Website:http://www.shbooks.org/editingservices
Blog:http://www.shbooks.org/esblog
Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/shbookseditingservices
Twitter:https://twitter.com/SHBooksEditing
Google +:https://plus.google.com/b/100015188036335706104/100015188036335706104
Email:contact@shbooks.org

Laughter, Life, Writers

Writers:Time To Take Over The World

5 Comments

2013-03-14 08.43.06

Writing is serious business. With it comes pain, struggle, time and effort to get to our own personal endpoint. To lighten it up it helps to watch a funny movie, book or hang out with people who make you laugh.

I know my laugh embarrasses my son for it is loud, deep and has a life of its own. Someone at my old job told me it did not matter what I was laughing at when they heard it they too would burst out into laughter. That pleased me.

So when I went to my favorite used book store in town I came across this book, “How To Rule The World: A Handbook for the Aspiring Dictator”. I mean seriously it practically jumped into my hands how could it not?

Sitting down I started to check it out immediately bursting into loud fits of giggles to where heads turned. I am not sure where in the store my husband was but I am sure he heard and recognized me.  I mean with a title like this how could it not be funny right? As the pages turned my sides started to hurt and I teared up to where my glasses became stained. I love moments like that and the things that make it happen.

The humor this author possess is magical for me. Going to the counter, for I knew I must have this book, I told the clerk about it and she smiled. I was still in fits of laughter to where my hubby finally said enough basically.  Getting home I irritated my family some more as I continued to read. I did not let them stop me.

My point is simple. It is hard work being a writer and trying to make a name for ourselves. Now and then we need to chill and just forget the moment and laugh. And not one of those small giggles that you cover your mouth with not wanting to make a scene.  I want you guys to have a big belly jiggling , sides hurting, tears in your eyes to where you can barely stand for it is just too much to hold in.  Life is short writing is a hard word. Laugh along the way I know I am.