In this day and age when emojis and memes are an integral part of virtual communication, it’s tempting to write with symbols instead of words. Just because it’s more fun doesn’t mean it’s accurate.
Yes, I’m talking about the ampersand.
Hate editing? So do I. That’s why I created a step-by-step editorial guide for writers (like me) who put off editing.
Tackle these approachable, non-intimidating steps so that you edit your work and (finally) get it published!
Think of a story that you loved reading. Remember how hard the protagonist worked towards the goal? Remember the hardships the hero had to face and conquer before a resolution was reached?
Did you stop reading when the conflict increased? No, that’s the best part!
Now think of writing your story in the same way as a story. Writing is a journey full of multiple drafts, red pens and pondering where to go next.
And journeys are often an experience that’s shared. But when should you share your writing?
If punctuation had personality, the period would be the logical one, the comma calculated, the semi-colon the rambler and the colon attention-grabbing.
And the ellipsis? That’s our mysterious one.
What is the ellipsis holding back? What words will we never see in that quoted passage? And why were those words dropped in the first place?
Most importantly, how do we use the ellipsis correctly? Keep reading.
If you ask two writers this question, you probably wouldn’t receive the same response. There isn’t a straightforward answer when it comes to figuring out when to capitalize after a colon.
While often used like an em dash or a semi-colon, the colon has multiple uses to both keep our sentences and numbers in line. But when do we capitalize the word that follows it?
Fortunately, there are tricks to remembering when to capitalize after a colon.
You won National Novel Writing Month! Now what?
Life after NaNoWriMo can be confusing and anticlimactic—but it doesn’t have to be. Here’s what you can do over the next six months to keep your novel-in-progress in motion.
Can’t write your story because of that voice inside your head telling you to stop and fix your work? Here’s why your inner editor is holding you back—and what you can do about it.
You’ve reached the point in the writing process where it’s time to make some serious changes. Congratulations!
Credit: littlepieceoftape.blogspot.com
Now it’s time to pick up that red pen and make some small and big alterations to your writing. This is called the editing process and the revision process.
Here’s where it gets confusing. The terms editing and revising are often used interchangeably. Even I’m guilty of doing that.
But there are key differences between editing and revising. I like to refer to this chart:
But I can also spell it out.
Editing is about making the surface of the words nice and shiny. It’s like washing your car after driving across the country.
Editing means:
Revision takes editing beyond the surface level. Revising requires you to focus on the meaning of the words. To put it in another way, revising is like popping the hood on your car to see why it makes that funny noise.
Unlike the editing process, there are two levels to the revision process. That’s because, like a car, fixing that funny noise can lead to another leak you can’t see.
The first level of revising means:
The second level of the revising process focuses on the big picture of your writing. It’s about making sure that all the parts are in the right places and that it all flows coherently.
The second level of revising (for an essay or college paper) means:
The second level of revising (for a narrative) means:
There’s a lot of debate on this subject. And the right answer hasn’t been established yet.
Here’s what I recommend: Start in reverse. Revise your writing by looking at the big picture. Then revise for sentence flow and order. Wrap it up with editing every letter and punctuation mark.
I find this way saves a lot of time. Why spend hours capitalizing words if you end up cutting out that entire paragraph tomorrow?
Sometimes, the editing and revising process overlaps. I often fix the spelling of a word or shift passive into active voice while I’m heightening the action of a scene.
Finding what works for you takes time as well as some trial and error. Even our processes can use some revising and editing.
What do you think the real difference is between revising and editing? Share your thoughts below.
