Editors put a lot of pressure on writers to get it right. They instruct on grammar and choosing the right words. They point out what doesn’t work and what might work better, and they share what writers should do to create a book that the author will be proud of. But is that all there is?
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Why would an editor turn down an editing project? Obviously, there’s the excitement of a new project, the income, and a new client that the editor might work with for several other projects. But many editors have another motivation: to work with a writer to make a manuscript the best it can be, and to make the writer the best that he or she can be.
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The terms in the title represent two distinct ways of approaching writing. Prescriptive grammar defines the norms and rules, and represents accepted usage. Descriptive grammar, on the other hand is the language, syntax, and words that are actually used by speakers of a given language. While there are some writers and editors who take the extreme side of these two schools of thought, there is a middle ground.
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So, you’ve finally finished writing, editing, and rewriting. Your opening, middle and ending are all strong. You’re ready to submit your manuscript. Is there anything more you can do as a final check of your work before you release it? Following are some ideas.
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Are you trying to write today—but you seem to be stuck? You’re not alone. Following are a few tips and hints for priming your pump and getting you moving.
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No matter what you’re writing, every word needs to contribute to your message. When you use filler words, you make your communication less effective.
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Adjectives are used to describe people, places, and things, and good writers are able to write descriptions that are varied and creative. While you’ve probably created strings of adjectives before a noun, without much thought, you may sometimes wonder if they’re in the right order. Following are some guidelines.
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Knowing when and how to use quotation marks or italics—or nothing at all—is important for writers. Following are some guidelines.
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Many people find proofreading to be a drag. And while you can do it yourself, and maybe should, another person, who isn’t as familiar as you are with the text, will spot errors that you miss over and over again.
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Okay, you’ve written your first draft, and you’re really proud of the words you’ve set down. You may think that they’re unchangeable. After all, these are your words. However, your work is not yet a published book. It’s only a flow of words that will likely need to change a number of times before it’s actually published. It may need rewriting.
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