The Elusive Comma (Part 1 of 7)

(This post comes from Susan Titus Osborn.)

The punctuation error that seems to occur most often in the manuscripts crossing my desk is misuse of the comma. The Chicago Manual of Style (CMS or CMOS), The Associated Press Handbook, and most grammar books list different rules. Most publishers have their own style sheets, but they follow CMS, the standard in the book publishing industry. CMS is expensive so I suggest Strunk and White's The Elements of Style to help you with grammar, punctuation, and word usage. First copyrighted in 1935, that little 92-page book is packed with the basics.

Susan Titus Osborn is the director of the Christian Communicator Manuscript Critique Service. She has authored 30 books. You can reach her at susanosb@aol.com, http://www.Christiancommunicator.com/.

Words from a Book Editor (Part 2 of 2)

(This post comes from Vicki Crumpton.)

Traditional publishing is highly schedule driven. We live by catalog cycles and when a book is contracted, we slot it in a catalog season for release.

Manuscript deadlines are based on the release date, and everything we do for a book from then on, whether editorial, marketing, sales, or publicity, is driven by the need to hit that release date.

I'm writing this in the summer of 2012, and we're titling books that will release the following summer. Once titles are set, the cover design starts. I’m editing books that will release a year from now.

Each October, our sales conference prepares our reps to sell the upcoming Summer list, and our key account reps start selling right after the sales conference. Why? The large accounts make their buying decisions that far in advance.

Air traffic control is a good analogy for the publishing process. Planes get slotted by air traffic control long before they reach their destination, so that when planes get close to O’Hare, all of them can land in an orderly fashion.

I'd love to have the opportunity to listen to the cockpit radio conversation. I've never heard a pilot say, "I have to fly over Dallas on my way to Chicago, so I'm going to be about five hours late. That won't mess up anybody, will it?"

Life does happen. The important thing is for authors to communicate with their editors as soon as they know there will be a problem with a deadline.

Vicki Crumpton, Executive Editor for Revell (a division of Baker Publishing Group), acquired a number of award finalists and winners, as well as several New York Times' bestsellers, including 90 Minutes in Heaven. She holds an M. Div. and Ph.D. from Southwestern.

Words from a Book Editor (Part 1 of 2)

(This post comes from Vicki Crumpton.)

When I receive a proposal, I evaluate far more than the manuscript. I look at platform, professionalism, marketing angles, other books in our list, and a host of other things before I even get to the manuscript or sample chapters.

When I start working on a contracted manuscript, I look at the technical things, such as grammar, style, punctuation, and word count. Amazingly, authors occasionally miss that by as much as 20,000 words. That always concerns me.

This is where publishing gets fun: I love it when a manuscript comes in far better than I dreamed it would be when we contracted it. I love it when I get so involved in reading that I forget that I need to work on the manuscript. I love it when authors hit home runs.

A good author-editor relationship is like most other good relationships. There’s a common interest. There’s good communication. There’s respect. It often goes beyond just work, though, because we share things that are happening in our lives. Over the course of my career, most of my authors would say they also count me as a friend, as I do them.

Vicki Crumpton, Executive Editor for Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, acquired a number of award finalists and winners, as well as several New York Times' bestsellers, including 90 Minutes in Heaven. She holds an M. Div. and Ph.D. from Southwestern.

A Note from Cec

For this series, I've received an immense number of responses--and I'm thankful to each of you for the effort you expended to write.

I've been heavily involved with my virtual assistant, Twila Belk, in finishing up a book for early 2013 release. It's taken us about three months longer than I had anticipated. We're almost finished.

One question sent was whether these blog entries would appear in book form. Yes (so I can get Twila to stop nagging) and it will probably go into print the first part of 2013. (We'll notify you.)

Today someone asked what blogs I read on writing. I skim a number of them, but haven't found one I particularly like. I own perhaps 200 books on writing. A couple of months ago I bought two books by Mignon Fogarty. She writes brief entries, so I carry her book with me on my trips to read in those odd moments.

But the truth is that I've been writing full time since 1984, and I've learned many, many lessons (and I'm still learning). I'm at the stage where I need reminders more than new information.

Writing Articles (Part 21 of 21)

One more thing I need to do.

Good writers are never satisfied with their writing. They know they can improve even though they're not sure how. So they continue learning and reading about writing.

Each morning I spend about ten minutes online reading blogs for writers, trying to glean insight. Many of them are helpful. The more I grow as a writer, the more aware I become of good writing and weak writing.

I also read widely—far, far outside the fields in which I write. I promised myself and God that I would never stop learning. In that commitment I promised that I would read at least one book a week. (I'm about 10 years ahead of my proposed number.)

I want to be known as a growing writer. 

I can be known that way if I remain a learner. 

I promise myself not to stop learning.

Writing Articles (Part 20 of 21)

Stop. Let go.

When I finished the eighteenth draft of my first article, I knew I couldn’t improve it. Today I could, but that was the best I could do then. An editor or someone else might make it better, or in another year I might have developed my skills enough to make it better. But not then.

To myself I said aloud, "This is the best I can do at this stage of my development." I still repeat those words before I send in a manuscript. It’s my way to let it go.

Someone told me, "I have to decide if I will release my imperfect manuscript or hold on to the perfect manuscript inside my head."

When I can say, 

"This is the best I can do at this stage of my development," 

I give myself permission to stop.

Writing Articles (Part 19 of 21)

Write a good query.

You can find a plethora of books and articles on how to write a query letter. I suggest you avoid them. I've read some of those supposedly can't-fail ideas and I wouldn't accept any of them. My basic query idea applies whether you write to agents or editors.

Here are two things you need to bear in mind:

* Keep the query brief.

* Make it a professional-looking business letter whether you use paper or email.

I suggest you write one paragraph that gives them your idea for a book or an article. Call it the elevator pitch, précis statement, or concept (the term I use). Don't give them a sales pitch such as, "This book will revolutionize the way people eat cereal." State your premise and let them make value judgments.

In the second paragraph tell them about yourself. Give them your background, education, experience, and your work or profession—anything that shows your credentials to write the article or book.

Your next paragraph reads: May I send you my article? If it's a book, you ask to send your book proposal. If you have completed your manuscript, you write: May I send you my proposal or my completed manuscript?

Query letters are simple sales pitches. Make no claims for what your article or book will do. Just tell them what it is.

My query letter is a business letter. 

It asks an editor to buy my product, 

and the editor probably knows the product better than I do.

Writing Articles (Part 18 of 21)

Polish the article again.

You've edited once and you're finished.

I doubt it.

Keep editing and revising it until you know you can’t make it better.

Look for redundancies. Most writers tend to overwrite and to say the same thing three or four times with different words. In print, you need to say something only once (unless you're using it as a literary device). Therefore, when you polish, aim for brief articles and short chapters.

Today, articles run 800 to 1800 words and if you stay below 1200 words, you're probably about right. Chapters have also gotten shorter. For an example, look at the novels of James Patterson. None of his chapters takes up more than five pages. Each is one scene, and a decade ago editors would have combined several of them into a single chapter. Patterson caters to the byte-size generation and his books consistently hit the best-seller lists.

My writing may not hit the best-seller lists, 

but I can make it the best writing I'm capable of producing. 

And if it's my best, that's good enough—for now.

Writing Articles (Part 17 of 21)

Polish your writing again.

I like to rewrite. Sound crazy? Not to me, because I enjoy finding ways to make my writing better. Below are some of the things I look for when I get into Serious Mode Editing.

I scrutinize for clichés, fuzzy thoughts, grammatical problems, poor word choice, and favorite words I've used too often. I ask myself: Have I written with a logical progression? Too many writers touch on a topic and four paragraphs later go back to the same point.

Another thing, I read the final sentence of a paragraph and the first of the next to see if I've made good transitions. If you read the two previous sentences, you'll see that by starting this paragraph with "another thing," I made a transition. You had no trouble following my thoughts.

I get rid of clutter, such as redundancies and laborious phrases. A good rule is that if I can think of a simpler word, I use it in place of a long word. We write to communicate, not to impress.

I check sentence length. When I get above 20 words in a sentence with no commas or semicolons, I've already strained the grasp of some.

I especially look for clichés. I'm weary of reading those overused phrases. At Christmas, for example, I must have read 50 ads that touted the perfect Christmas gift. Not only is nothing perfect, but the word has become meaningless.

I'll deal with clichés another time, but think of it this way: If it's an expression you've heard before, it's probably a cliché. Find a different-but-clear way to say it.

I will revise my manuscript. Then I'll do it again. 

There is no magic number of revisions, 

but it's always more than one.

Writing Articles (Part 16 of 21)

Shorten those sentences.

Grumble if you like, but terse-and-clear is the mark of good writing. 

Whether or not you think a sentence is too short, in order to write well, it probably isn't too short at all.

Read that 22-word sentence again. You can cut words. Whether implies or not. At all is redundant and you can cut in order. I'd suggest you make the sentence read this way: If you think a sentence is too short, it probably isn't. Not only is the revision shorter, but it's clearer and more readily understood.

When I first started to write, the late Charlie Shedd taught, "Never make a sentence longer than 15 words." His words were a bit arbitrary, but in those days 50 words wasn't too long for a sentence. Yet I vigilantly limited my sentences so I didn't exceed than that number. After a time, however, I realized that 15 makes choppy writing.

Here's how I say it today: "Let your sentences average no more than 20 words." Good writing doesn't demand a word limit on a sentence. Take as long as you need to express a thought. Afterward, go back and ask if you can eliminate words or perhaps make a long sentence into two.

If you write succinctly and clearly, you're one rung higher on the good-writer ladder. You can figure out the antithesis of that statement. Antithesis is a good word, but it may be beyond the vocabulary of some readers. Why not say the opposite? That's another tip.

Good writers cut ruthlessly. 

I am becoming a good writer, so I cut ruthlessly.

Writing Articles (Part 15 of 21)

Revise and polish your article.

Call it editing, revising, or polishing, it means you work on the article until it's the best you can do.

As I wrote earlier, I wrote 18 full drafts of my first article. After that, I revised each a few times. Perhaps 15 on the second article (I no longer remember). By then, I had gained knowledge on how to write. I continued working to improve.

I still write occasional articles and I go through the same steps, but I write fewer drafts. I rarely go beyond the third draft. Even on the third, it really is polishing and not editing.

Here are a few hints on polishing your work.

* Look for awkward or laborious sentences.

* Seek ways to cut unneeded words. Get rid of adjectives and adverbs that don't enhance the writing.

* Sharpen your focus (if needed).

* Look at the number of times you use the same word in your article. If you use a word 12 times, that's too many. Look at a thesaurus for synonyms (but don't use one unless you know what it means). 

My article is never good enough 

until it's good enough for me to say I can't improve it.

Writing Articles (Part 14 of 21)

Slant your article.

You can write your article two different ways. The common method is to write an article and search for a magazine or ezine to publish it. That often works—but it's not efficient.

A better way is to slant the article to fit the needs of a particular publisher. That's called "knowing your markets."

For instance, I don’t like put-down jokes and I decided to write an article on the subject. I aimed it at parents so that they could set the example for their children.

I sent the article to a magazine and their guidelines stated that staff wrote 90 percent of their articles. I had studied the magazine enough to know my article fit their scope and style, so I sent it. Three weeks later an editor wrote to say she liked the article and that it was exactly the kind of material they wanted. (I felt affirmed by that comment.)

The problem was that they didn’t see how they could use it for at least a year. "This isn’t fair to you," she wrote, "so please feel free to sell it elsewhere. If you have not sold it within six months, please send it back and we’ll accept it for publication."

I didn't want to wait. I changed three sentences to focus on adults in general, gave it a new title, and sent it to a different magazine. They bought it and also paid more money than where I sent it first.

In my early days of writing I wouldn’t have known how to do that. Despite my changing the slant for a second magazine, the principles of writing articles still hold. I started my article with one basic thought, illustrated my point, told about the harm of put-down jokes, and offered suggestions on how to avoid that type of humor.

Slanting is part of the craft I learn. 

It's more work to slant ly writing for a specific publication. 

It's also a sign of professionalism.

Writing Articles (Part 13 of 21)

Two Qualities Every Article or Book Needs

I've previously mentioned the need for uniqueness. That is, what can you say that hasn't been said endlessly and probably better than you could?

One major method I used in my early days is what I call the yes-but concept. When I read what others say on a topic that I'm interested in, I mentally argue with them. I read their presentation and say, "Yes, that's true, but. . ." That is, I try to think of what the author isn't saying or I raise my own questions.

The second quality every article needs is universality. Whatever idea you have, you need to show readers how it applies to them. Your premise must be important enough for readers to say, "Yes, that's something I need to read."

If you want to talk about coping with an illness that only one person in 40 million people face, you'll have trouble marketing that idea. But you could write about the mental and physical anguish of coping with a debilitating illness and use your experience to illustrate your premise.

When I write for publication 

I remind myself of uniqueness and universality. 

My writing needs both.

Writing Articles (Part 12 of 21)

Ignore the manuscript for a time.

Many writers feel exhilarated or relieved when they write the final word and want to get it to the editor or agent. Resist that urge. Look at it again critically. Does this sentence make sense? Did I explain it thoroughly? Did I over-explain?

After I close the file on a manuscript and leave it a few days, perhaps as long as a month, I've always improved it. I use the absolute always because I mean without exception.

When I return to the material, I read it with new insight because the material has been churning in my unconscious mind. (I intentionally put the previous sentence in the passive voice. I could have written: My unconscious mind churned the material, but the emphasis was on the action (churning) and not on the actor (my mind). This is an extra tip.

I write to get the story written; 

I rewrite to improve the quality.

Writing Articles (Part 11 of 21)

Don't distract readers.

Let's look again at reading two magazines. As you focus on each article, here’s another question to ask: Is there anything that distracts me from a single focus? Less experienced writers tend to provide too much information and thus divert the power of the message.

Once you have a single-focused idea, you can state it in one sentence. Here are examples:

* If you’re considering adoption, here are seven things you need to know.

* People see the patient, but the caregiver becomes invisible.

* I didn't want to forgive Betty, but Betty forgave me.

If I can't reduce an article, scene, or chapter 

into one statement, 

I probably haven't focused.

Writing Articles (Part 10 of 21)

How do I write the first draft?

My answer is simple: Go wild. Don't censor yourself. Vomit on the page. Let it flow. Remind yourself you can always go back and delete. You'll certainly be able to go back and improve.

If your first draft contains paragraphs that don't fit the topic, delete them. However, you may have stumbled on to the idea for a follow-up article.

Write the draft and don't worry about grammar or style. No one has to see the draft but you. You may be one of those logical, analytical writers who thinks sequentially. Let it flow. If you're the other kind and your mind jumps around and you end up with a first draft of 5,000 words and you need only 1/5 of the material, that's all right. Don't censor yourself.

The too-many words writer needs to learn to cut, cut, cut. I call that the fat writer. By contrast, I call myself a skinny writer (I am thin, but that's not the reason).

As a skinny writer, even when I let it flow, my first draft reads more like an outline than a full article, but I've written my concepts and major thoughts. If you're a skinny writer, you'll have to add details or information to bring readers into your way of thinking.

When I write my first draft, I vomit on the page. 

I will go back later and clean up the mess.

Writing Articles (Part 9 of 21)

Two ways to outline your article:

Here are two methods, both of which provide a helpful formula. I'm not a formula-type writer, but both methods have proven beneficial to many.

#1Train Method: (Visualize the old-fashioned freight train with the snowplow, locomotive, boxcars, and caboose.)

1. Snowplow or Cowcatcher: You grab attention, carry readers into the article with a quote, anecdote, or question to rouse curiosity and keep them reading.

2. Locomotive: Write the theme or purpose that sets the direction and establishes your focus. It's a concise statement of your viewpoint.

3. Boxcars: They carry the evidence that supports your premise. This is the heart or substance of the article and you arrange it in logical sequence.

4. Caboose: You end the article so that readers feel they are at the end and you didn't merely stop.

#2 Guideposts Method: This is the basic formula used by Guideposts magazine for their articles.

1. Hey! You grab attention.

2. You! This is the theme or reason the article is important to readers.

3. See! You show your viewpoint or purpose. This is the body of the article.

4. So? This is your conclusion. You haven't finished until you show readers the relevance of the article to their lives.

Because I want to learn, 

I seriously ponder the two formulas.

Writing Articles (Part 7 of 21)

Gather your material.

Once you know what you want to write and you've decided on one idea for the chapter or article, gather the material. That's called doing research.

Learn everything you can to make your manuscript complete and include all essential information.

If it's a personal-experience, search your memory and ask others who were involved. If it's historical or factual material (even if you write fiction) read widely. Find the one or two best sources—preferably the original sources quoted by others.

Always learn more about a topic than you plan to use. Years ago I wrote a scene in a novel that included a woman's visit to a field of pyrethrum, a natural pesticide. By the time I finished my research, I could have easily written 5,000 words on the topic. In the novel, I wrote one paragraph and used 93 words. That's all I needed for the story.

When you research carefully, you provide accurate information. Keep records. Footnote your writing if needed. If you use on-line sources, verify the information before you quote.

Decide on the anecdotes and illustrations you want to use. Think of those word pictures as windows. If you have only narrative statements, it's like a building with only walls. If you illustrate with research, you create windows for your readers. You enable readers to see inside the structure and they understand your statements.

I work hard as a writer 
so I can make it easy for readers.

Writing Articles (Part 6 of 21)

How do I move from idea to polished manuscript?

1. You start with an idea—one about which you're passionate. Don't try to write an article just because you think it will sell. You need enthusiasm to stay with it.

2. Decide if there is an audience large enough for your article.

3. Do the research. We all work differently, but be sure you know your topic. If it's a personal-experience piece, be as clear on the facts as possible. Ask others who were involved. Research means you gather information and you also figure out illustrations or anecdotes to make your ideas significant.

4. Start building your ideas around a theme. Everything in your piece needs to point to your central idea. I usually write my concept for articles and for books. It helps me stay focused. For instance, a couple of years ago I worked on something about accountability. Here's my premise:

To whom are you accountable?

Most people answer with one word: Nobody.

Everything in that piece had to keep going back to that statement. I had to show readers they needed someone—a friend, a mentor, or a therapist. That led me to state the benefits of relating to someone else.

5. Write a draft. (See the next blog for more on that.)

6. Leave the draft for as long as you can—a day or possibly two weeks. I find a week is usually enough for me to get my mind off the topic—which is the idea.

7. Let the unconscious work. That's part of leaving the draft. Try not to think consciously of its strengths or weaknesses.

8. After a time lapse, edit ruthlessly. Take out every weak word and look for anything that doesn't flow with the topic.

9. You might need to edit more than once. I edited my first article 18 times before I sent it out. (I also sold it to the first magazine to which I sent it.)

10. Send it off. Get it off your desk.

11. Think of a new idea. It's even better if you can think of some other aspect of the topic on which you've written. If you can, you build your credentials and those isolated articles become the basis for your book. If not a book, you become an authority on your topic through magazines and ezines.

I work systematically and faithfully 

because I want to publish.

Writing Articles (Part 5 of 21)

How do I write a good article?

Start with passion. Find a topic that excites you. Let's try something simple. Suppose you want readers to manage their time better. Thousands of articles and books have come out on the topic during the past 30 years, so you want to say something that's different.

What unique insight do you have? You could write a personal-experience article on your winning over procrastination and gaining control. You could write a how-to article (which is the most commonly written type). Go back to passion. What grabs you about the topic?

How about starting with something like the Myers-Briggs Personality Types Inventory? It says that you have a preference for meeting deadlines (a J in their inventory) or you're a P and you don't get close to meeting deadlines without pressure.

Is the passion stirring? Do the ideas flow? Stay with the manuscript. Ponder the concept. If the J personalities don't need the time-management tips, what do you have to offer the P personalities without inducing guilt?

As you ponder the idea you will do research. What have others said on the topic? At least Google the topic of time management and that can help you learn what's been written on the topic.

If I can write an article infused with passion, I know there is an audience for my ideas.

I begin an article with a passionate concept. 

That's the best place to start.