Posts Categorized: Editing

Returning from a Writer’s Conference

Posted by Christi McGuire

You’ve just returned home from your first Writers’ Conference. What. A. Trip! It was everything you hoped and nothing like you planned. Perhaps it exceeded your expectations, perhaps you experienced some disappointments — either way, your mind has been going a million miles an hour, your face hurts from smiling, and no matter how much of an extrovert you usually are, you’re ready to crawl in bed and stay there for a week.

Like coming home after summer camp when you were a kid, the days following a conference are naturally going to feel pretty dreary. You are likely exhausted both emotionally and physically. You already miss your new writer friends who totally “get” you like no one else does! Here’s a few things to keep in mind as you ease back into your regular routine:

Allow for some down time. Plan for a down day or two to unpack and regroup. Sleep, eat well, and rejuvenate your body.

Take the time to say thank you. Go through your notes and the business cards you collected and follow up! If any agents or editors requested additional material, send it to them asap. Or simply write a short thank-you note letting them know you appreciate the time they spent with you.

Network, network, network! Log in to your social media accounts and follow all the people you connected with — build your platform and network! This will be invaluable to you later on.

Create an action plan. Go through your notes and conference materials, and create an action plan or to-do list of the things you want to do, complete, and accomplish. Then give yourself some deadlines to stay on track.

Pace yourself! Ease back into “real life,” and remember, you don’t have to catch up on everything you missed all at once.

But you can start planning for the next conference you’d like to attend, now that you are an experienced conferee!

 

My next conference will be PENCON, the only conference in the Christian industry for freelance editors. Register at https://penconeditors.com/register/. I hope to see you there!

5 Tips for Preparing for Writers’ Conferences

Posted by Christi McGuire

You’re going to a writer’s conference! You’ve got a dream in your back pocket, and you’re ready to make it happen. Soon you will step inside a crowded room full of other writers, editors, agents, and publishers, and you’re going to take the next step toward your publishing dream.

It may sound intimidating (okay, well, it sort of is, the first time) but there’s plenty you can do to prepare for your first conference. Besides the basic stuff, like, wear deodorant and check your teeth after eating salad, keep in mind the “5 Ps” to ensure you make the most of your conference experience.

  • Plan. Conferences can be pricey—between registration fees, accommodations, and travel—so be sure to maximize your investment by planning ahead. Is this conference at a fancy urban hotel or rustic retreat center? How will you get there from the airport? Will you be schlepping your own bags, or will there be bell service available? What will the other conference attendees be wearing? What time will your body think it is when you get up the first morning? Spend time looking over the schedule, plan what you want or need in terms of clothing (and can carry), arrange for ground transportation, and be aware of (and plan for) adjusting to time changes.
  • Most conferences offer many classes and sessions concurrently. Some even offer schedules, or tracks, especially designed for new writers, fiction or nonfiction writers, etc. Take time to review the course schedule and decide in advance where your time will best be spent. Review the faculty list and decide with whom to set appointments or meetings, and do so ahead of time, if possible.
  • You’re at the conference to get noticed, so prepare to be scrutinized! Make sure you have plenty of business cards and multiple copies of other documents you may be presenting, such as your manuscript, one-sheets, etc. Practice your elevator speech and your pitch in advance; better yet, do it with a friend. Ask (and accept) feedback, and practice, practice, practice!
  • Professional. While this may seem like a vacation or weekend escape, remember, this is a business trip. You may or may not get that meeting with the editor or agent you’re dying to meet, but you never know who else you’ll cross paths with at this event. Be professional at all times! I can’t stress this enough—even after hours, because you never know who might be rooming next door. Be courteous and outgoing when meeting others. Use every opportunity to network with fellow conferees; be courteous and interested in them and not only yourself. Most importantly, don’t be annoying! You may have a hard time getting in front of that agent or editor, but you’re not doing yourself any favors if you stalk them all weekend or follow someone into the bathroom (yes, this has actually been done before).
  • Pace. You might be the most outgoing extrovert on the planet, but meeting so many people and engaging constantly is emotionally and physically exhausting. Don’t pack your schedule so tightly that you are constantly on the go. Pace yourself, drink lots of water, fuel your body with wise eating choices, get plenty of rest (even when you want to stay up late and chat with friends), and schedule downtime for yourself. Ensure that you’ll have the physical and emotional energy to finish strong and that you’ve maximized every encounter and opportunity available.

Finally, plan to have fun—this may be your once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, or it may just be the next step in your writing journey. Take advantage of all your conference has to offer, but also know you’ve done your best and what happens is meant to happen. Enjoy the experience, glean everything you possibly can from the people you meet and the classes and workshops you attend, and keep moving toward that publishing dream.

Join me at the Florida Christian Writers Conference, Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference, or PENCON!

 

 

Featured Editor

Posted by Christi McGuire

The thing I love best about working in the Christian publishing industry is the camaraderie among colleagues. Technically, we are all competitors, fighting for the same clients, the same jobs. But it is a cooperative competition—we all help one another out. Because, in the end, we all have the same boss—God. So when a colleague succeeds, we all cheer (even if that means we missed out on an editing gig). So because of this cooperative competition, we boost one another and encourage each other. Many thanks to Karin Berry of Write Now Editing for featuring me on her blog.

Enjoy some tips and inside scope of my interview here.

Sing Your Song

Posted by Christi McGuire

birds sing

I’m sitting here editing … another book proposal, one of my favorite things to do … and I hear a song. The song of a bird, high atop one of the massive pine trees that congregate in our back acreage.

Out the window, I can see the lone bird, nestled and content. It’s so loud, so strong, I think to myself. Surely there is another bird joining in.

Nope. Just one bird. Singing for anyone—or no one—to hear. Singing because it can. Because that’s how God created it.

“The birds of the sky nest by the waters; they sing among the branches.”
(Psalm 104:12 NIV)

This bird has a beautiful song, and I sit and listen, enraptured by its melody. One bird. One song. One moment that brings so much joy and peace, even if it’s only for me.

No matter what the weather, no matter what the other birds and animals are doing, no matter that no other creature joins in … this bird sings its song.

Do you sing your song? Do you do what God created you to do?

Regardless of the weather, your emotions, what others are doing, what social media posts, whether others join in or understand or appreciate?

Whether a writer, editor, carpenter, stay-at-home mom, sales manager, or waitress … whoever you are, whatever you do, wherever you are … sing your song.

“Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth.” (Psalm 96:1 NIV)

What Authors Need in Today’s Publishing World


Posted by Christi McGuire

More Than an Editor

Today I’m starting a new series, “More Than an Editor.”
If you are an editor (or an author), follow this series based on classes I have developed and teach for freelance editors. 

The publishing world has vastly changed in the last decade. Authors no longer get to just write. They have to develop, plan, and grow a platform. They have to be social media experts. They are like business people executing business plans. They must be knowledge in how to promote, market, and sell their books. They are required to develop their “brand” and make their name recognizable. They must know well-known endorsers, connect with bloggers, and develop reader newsletters, Facebook groups, and fan forums.

To say authors are overwhelmed at the publishing process would be an understatement, I believe.

As the publishing industry changes how authors write, it is also changing how editors edit. Since authors must be more than authors—they must be social media experts, business people, marketers, promoters, brand developers—editors have to be more than editors. We have to develop skills that are beyond those of developmental editing, substantive editing, and copyediting. We must know everything that an author must know in order to best serve our author clients. That means we have to know all about publishing—both the writing side and the editing side.

As I work with book authors, I discover that the entire scope of what an author is expected to know and do is overwhelming for them. All of my clients have sought not only feedback on how to make their manuscripts better but also advice on how to navigate through the publishing process.

When do I send a query letter?

How do I write a proposal?

What does “competitive analysis” mean?

How is a proposal formatted? 

These are all questions and concerns that authors have. Yes, they can find blogs and websites and resources to answer all of these questions. They can study and learn how to do it all themselves. But if you have the answers, if you can format their queries and proposals, if you can consult them through the publishing process, then you have not only extended the paid gig with a client, but you also have likely secured a life-long relationship with this author. One that will keep the client coming back to you for her second book proposal, third book proposal, etc.

I have found that the most satisfying thing for me as an editor is developing relationships with authors and journeying with them through the entire publishing process. It is priceless to know you did such a good job consulting them that they can’t wait for you to help edit and format their next book proposal and give your expert advice on how to navigate the next journey of their career. Even after landing contracts with publishing houses and working with the in-house publishing editors, I’ve had clients come back to ask me my advice about book cover design or social media blasts. It’s not only been an honor for me to do so, but it is also amazing to see the entire life of a book, from manuscript to publication and beyond, not just the edits on a page.

Bottom line: I truly think editors need to develop skills that extend beyond editing in order to service the whole scope of an author’s publishing journey.

Stay tuned for next week’s article: “How to be Coach and Cheerleader as an Editor.”

Keys to Successful Freelance Editing Convention

Posted by Christi McGuire

Have you ever found something “accidentally” and later realized what a great impact it’s had?

That’s how I feel about The Christian PEN. I joined this network of Christian editors about two years ago. I’m not even sure how I found it—I wasn’t looking for it intentionally. I joined and even registered to take one of the many online classes offered by founder and director Kathy Ide. During that class I learned valuable lessons on establishing a freelance business, and I was able to connect with other Christian editors.

Last spring, when I attended Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference, Kathy was one of the faculty members. I wanted to introduce myself as one of the students who had taken her class. Maybe she would recognize my name from the homework assignments? I was nervous! It was like meeting a celebrity in the world of editing!

Kathy and I were able to chat several times during the conference. She is a delight! Not only is she my idol as an editor, but she also happens to be one of the most gracious, encouraging, professional, and wonderful people I’ve ever met!

This spring I get to see Kathy again and all the members of The Christian PEN, and I can’t wait! Ten years ago, God gave Kathy a vision of a network for Christian freelance editors. Now with over 600 members, The Christian PEN is celebrating its 10th anniversary and holding its first convention, “Keys to Successful Freelance Editing.”PEN

From April 23-25, 2014, freelance editors from throughout the United States will be gathering at Richfield Community Church in Yorba Linda, California, to listen to established editors share information about editing and learn how to improve their businesses. The speakers will include Kathy Ide, Cecil Murphey, Jeanne Leach, and Alycia Morales (and even yours truly).

For $100, editors can enjoy a Wednesday evening meet-and-greet, a full-day speaking event on Thursday, followed by dinner on Thursday night, and a final meeting Friday morning. Friday afternoon, Family Christian Bookstore in Santa Ana will host a book signing that will include Christian PEN authors as well as authors from the Orange County Christian Writers’ Conference.

Are you a writer who edits or an editor who writes? Stay for the OC Writers’ Conference immediately after The Christian PEN’s convention, April 25-26.

I will be attending both conferences. I hope to see you there!

Click to Tweet: The Christian PEN is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Join founder @KathyIde in CA this April for festivities: http://ctt.ec/eCHn2+

Visit the PEN website for more details and to register: The Christian PEN.

Visit the OC Christian Writers’ Conference for more
details and to register: OCCWC.

*  *  *  *  *

Like my Facebook page for more grammar tips, writing tips, trivia facts,
and current news in the publishing industry!

Spaces After Paragraphs

Posted by Christi McGuire

Word

So have you stopped living in 1989 yet? Are you caught up to 2013? Are you resisting the urge to put only one space between sentences?

I hope so! (Or maybe I don’t hope so, since my job is to correct other people’s mistakes!)

It’s hard enough to remember to follow all the current (and sometimes ever-changing) rules. But when Word automatically does stuff that you don’t want it to, that is just plain frustrating!

Newer versions of Word (again, get up-to-date if you’re using the 2003 version!), automatically put more space between paragraphs than you want—and that manuscript format standards call for.

Sneaky, eh?

Totally sneaky, because even if you display paragraph marks, you will NOT see an extra paragraph mark after every paragraph! It’s just part of Word’s styling. Word increases the space between paragraphs every time you press “Enter” to create a new paragraph.

Even hitting “Backspace” doesn’t delete the extra space.

So what do you do? Well, if you only want to remove the space after a particular paragraph, put your curser on the paragraph, then click “Paragraph,” then “Line Spacing,” then “Remove Space After Paragraph.” (I don’t know why you would want to do only one paragraph, but you could.)

Before I learned this next trick, I started to do that for an entire eBook manuscript—with over 30,000 words. After clicking through all those menu items for three paragraph, I was already frustrated. Selecting all text (“Ctrl” + “A”) and clicking on “Remove Space After Paragraph” didn’t solve the issue either.

So I invested a little bit.

Maybe you’ve already discovered this tip or have known about it since the dawn of Word. But just in case … here it is.

To remove the spacing between all paragraphs:

1. Click “Paragraph Dialog Launcher” (small arrow in lower right corner of Word 2007 or later). A new dialogue box pops up.

2. Make sure you are on the “Indents and Spacing” tab.

3. Check the box, “Don’t add space between paragraphs of the same style.”

4. Click “OK.”

This change will only affect the document you are working on. If you want to use this as a default property, click the “Default” button in the Paragraph Dialog Box.

As an editor who formats client’s query letters, proposals, and manuscripts, this has been a huge help to me as I work.

Tell me … have you noticed the extra space after each paragraph? Did you already know how to change it? Or did you learn this trick for the first time?

*  *  *  *  *

Like my Facebook page for writing tips, trivia facts,
and current news in the publishing industry!

©2011- 2013 Christi McGuire. All Rights Reserved.

Social Media Numbers: Do They Really Matter?

Posted by Christi McGuire
Numbers (377x400)
She’s right.

Shauna Niequist is so very right.

We are not defined by numbers. We are more than a math equation. More creative than calculus. More excellent than exponential notations. (Okay, that’s about all the math terms that I know.)

I needed to read this quote. Because lately, wherever I turn, my life is dictated by numbers. The entire publishing industry has changed from writing books to creating numbers. What do I mean by this?

One word: PLATFORM

Number of Facebook friends

Number of Twitter followers

Number of Pinterest re-pins

Number of blog subscribers

Numbers, numbers, numbers!

If your social media numbers don’t add up to a big, gigantic, impressive number … then probably no book deal for you.

Is platform everything in publishing? Yeah, it pretty much is. Are there those rare instances of authors not having a platform and getting publishing? Sure, but that is being more and more scarce.

And I understand—agents and publishers want to guarantee they are making their returns when they invest in authors. In today’s economy, authors must prove they have an audience, guaranteed sales, long-term success.

I get it. I really do. But it gets exhausting.

Consuming. Disappointing. Depressing.

Eventually, I can feel like all my worth, value, credentials is summed up in one NUMBER.

Do you ever feel that way? (Go ahead, admit it.)

Our magic can’t be calculated by math. You are more than a number. Whether you struggle with feeling like the number on a scale, the number of your 401K, or the number of your platform (or the lack of numbers of your platform), you are so much more than that.

God didn’t create a number. A figure. A robot. A calculation. He created you.

You are His CREATION.

You were created by the Creator. In turn, you create. You create magic every day when you write, edit, rewrite, proofread, blog, market, sell, encourage, challenge, change, discover.

How? How can that be?

Mary DeMuth made an excellent point in a recent Webinar on how to Pinterest. She said: “It’s not who follows you that is important. It’s who follows the ones who follow you.”

Did you get that?

Your numbers may not be astronomical. That’s okay. Jesus had 12 disciples. That’s pretty pitiful in today’s Social Media terms.

But what did those 12 followers do? They changed the world. They influenced others, who influenced others, who influenced others. And today, there are millions of Christian believers around the world.

It’s not the numbers of your platform—it’s what you do on your platform and how you encourage and influence others to encourage and influence others.

numbers2

One writer friend confided that she was discouraged when she put her heart, soul, time, energy into a blog series that wasn’t getting much feedback. I understood—been there, done that! But the next day, an acquaintance from long ago commented that the blog series had encouraged her to spend more time with her son. In fact, she bought her son a Bible for them to read together.

ONE.

One person might have been the only numbered outcome of her efforts. But oh, how did my writer friend change eternity with that ONE person?

Are you looking at your writing, blogging, publishing, and marketing with earthly eyes focused on numbers?

Or are you looking at your work with eternal eyes—how you can change eternity through ONE person at a time?

God changed the world—all of eternity—with ONE person: JESUS.

Forget about being defined by your social media numbers. Focus on the power of ONE. Be encouraged that your efforts in influencing one person can multiply into big numbers—numbers you may never even know on this side of heaven.

Don’t be defined by numbers. Be defined by purpose. Your purpose. Eternal purpose. God’s purpose in you.

*  *  *  *  *

Are you looking for a professional editor for your manuscript or book proposal? Check out the SERVICES I offer for editing, proofreading, and consulting!

©2011- 2016 Christi McGuire. All Rights Reserved.

Proofread with Precision

Posted by Christi McGuire

hand working business

What was one of the things your teacher always told you in school?

Do your best. Keep your hands to yourself. Practice makes perfect. Raise your hand before speaking.

Yes, these are all valid. But the particular one I am thinking about is: Double check your work.

As an editor, that’s pretty much what I do all day long: Double check other people’s work! Was it only applicable in seventh grade? Nope! Anybody who writes a letter, word, or sentence needs to double check—triple check—his or her work. Whether or not you are a grammar goddess or spelling bee queen, you need to proofread everything you write.

Proofread, proofread, proofread!

You may never be congratulated for using proper grammar, but you sure may be ridiculed if someone finds a mistake in your marketing copy, your resume, a business email, or even a restaurant menu. Incorrect copy, misspelled words, and improper sentences can cost you a sale, a job, or even your reputation.

The cure? Proofread! No matter who you are or what you do, anything you write needs to be double checked for correctness. So how can you proofread accurately to catch mistakes?

1. Take a break for at least 24 hours. Write your copy, and then leave it alone for at least a full day. Writing is like having blinders on—your brain knows what it wants to see, and it can’t always see the mistakes. Not looking at it for a while will give you fresh eyes when you pick it back up again.

2. Block out noise. Proofreading = precision. It’s hard to work precisely with noisy distractions. I can often write with music on, the TV blaring, and the kids playing. But I absolutely cannot edit when it is noisy around me. I need a quiet place to focus and concentrate on each word.

3. Read out loud. OK, I know, this seems silly. But it does work! (Although you might want to do this when nobody is around!) Read your work out loud, and you will catch the mistakes and the parts that don’t flow well, seem awkward, and not what you originally wanted to say.

4. Print a hard copy. I always edit on paper. Maybe I’m old school, but it really does help me edit better. Reading on a screen, my eyes become tired and glance over mistakes. When I print out a manuscript, article, or any other copy, it is easier and more effective to edit properly.

5. Read it backward. It may sound like Jabberwocky, but reading backward will help you catch misspelled words.

6. Use color. When you print out a copy to proof, use colored ink to make your corrections. It’ll help you as you enter in the corrections.

7. Take a break. Proofreading and editing take focused, concentrated effort, so take a break every 20 minutes or so, just to give your eyes and brain a quick rest.

8. Let someone else read it. After you’ve done the previous seven tips, the last (and best) thing to do is ask a friend to read your copy. Ask them, “Does it make sense? Do you see any mistakes? Do you understand the point I am trying to make?” Someone reading a document for the first time will more likely be able to catch mistakes and give you feedback (whether positive or negative) better than you, especially when you have read the same sentence twenty-five times.

Please proofread! Make your seventh-grade teacher happy, don’t forfeit the job interview, secure the sale, and, most of all, look like an intelligent, competent person with correct copy by proofreading, proofreading, proofreading!

Follow my boards on Editing & Grammar on Pinterest!

 

©2011- 2013 Christi McGuire. All Rights Reserved.

 

The Pesky, Little Dots Known as Ellipses

Posted by Christi McGuire
Ellipses
Such havoc these three little dots cause.
When writing, you most certainly need to pause.
Where do the spaces go?
Most writers just do not know.
Do the spaces go before, in-between, or after?
The wrong style sends editors into a fit of laughter.
Check your style guide before you write,
Or make you look silly, it just might!
Instead, look intelligent, smart, and clever,
When you correctly use ellipses. The wrong way? NEVER!

 final_ellipsis

I never thought three little periods would drive me crazy! Most people love to use ellipses, but the problem is creating the ellipsis properly. How do you style it? Like most things having to do with grammar, punctuation, mechanics, and the like, you must consult your style guide.

However, each style guide has its own … you guessed it … style! The AP Stylebook is comically referred to as “The Journalist’s Bible” (it has most certainly been the case for me). This guide is used mostly for writers and editors of newspapers and news magazines and is updated annually by the Associated Press.

The rival of the AP Stylebook is the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS for short), and it is the oldest style guide (first published in 1891) and the most comprehensive (over 1,000 pages) and covers everything you cannot find in other style guides. Book editors use the CMOS. However, the style guides do have their differences in style (which I’ll save for a later post).

Now back to the issue at hand … those pesky ellipses. How do you make them?

The Chicago Manual of Style defines an ellipsis as “the omission of a word, phrase, line, paragraph, or more from a quoted passage” (13.48). Omitted material is indicated by the use of three spaced periods (or ellipsis points). Ellipses may also be used “to show a trailing off or an indecisiveness in thought or speech” (The Christian Writer’s Manual of Style, page 191).

However, the ellipsis is so elusive that four pages have been devoted to its correct use in the CMH. Four pages! So apparently, I’m not the only one who is often confused on its usage.

The confusion arises not from the dots but from the spaces. Where do they go? I’ve seen writers use every combination of the dots and spaces imaginable. Which do you suppose is the correct form?

  1. I just don’t know…where do they go? (no spaces)
  2. I just don’t know… where do they go? (space on the right of the dots)
  3. I just don’t know …where do they go? (space on the left of the dots)
  4. I just don’t know . . . where do they go? (space before, after, and in-between each dot)
  5. I just don’t know … where do they go? (space before and after the dots)

If you chose #5 you are correct!

An ellipsis is created with three dots and one space before and one space after. (Although in-house style guides for particular publishers may differ—always use the appropriate style guide for your publication.)

Technically (and we are getting way technical here), the truly appropriate way to create an ellipses is with a teeny-tiny space in-between each dot; however, a “space” is too much space. How do you solve that problem? I found a fantastic blog with the answer!

“9 Months with the Chicago Manual of Style” is a very in-depth blog about “one man’s quest to read the Chicago Manual of Style from cover to cover in nine months and discuss points of grammar along the way.” How fantastic is that?

I know, I know … only for people like me who care about these tiny little dots and lie awake at night thinking about them. But Peter, the man behind the blog who is enduring the 9 months of dissecting the CMH, has saved my life … editorially speaking. I never, ever knew the secret to ellipses. Peter shares from his blog on May 6, 2011: “I’ve found a shortcut in Word whereby you type CTRL+ALT+period to get three (slightly different-looking ellipsis points).”

Can you say FAB-U-LOUS?

Thanks, Peter! Now there is no more worry about where the spaces around the dots go. We can all sleep at night knowing this valuable shortcut to creating the ellipses. And I can guarantee you all … I will be using this shortcut with devotion for the rest of my life!

Elusive ellipsis? No more! Ellipses no longer have to create havoc in your life! No more sleepless nights! However, now that you know how to properly create them, my next post will be a few do’s and don’ts in using them … do … stay … tuned!

(Part of this post was originally published as “The Elusive Ellipsis” at Witty Words on July 27, 2011.)

Do you need a professional editor? Click to see the editing and consulting services that I offer. Visit me on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

  ©2011- 2013 Christi McGuire. All Rights Reserved.