Technology and Words

I often hear from writers who simply want to write and do not seem to know anything about formatting, Track Changes, or grammar and punctuation rules. I can sympathize, as I too love the art of writing. The process of allowing the story to unfold on the screen is one of magic and excitement, and I marvel at my character’s ability to become real.

However, that does not alter the fact that a writer must understand certain things in order to be successful. As an editor, here’s your list of what you need to master. Please note that these are not difficult things to do, but you will find your career made easier once you learn these simple rules.

1.       Formatting: I know you’ve heard this before, but I’ll say it again in case you’ve forgotten: Don’t get cute when formatting your manuscript. Leave it in Times New Roman 12 point font, do not put drop caps in, do not add pictures (children’s books might be fine in certain instances, but not for adult fiction—never), and do not change the font color. DO NOT TYPE WORDS IN ALL CAPS. (That bothers the piss out of me, personally. I don’t like being yelled at.) 

Now that you have everything in order in your manuscript, and you’ve sent it off to the publisher, you wait. Hooray! You’ve been accepted, sign the contract, and get ready to work with an editor. Which brings me to my second rule:

2.       Know how to use Track Changes. I cannot stress this enough. If you have never used Track Changes before, open a blank document, type a paragraph or two, then toggle the Track Changes button (usually under the Review tab) and begin playing. It is vital to know what to expect when you get your edited manuscript back and so you can understand what to do with it. Track Changes shows crossed out words and underlined words to allow users to see what has been done to their manuscript. Use the help button in your document to learn more.

So, now that you’ve got all that, here’s the final item on your list. Why, however, would I put this last?

3.       Everyone knows that a writer has to understand the rules of grammar and punctuation. Shouldn’t this be first on the list? Yes and no. If you have a very poor mastery of grammar, your book would not have been accepted by the publisher. However, once you receive your edits back from the editor, be prepared to either “accept” the edits or not. And sometimes you will have absolutely no say in the edits, either. For example, imagine if an author decided to write in a certain style! And how about if the author used mostly one particular form of punctuation! How exciting would that be! We would always be on the edge of our seats! There would be lots of action!

No, frankly, it would suck. Overuse of exclamation points is tiring and unnecessary. I do not give my authors the option of overusing these; in fact, I try to discourage any use of exclamation points at all.

And for grammar, small things will come up that you did not expect. One example that immediately comes to mind is the use of expletive sentence structure, or the type of sentences that generally begin with there is, there was, it is, and it was. The following sentence is an expletive construction: There was a cute puppy in the basement. Your editor will most likely change this sentence to read: A cute puppy was in the basement. Every writer uses this type of sentence from time to time, so don’t worry too much about it. And hopefully your editor will explain the change to you the first time it is made, so you’ll know why it was made. 

If you decide you don’t want to accept the changes the editor has made, be certain that it is for a good reason. Many times a writer has explained themselves and told me why they want to keep a sentence in the original format, and many times I’ve agreed. But if your editor tells you something has to change, generally it is for a darn good reason. 

Like I’ve said before, editors want your manuscript to shine. We want you to have a book that readers will love. We want you to be successful, and we’ll work with you to make that happen. After all, reading and writing are a very special kind of magic.

Damn Editors

Damn editors!

I hear that a lot from writers who don’t want anyone “messing with their work.” As a writer, I can understand that. I don’t like people telling me what to do, either, especially when it’s my creation. I hate seeing those red lines from Track Changes when the editor suggests rewriting my passive voice to active voice, or comments suggesting a subtle change to enhance the story.

But in the end, I know they’re right. Because honestly, I cannot edit my own work. I can try, and I do try, but I miss things. Lots of things. Because in my head I know what it is supposed to say, so I cannot see what is really on the page. In fact, I’m fairly certain that this blog post, unedited by another, will have a mistake. 

It’s the way things are.

But back to those pushy, know-it-all editors, of which I am one. Why do they insist on changing things? The answer is simple:

Because we love the written word.

And since we love reading and everything that goes with it, we want to make sure things are the way they should be, that the words are the best they can possibly be, and that the story shines in the memories of readers for a long time.

Editors are on your side. In essence, when you hand your work to an editor, it’s like passing the basketball to your teammate to make a shot. You want to score, right? Good, then let us do the work of cleaning your prose. The ideas are yours, the concept is yours; we’re just polishing what you’ve already done.

We are truly on the same team.

What I Want

Now, that’s a title that could produce an extra lengthy blog post, but I promise to keep this short and simple and related to all things writing. Specifically, writing to be published.
 

Back in November of 2015 High Tide Publications made the announcement that I was the new Director of Acquisitions for Fiction & Poetry. Exciting, right?

You have no idea!

I have always loved to read, and as a child this was clear. I often got in trouble for reading too much (my mother was convinced I was going to wither away in my room and she would find me face down in a book, pale and with permanent imprints of my glasses on my face). That love of reading later transformed into a love of writing and then editing.

Now, here I am, beginning yet another journey of the Writing Life. 

High Tide is a traditional publisher, meaning that you never, ever have to pay to have your work published. We take care of things like editing and covers and we work with you on a marketing plan. We are committed to helping authors find their way in this tumultuous world of publishing, as we have had our own (good and bad) experiences with other publishers. There are many wonderful small publishers out there, and we strive to be among those that people turn to for a good read.

So, what kind of fiction am I looking for? It goes without saying that the story has to be well-written. I absolutely love mysteries, but I am open to most any kind of fiction (except children and YA, we do not publish those genres).

Here’s some guidelines:

Keep your manuscript between 70k and 75k.

Proofread! It’s okay to have a few mistakes with comma usage, but it’s not okay to submit a manuscript riddled with errors.

Maintain tension throughout the story.

Make sure your manuscript is written in a readable format. That means don’t insert pictures or use a font like Thriller.

Once you submit to us you will hear back within four to six weeks.

And the even more exciting part? We have some amazing books that will be released in 2016! I am so looking forward to working with our new authors, and I look forward to hearing from even more great writers.