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.