One Saturday afternoon, I sat in a packed conference room with about 150 other would be writers, listening to a conference instructor tell us the keys to self-editing our manuscripts. The number of people in the room spoke to how important it is to make sure your work is crisp, and as close to publishable as possible. Of course, the numbers also told me how many of us don't feel completely sure of our editing abilities.
The advice the instructor gave was nothing new, eliminate adverbs, redundancies, and clich?s. Use active verbs, vivid metaphors and strong verbs. Then she dropped the one that I stumble on every time, "read your manuscript out loud."
I have some mental block that prevents me from actually trying this editing method. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that my husband already thinks I'm insane. If he hears me talking to myself in my office, he would have me committed. Then again, maybe it's my childhood fear of public speaking, even if the audience only consists of two cats and a dog. Whatever the reasons are I cannot bring myself to read aloud ? especially not my own words (shudder).
However, I have found an alternative to the embarrassment of hearing myself speak. Years ago, I invested in a speech recognition software (you talk - it types), which didn't work very well in my opinion. Even after hours of trying to "train" the software, it still didn't understand what I was saying. Despite its uselessness to me at the time, I kept the software on my computer, taking up precious hard drive space. Subconsciously a part of me must have known that I would need something that could read to me someday.
The morning after the conference, I printed a hard copy of my manuscript, fired up the speech recognition software, and followed along as my manuscript was read to me in the most unemotional way imaginable. Think a Speak And Spell? that knows all the dirty words.
The software could not interpret what it thought I meant to say. It just spoke every word as written.
If I forgot a comma, or some other needed punctuation, the computer kept reading at the same pace without pause. That helped me discover one long paragraph that turned out to be one long run-on sentence.
The software program also read the words exactly as typed ? typos and all. Did my hero whip or wipe the tears from the heroine's eyes? Typos like this can be funny when you run across them, but they make your manuscript look less than polished.
When you've read your manuscript to yourself, have you ever inserted words that weren't really on the page? You know you have, and you would insert missing words when reading your story aloud too, but the computer won't.
I did a quick internet search and found the particular speech recognition software I have for less than thirty dollars. Not a huge investment for a product that can help take some of the drudgery out of editing a manuscript, and make your final draft so polished your story will shine.
When Stacy Verdick Case (yes, that is her real name) learned that her dreams of being a comic book superhero would never pan out, she turned to writing instead. "In my writing world I can be anyone I want to be." She wrote her first "book" when she was in second grade, a jaunty little picture book entitled No Snow on Christmas, and hasn't quit writing yet.
Since 2000, when she began actively pursuing a career in full-length fiction, Stacy has penned five manuscripts. Her current manuscript, A Grand Murder, has received the following reviews from contest judges and published authors: "Wow! Great stuff!" "Intriguing, fast-paced, funny ? flawless." "Loved it!" "It's commercial, it's accessible and you describe your characters very well." "I like Catherine very much and was pulled into this story immediately." "Your snappy contemporary prose are refreshing."
A Grand Murder is the third place winner of the 2004 Daphne du Maurier award in the Unpublished Mainstream Mystery category.
Visit Stacy on the web at http://www.stacyverdickcase.com
elite cleaning services Mundelein ..To capitalize on ways to make extra income you can... Read More
I recently read a book where everything was akimbo. Arms... Read More
Mix a martini, don't forget the olives, or pour yourself... Read More
It never ceases to amaze me when a prospective writer... Read More
The writing community is a strong one, with many new... Read More
* Scanning and Skimming Practices *Whether you're writing e-mail messages... Read More
The dash--that curious mark of punctuation people use in their... Read More
You sink back into your favourite chair with a new... Read More
LATER, LATTERLater means afterwards; latter is the second of two... Read More
If you have been online for any length of time... Read More
Every morning I excitedly get out of bed. Just a... Read More
SO YOU WANT TO BE A WRITER?Many people have entertained... Read More
The rejection letter says: "Your story, on the surface, appears... Read More
Have you been guilty of procrastinating on your book project,... Read More
Eight or nine times out of ten, picking up and... Read More
(excerpted from the "How to Use a Journal" audio series... Read More
In the beginning of your story you have to grab... Read More
1. Before you write anything down define not what you... Read More
Any article, report or book which is bought or sold... Read More
People familiar with the Myers-Briggs Personality test know that the... Read More
Lately I've been noticing an odd trend amongst the freelance... Read More
First impressions count in writing too! So it is always... Read More
The tiniest things can be so useful when you come... Read More
Sometimes I can be dense when it comes to realizing... Read More
In this article you will find tips on: How to... Read More
Airbnb cleaning service Mundelein ..All your publishing options are as follows:--Conventional publishing--Vanity or subsidy... Read More
IntroductionSometimes it may be beyond a companies or individuals budget... Read More
If you have an online home based business you know... Read More
The principle for writing good screenplays begins with good idea... Read More
Winning writing contests can provide several advantages to writers. For... Read More
When you write for international audiences, mainly directly in English,... Read More
"No one will ever know who I am, I'm a... Read More
What am I supposed to give Anthony as a wedding... Read More
Have you ever had a student write to tell you... Read More
It occurred to me one day that I needed something... Read More
During the past few months I have received many questions... Read More
A friend and I were talking the other day about... Read More
Great writing transports one vicariously to realms that the reader... Read More
Rejection. This scary word plagues virtually every writer this side... Read More
Here's everything I know about improving your writing, publishing it... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?By now you should have an idea... Read More
This article contains a short guide on how to edit... Read More
The process of developing a working title for your nonfiction... Read More
When you sit down to write a steamy romance, a... Read More
How to get a lot of traffic to your website... Read More
Set your journal or diary where you will see it... Read More
If you're targeting an educated, more affluent audience with your... Read More
Being a great writer is no longer enough if you... Read More
1. Remember publication is a business; writing is an art.... Read More
SALE, SAIL Sale is either offering something for purchase... Read More
Writing |