Step in the Write Direction--editing tips

A Step in the Write Direction

 

September 30, 2013

 

Update: We’ve enjoyed having our daughter and family here from Oklahoma this last week. Between visiting us and our son-in-law’s parents and brothers, they’ve kept busy….Everything was pretty run-of-the-mill until Friday night. We had invited them, our other son and daughter, my son-in-law’s mother and stepdad and his stepsister and husband, plus my sister, over to watch slides and have pizza at the small clubhouse at the park. After we ordered SIX pizzas, I went to get some ice. I returned—to find my husband down on the driveway! He had tried to carry the heavy projector to the car and his legs went out from under him. He had an “ostrich egg” on his forehead and a large bruise on his elbow. The Domino man showed up and got him on his feet (I couldn’t do it), just as our family showed up. Party canceled, and we headed to the E.R. The cat scan showed no bleeding, so they sent him home. He’s okay now, but has two beautiful black eyes—getting blacker every day! We’re just thankful it wasn’t worse, as he has very brittle bones. Has had 3 fractured vertebrae in the past and a broken hip

.

Attached is the cover of my new joke book coming out next March. Haven’t seen the cover yet of the Rhyme-Time Bible Stories for Little Ones, coming out at the same time—both from Harvest House.

 

Thought for Today:

“Everybody wants to win, but not everyone wants to prepare to win” (Bob Knight, The Power of Negative Thinking).

 

Laugh for Today:

·        The fattest knight at King Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from too much pi.

·        A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.

·        Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie.

·        Atheism is a non-prophet organization.

·        Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said to the other: “You stay here; I'll go on a head.”

        ·        I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me. (Taken from The Gospel Greats newsletter, September 24, 2013.)

 

Annual Arizona Christian Writers Conference

The Arizona Christian Writers Conference with Reg Forder will be held November 1-2 at Grace Inn in Auwatukee. (Will email you the brochure if you didn’t receive one.) This is the last regular conference in Phoenix. I won’t be teaching this year, but will be holding appointments. We will surely miss our dear Eleanore who passed away in January. Instead of sending flowers, I told Reg I’d offer a scholarship(s) to someone who can’t afford to come. If any of you would like to contribute to this in her name, you can send a donation to me in care of PayPal or send a check to me at: 701 S. Dobson Rd., #350, Mesa, AZ and it will go to someone deserving.

 

Writer’s Tips:

Following are some comments I made to the author on a book I just finished editing. Probably most of you know these, but it never hurts to be refreshed:

 

·        I use an ABC style sheet (divided into letters of the alphabet) for every book I write, edit, or proofread, on which I jot down words I look up in the dictionary to keep spelling consistent, i.e., hyphens, one word/two, etc. Will send a copy to anyone who wants one.

 

·        Re: commas in series (i.e., red, white, and blue), either is okay, just be consistent.

 

·        A change from when we used typewriters, there is just one space now after a period.

 

·        In many of the books I proofread now, they don’t put Scriptures and quotations in italics as it breaks the train of thought. Neither is right or wrong; again just be consistent.

 

·        You always need to state (on first page of article, or title page of book) what version(s) of the Bible you’re using. I have credit lines for all the versions.

 

·        The word “Lord” in the Old Testament is usually a capital “L” and a small cap “ord.” You can do this in Word by clicking on Ctrl, Shift, k, and typing ord in lower case, and it becomes Lord.

 

·        Some publishers put pronouns for Deity in upper case (i.e., He, Him, His, etc.); others don’t. Ask for a copy of their style sheet and, again, be consistent.

 

·        Any quotes 4 lines or longer can be indented on one or both sides. In this case, you don’t need beginning or ending quotation marks, and any single quotation marks within the quote would then become double quotation marks.

 

·        Titles of books or booklets should be in italics.

 

·        If you don’t use endnotes, then the author or the speaker of a quote is in parentheses after the name of the book or the quote, with the period after the closing parentheses.

 

 

 Have a good week spreading the

gospel through the printed page.

 

Donna Clark Goodrich

dgood648@aol.com

www.thewritersfriend.net

http://donna-goodrich.blogspot.com

"A Step in the Write Direction--the Complete How-to Book for Christian Writers"
"The Freedom of Letting Go"
"Healing in God's Time"--story of Dave Clark, songwriter
"Preparing Your Heart for Christmas"--Advent devotional book

A Step in the Write Direction--September 23, 2013--POV shift, anthology contracts

A Step in the Write Direction

 

September 23, 2013

 

Update: An enjoyable week! Proofread a really good book for young single women, and began editing a book for a mother who lost an eight-year-old daughter. Also had breakfast with two writer friends and we critiqued manuscripts. I gave them a manuscript I began many years ago on Isaiah 40:31: Pedestrian Grace—So We Can Walk and Not Faint. At that time I thought I had a publisher, so I put out a call for devotionals on that verse and selected about 50 to use. However, the publisher went out of business, so I laid it aside—until last week. I’ve added enough to it now to make 100 devotionals, so as soon as it’s finished, I’ll start looking for a publisher again. That seems to be a favorite verse of many people….Had a surprise phone call a few days ago from our daughter in Oklahoma. She and our son-in-law and two granddaughters will be arriving Tuesday night for a week’s visit!

 

Interview: A local reporter wrote a nice article about me this last week. If you’d like to read it, it’s attached. For those who don’t receive this via email, just email me at: dgood648@aol.com. (As far as I know, it’s not online yet.)

 

Thought for the Day: “I can’t tell you how many times I would have given up on ministry if it were up to me and my morale. Fortunately, I learned early on in ministry that the power of the call always supersedes the days of doubt. If God went to all the trouble to seek me out for a place of service, the least (and the most) I can do is trust the call to carry me when I can’t see past the immediate” (Dave Clark, composer, unpublished book).

 

Laugh for the Day: The husband was so cheap he hung 50 state pennants on the wall instead of taking his wife on a vacation.

 

Writers’ Tips:

 

Question 1:

At a new (to me) critique group, the leader said to use italics instead of quotation marks; i.e., directionally challenged instead of "directionally challenged." That was news to me. Is that what you recommend?

 

Answer: I’d rather use the quotation marks, if necessary, as I feel an overuse of italics breaks the train of thought. However, rather than just disagree with your leader, I’d ask him or her where they found the rule. It might be just their own personal taste and not a rule.

 

Question 2:

What happens if I contributes an article to an anthology, but sign no contract. Can that contribution be reused elsewhere?

 

Answer:

The guidelines should state the rights that the publisher/editor is buying. For the three anthologies I’ve done, the original call-out stated that we were buying One-Time Rights only. This meant 1) that the story could have been published previously, and 2) that the author has the right to send out reprints. I myself have signed contracts for anthologies I’ve contributed to, and may have authors do that on my next one—whatever that may be!

 

Question 3:
In making scene, time, or POV shifts in a novel, how do you show the shift?

 

Answer:

You can do it one of several ways. Some authors do it only when they begin a new chapter. Others simply leave an extra line space; however, to me that is confusing as the space may come at the end of the page. If you do it within a chapter, it’s best to center 3 asterisks at that point, or other symbols.

 Have a good week spreading the

gospel through the printed page.

 

Donna Clark Goodrich

dgood648@aol.com

www.thewritersfriend.net

http://donna-goodrich.blogspot.com

 

"A Step in the Write Direction--the Complete How-to Guide for Christian Writers"

"The Freedom of Letting Go"

September 16--A Step in the Write Direction--thoughts in italics

A Step in the Write Direction

 

September 16, 2013

 

Update:

Sorry for the delay! I didn’t have an Internet connection for two days!! Just finished reviewing a really good book called "Divine Dining" by Janet K. Brown. If you've tried to diet and it didn't work, or you lost and put it back on, this is the book to read. It has 365 devotions that are both informational and inspirational. You can get it on Amazon or Barnes & Noble….This leads me to my next announcement: Between now and Christmas, I have a special for blog readers—25 cents off a page for proofreading and editing which means $1/double-spaced page for proofreading, $1.75/page for editing.

 

I had a dream (no, not that one) early Sunday morning in which I was sharing with a young man (actually, a character in a TV show!) that yes, he could know his sins were forgiven. Then in the next scene I told a group at a campfire what had happened that day and that I knew for sure God had forgiven me for everything in my past. I woke up in the morning with the words of this old hymn on my mind:

 

The burden that once I carried Is gone, is gone.

Of all of my sins there remaineth Not one, not one.

Jesus, the Saviour, hath ransomed me,

Bearing my sins upon Calvary,

Giving me glorious liberty;

My burden of sin is gone.

 

What a way to start a Sunday morning!

 

Thought for the Day:

 

“God dispenses His grace not with an eyedropper but with a fire hydrant. Your heart is a Dixie cup, and his grace is the Mediterranean Sea. You simply can’t contain it all. So let it bubble over. Spill out. Pour forth. ‘Freely you have received, freely give’(Matthew 10:8).” —Max Lucado, Grace, 2012, 110.

 

Laugh for the Day:

 

By the time Ted arrived at the football game, the first quarter was almost over. "Why are you so late?" his friend asked. "I had to toss a coin to decide between going to church and coming to the game." "How long could that have taken you?" he asked. "Well, I had to toss it 140 times." (The Gospel Greats newsletter, 9/10/13).

 

Reader’s Question:

 

A question I can't seem to find an answer for. My novel is first person present tense, and my character does a lot of "thinking." I am not putting her thoughts into italics, for the most part, because a third of the book would be italics. But occasionally, she has an important thought I want to call attention to, or she prays, or something and I put that in italics. I'm kind of modeling it after Kristen Billerbecks' books - What a Girl Wants, etc. A couple of my readers, however, have been confused by it and think I should put all her thoughts in italics. Is there a "rule" about this, or am I OK with whatever I choose to do?

Answer: You can put it in italics or in quotes—either is okay. (I just finished editing a 350-page book for a Jerry Jenkins contest, and the author says the contest rules say no italics or quotes; just let it "fade," but it was very confusing to me.) You can do whichever you want, but be consistent.

 

I'm wondering, however, if your character is doing too much thinking? Could any of it be put in dialogue with another person?

 

 Have a good week spreading the

gospel through the printed page.

 

Donna Clark Goodrich

dgood648@aol.com

www.thewritersfriend.net

http://donna-goodrich.blogspot.com

 

www.thewritersfriend.net

A Step in the Write Direction--"Fair Use" when Using Quotations--September 9, 2013

A Step in the Write Direction

 

September 9, 2013

 

Update: What a busy week this has been! Finished a 409-page editing job and learned how to send it to the publisher camera ready. Also finished editing a 328-page biblical novel for a writer who is entering it in a contest. Plus finished editing a children’s musical, and proofreading a 224-page book titled The Power of God’s Names by Tony Evans. What a great book. I recommend you buy a copy when it comes out in a few months….The Arizona Republic published my article on suicide last week: “Suicide: One Death, Many Victims.” Because it appeared in a secular publication and used at least one Scripture verse, I can enter it in the Amy Foundation contest. … Notes from Sunday’s sermon: “Yesterday no longer has a hold on you, and you don’t have to worry about what’s going to happen tomorrow, as His mercies are new every morning. Great is Thy faithfulness.”

 

Thought for the Day: Each of us may be sure that if God sends us on stony paths, He will provide us with strong shoes (Alexander McClaren).

 

Laugh for the Day: 65% of the men in this country are on medication for mental illness.
That's scary. It means 35% are running around untreated.
Reader’s Question: What is meant by “fair use” when you want to use a quotation?

 

Answer: Usually "fair use"—meaning you can use it without requesting permission—is under 100 words. However, it depends on the length of the quotation and the length of your manuscript. For example, if you were using 100 words in your 250-word devotional, that wouldn't be fair use. Also, if you were using a writer's entire 250-word devotional in your book, it wouldn't be fair use. One editor said at a conference I attended that you could use 100 words from a 100-page book, 200 words from a 200-page book, etc. When John Wiley & Sons published two of my books, the editor said I could use up to 300 words without permission. When writing my "Freedom of Letting Go" book, I had to be careful on the number of quotations I used from one publisher as they charged $50 each—no matter the length of the quotation.

 

I have a form letter I use to request permissions, and also a form on which I keep track of the quotations—numbering each one, listing the name and address of the publisher, the date I wrote, the date I received permission, any charge and the date paid, and if they requested a copy of the book, the date I sent it.

 

I keep a copy of this form in case the book goes out of print and I resell it. This was the case of a six-chapter book I sold in the middle 70s titled Winning Souls Through the Sunday School. When it went out of print, I divided it into 52 devotions and sold it as Teacher Tune-Ups. Because it was a different book, I had to request permissions again.

 

If you’re quoting from a government publication, you don’t have to get permission, but you do have to use a credit line.

 

The rules are different, however, with music. You can’t quote more than one line of a song (that isn’t in public domain) without getting permission and often, with contemporary songs especially, it may be difficult to obtain. You can use the title, though, or paraphrase the words.

 

 Have a good week spreading the

gospel through the printed page.

 

Donna Clark Goodrich

dgood648@aol.com

www.thewritersfriend.net

http://donna-goodrich.blogspot.com

"A Step in the Write Direction--the Complete How-to Guide for Christian Writers"

"The Freedom of Letting Go"

 

A Step in the Write Direction--Work for HIre

A Step in the Write Direction

September 2, 2013

Update: A busy week. Finished a 409-page book which now needs to be made “camera ready.” I’ve never done this before, so will have to call the customer’s printer and see what all that requires. Guess you’re never too old to learn something new! Also finished proofreading a children’s musical , completed 3 small editing jobs, and hope to finish a 350-page editing job today, to get ready for a 224-page proofreading job coming tomorrow. I’m so thankful for work I can do at home. With my husband’s health (and my age!) I could never handle a 9-5 job outside of the house….

Extra meditative thoughts for the holiday: Yesterday’s sermon was on the 23^rd Psalm. Years ago while talking with a dear friend who had a terminal illness, she said, “I can handle death—meeting my Lord—but it’s what I have to go through before I die.” I reminded her of the words “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,” saying maybe David was referring to illnesses such as hers. Then yesterday I had a different thought: I wonder if David could also be referring to caregivers—those who walk through the valley with others! A comforting thought!

Thought for the Day:

“Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work” (Stephen King, On Writing).

Note re: editing: ―There are two typos of people in this world: those who can edit and those who can't ((Jarod Kintz)

Laugh for the Day:

One day a little girl was sitting and watching her mother do the dishes at the kitchen sink. She suddenly noticed that her mother had several strands of gray hair sticking out. She looked at her mother and asked, "Why are some of your hairs gray, Mom?"

Her mother replied, "Well, every time that you do something wrong and make me cry or unhappy, one of my hairs turn gray."

The little girl thought about this for a while and then said, "Mommy, how come ALL of Grandma's hairs are gray?"

 

Reader’s Question: I recently completed an assignment for which I signed a “work for hire” contract. Does this mean I can’t use this article again?

Answer: Normally “work for hire” means you can’t use that material again in the same form without permission from the original publisher. However, often they will give you permission if you let them know where it is to be published (not in a competing publication) and in what form.

One example: Years ago I did book reviews for Christian Retailing magazine. They sent the books; I wrote the reviews. I asked them if I could send these reviews to other magazines, and the editor said yes, if it wasn’t a competing magazine (at that time Bookstore Journal). I picked up quite a few checks selling these reviews.

One of the devotional magazines I wrote for also was “work for hire” which meant I could use the same verse in devotionals I sold to other magazines, but not the same anecdote or illustration.

 

Have a good week spreading the

gospel through the printed page.

 

Donna Clark Goodrich

dgood648@aol.com

www.thewritersfriend.net

http://donna-goodrich.blogspot.com

 
"A Step in the Write Direction--the Complete How-to Guide for Christian Writers"

"The Freedom of Letting Go"

"Preparing Your Heart for Christmas"--31 devotions for Advent