Betty's Tips 2/12

Dear Fellow Writers,

Well, it's February (can you believe it?) and you know what that means...no, not chocolate or flowers or Valentines...February means it's time to edit!

After all, November is all about writing (remember NaNoWriMo?), December is about the holidays, and January is all about resolutions. But, after a month of establishing new habits and breaking old ones, it's time to return our attention to our manuscripts and edit those 50,000 words.

To that end, I've been searching the internet for advice on editing--you'll note that "stop procrastinating" was not one of my resolutions last month. Here's what I found:

Turns out I should have stayed awake in tenth grade, because apparently grammar and punctuation are actually important! Who knew? I mean, who actually knows the difference between a colon and a semicolon? Well, Laura Hale Brockway knows, and was kind enough to share with the rest of us at: Colon or semicolon? Follow these simple rules.

Another punctuation question that always makes me stop and think is the nagging issue about when to use an apostrophe. Plurals? Possessives? A little of both? Neither? While researching this question I ran across Ellis Vidler's post An Apostrophe Does Not A Plural Make.

And if I'm having trouble in English, you can only imagine how much trouble I've had with the sections of my novel wherein Eddie the Eggplant starts speaking Spanish in an effort to woo Lucy Lettuce (Lucy, I should note, is not impressed). But I can't depict Eddie as the egghead he is if his romantic utterances are lost in translation. As Stina Lindenblatt points out "He's very hot" and "Estas muy caliente" mean two very different things. Thankfully I can turn to her post: How Not To Mutilate A Foreign Language to avoid the pitfalls of word-for-word translations.

Since Lucy is as impressed with Artie Arugula's comedic ways as she is unimpressed with Eddie's elocution, I knew I'd better make sure Artie is funny to more readers than just myself. I was thrilled to find Leigh Anne Jasheway's article Ten Ways To Improve Your Writing While Thinking Like A Comedy Writer. Lengthy title notwithstanding, this article helped me, well... as the title says... you get the idea.

Of course, I can't forget Carl Cauliflower, the vegetable villain. I've had some trouble mastering how very evil that brash brassica oleracea is, but no more. Thanks to Mastering Villainy in Seven Easy Lessons, I'm only six lessons away from conquering Carl. All I need is enough time to go back and read lessons two through seven.

For those of you who have already broken your resolution to exercise more often, may I suggest Exercise Your Editing With This Exercise by Mark Nichol. I made no such resolution, but found Mr. Nichol's exercises worthwhile anyway.

Finally, I would not want this opportunity to pass without letting you all know about Passive and Active Voices. This is something I'm often called on... I mean, something people often call me on...I mean...I think I'll go back and reread the article.

Happy editing, everyone!

Betty Wryte-Goode

Betty Wryte-Goode is a writer, mother, and wife who lives in the Lehigh Valley. Her passions include writing, reading, shopping, and exploring the internet. Betty is always looking for writing tips, so if you have any you would like to share, please send them to her through our Submissions/Contacts page, with the subject line, "Attn: Betty."