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Your Path to a Successful Book

Our $uccess blog will feature writing, marketing, and publishing tips we continue to learn since writing our 2009 INDIE Finalist workbook $uccess, Your Path to a Successful Book keeping our readers abreast of the everchanging skills required to write, publish and sell a successful book. We will also have guest commentators. Achieving your goals as a writer is what matters. Anything we can do to help you get there is our goal. We welcome your comments and hope you will sign up for our bi-monthly (or whenever we have enough material) newsletter.

Archive for 2008

SLOG – Grammar 2

Tuesday, December 30th, 2008

Excerpt from Success, Your Path to a Success Book

by Maralyn D. Hill and Brenda C. Hill

A good editor will correct your grammar for you, but it is better if you understand it yourself.

We grew up using commas with introductory phrases and where we wanted pauses. Since e-mail, comma use is less. But, we continue to use them as we were originally taught.

The semicolon was formerly used frequently. The latest approach we’ve heard is using a long dash–instead. Consistency is most important.

When referring to numbers like 1960s, 70s, or any set of numbers, there is no reason to ever put in an apostrophe. The numbers are not possessive.

When making a bulleted list, periods are used after every bullet or number if one of them is a complete sentence. If none are complete sentences, periods are not necessary.

SLOG – Grammar 1

Sunday, December 28th, 2008

Excerpt from Success, Your Path to a Successful Book

by Maralyn D. Hill and Brenda C. Hill

We find grammar a difficult subject. Like life, it is ever changing. We both have old grammar books that we know from cover to cover. Unfortunately their rules continually change. And whatever you do, don’t rely on spell check and grammar check to be right on everything. Both features miss a lot.

Our current reference book is The Writer’s Digest Grammar Desk Reference, The definitive source for clear and correct writing, by Gary Lutz & Diane Stevenson.

SLOG – Editing 7

Friday, December 26th, 2008

Partial excerpt from Success, Your Path to a Successful Book by Maralyn D. Hill and Brenda C. Hill.

Both books referenced in our posts of 12/23/08 and 12/21/08 are good reading a little at a time. Like most reference books, we suggest picking them up and reading a little at a time.

If you read an editing book 10 or 15 minutes a week, you will improve your selection of words and habits.

You’ll spot some worn out words and phrases and be able to replace them with concise words.

The more work you do, the less work an editor will have to do. Plus, it will give you great satisfaction to start noticing what you can change and improve.

If you want to go deeper into this area of your writing, Line by Line, by Claire Kehrwald Cook is easy reading with good examples.