• Welcome
  • Who We Are
  • What We Do
    • Book Coach
    • Book Proposal
    • Classes, Workshops & Retreats
    • Editorial Services
    • Literary Consultant
  • Why Work With Us
  • Contact
  • Blog
The Manuscript
What’s up with THAT?
by, Jill Swenson
September 19, 2017

As an editor I see one four letter word overused and abused more than any other. T. H. A. T. That. Many times it serves no grammatical purpose whatsoever. It is a filler word. You use it in conversation to signal to others a pause, like a verbal comma, to give the impression to a listener you haven’t finished speaking.  In writing, however, it is… [Read More]

Filed Under: conjunction, filler words, Mary Norris, nonrestrictive clauses, pronoun, restrictive clauses, subordinate clauses, That, that or which, The Comma Queen, who or that
6 Comments
Continuity. It’s a time-space matter
by, Jill Swenson
March 21, 2017

If you watch a lot of movies, then you’ve likely seen continuity errors. In Jurassic Park, there is a scene where programmer-turned-thief Dennis Nedry converses live with an accomplice on his computer but the workstation clearly shows he’s speaking to a pre-recorded video instead. Plot hole. Arnold Schwarzenegger plays an action hero in Commando where he badly damages his Porsche giving chase and in the… [Read More]

Filed Under: Chekhov's gun principle, coherence, continuity, time-space scheme
4 Comments
What about Copyright Permissions?
by, Jill Swenson
February 28, 2017

If you seek traditional publication for your book manuscript, then it is incumbent upon you to obtain copyright permissions for any text or images which are not original. The book will not go to print until every written permission has been secured. Because publishing is a for-profit venture, an author cannot include the copyrighted work of others without permission and it is not covered under… [Read More]

Filed Under: citations, copyright permissions, images, poems, quotations, song lyrics
3 Comments
Are you a binge-and-purge writer?
by, Jill Swenson
September 20, 2016

Julia Cameron advocates “morning pages.” Three pages of longhand, stream of consciousness writing, done first thing in the morning. Every morning. The Artist’s Way. Natalie Goldberg recommends writing daily for at least twenty minutes. Free the writer within. Keep your hand moving, lose control, and don’t think.  Writing Down the Bones. Stephen King prescribes the writing routine of butt-in-chair habitually. Set writing goals and write… [Read More]

Filed Under: binge-ang-purge writing, Bird by Bird, Stephen King: On Writing, The Artist's Way, Tracy Chevalier, Writing Down theBones
10 Comments
How to Save Money on Editing Services
by, Jill Swenson
September 13, 2016

Many aspiring authors think they can’t afford to hire an editor. If your plan is to publish, then the truth is you can’t afford NOT to hire one. Anyone can call themselves an “editor,” yet not all editors are the same. There is no test or certification process. Be choosy when you hire one. Instead of looking for the cheapest rate, look for editors with… [Read More]

Filed Under: copula spiders, editor, Manuscript format, Paragraph indents, Passive voice, purple prose, Spelling & Grammar
3 Comments
“Quotations”
by, Sharon K. Yntema
September 6, 2016

Do we need quotation marks? Who needs punctuation? Times are a-changing. One of the signs punctuation marks are in flux is the air quotations people make with their fingers when using words ironically. In print, we’ve seen the rise of single quotation marks around sarcastic words or phrases, even though the standard rule for single quotation marks are for use inside double quotation marks to… [Read More]

Filed Under: APA Style, David Crystal, Dialogue, double quotation marks, guillemet, How to Start a Fire and Why, Jesse Ball, Making a Point, Manual of Style, MLA, Punctuation, single quotation marks, The Chicago Manual of Style
2 Comments
Front and Back Matter: An Overview
by, Jill Swenson
August 2, 2016

Front Matter is one of the last sections of a book manuscript for an author to complete. But it’s the first thing a reader sees. Before page 1, there are several items that appear in the front pages of any book. Some pages are mandatory: title, copyright, and table of contents. Others are optional. Every page before the first one in Chapter 1 is paginated… [Read More]

Filed Under: Appendices, Author's Introduction, Bibliography, endnotes, Epigraph, Foreword, Glossary, Index, preface, Table of Contents
4 Comments
Finding Your Voice
by, Jill Swenson
May 3, 2016

“I am looking for authors with a distinctive voice.” “Great premise but I couldn’t connect with the writer’s voice.” “The voice isn’t strong enough in the first ten pages to make me keep reading.” So what do editors mean by “voice” when they talk about the craft of writing? Voice is the individual writing style of an author. It’s the way a narrator tells their… [Read More]

Filed Under: authentic self, personality, Prince, purple prose, Purple Rain, voice, zombie nouns
5 Comments
Writing in more than one language
by, Alanna Rieser
April 26, 2016

Anyone who enjoys the painstakingly difficult process of writing probably has a love for words, which inspires their masochistic writer’s journey. Those who understand the slight intricacies of words and the importance of sentence structure choose their statements wisely, editing, re-editing, and editing again. This process is multiplied twofold for a writer who speaks more than one language, carrying with them the difficulty of creating… [Read More]

Filed Under: Carolyn Porter, colloquial expressions, French, Newell Searle, Paris, Spanish, Tracy K. Smith, translation
2 Comments
Points about Pacing: Tips and Techniques for Timing
by, Jill Swenson
April 19, 2016

When you write a book length manuscript you need to keep the story moving forward. Every scene, every sentence, every word should serve to advance the storyline. When editors talk about “pacing,” they refer to the narrator’s ability to keep the reader turning the page. Have you ever heard someone tell a joke that went on for so long by the time the punch line… [Read More]

Filed Under: composition, dialgoue, flashback, foreshadow, pacing, Punctuation, rhythm, tempo, varied sentence length
2 Comments

Posts navigation

Older posts
NEWSLETTER
RECENT ARTICLES
Writing Retreats to Inspire in 2023
Dec 20, 2022   |   Audrey Arnold
Keeping History Alive—an Interview with Bett Fitzpatrick
Nov 15, 2022   |   Audrey Arnold
Reading in Duluth
Oct 25, 2022   |   Jill Swenson
Fall Forecast
Sep 13, 2022   |   Jill Swenson
August is for Reading
Aug 9, 2022   |   Jill Swenson
view more

ARCHIVES

Growing Good Ideas Into Great Books

CONTACT US

    LINKS

    • Blog
    • Contact
    • Welcome
    • What We Do
    • Who We Are
    • Why Work With Us

    TWITTER

    • Lurking? Who me?
    • The good stuff.... https://t.co/IxzBIsq5fT
    @swenbooks
    Copyright © Swenson Book Development - All Rights Reserved
    Privacy Policy