More power to them! 

Intention setting, whatever medium you use to express it, is one of the keys to long-term success as a writer. 

Follow-through is the second key. Are you going to do what you said you would? It’s easy to say yes, especially given the rush of energy that sweeps through us in the new year. January is full of people in the gym or in courses (I am well used to this behavior myself) and while no one is rooting for their failure, history shows that the surge of NYR energy fades quickly.

With all that in mind, what’s the point of this post? Well, I’m glad you asked random voice.

Whether your goal is to write the NGAN or cash in like [insert name], there are small things you can do to get you there. 

1. Pick Your Writing Day

If you’ve managed to come across this blog post, then you’ve inevitably heard the writers write everyday adage from someone somewhere before. If you manage to write everyday, power to you. 

If you, like me, have tons of other responsibilities and are not managing this, that’s okay too. Again, the goal is small changes to your life.

And this first change requires you to pick a day. One day out of the week that is not so jam-packed that you can commit to using it as your writing day. 

2. Pick Your Writing Project

You have the ability to string letters together and form sentences that make paragraphs in a seemingly endless amount of variations. That fact is both incredibly freeing and incredibly nerve-wracking. 

Do you know what you’re going to be working on?

If you’re a pantser by trade, this may not be your method. But I do ask that you spend a few minutes thinking about the general outline of the scene/chapter/story you’ll be working on. Ask yourself the 6 Critical Questions: Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How?

If you’re a plotter, jot down a quick outline of your story. A few sentences/bullet points to get yourself started. The 6 Critical Questions are important for you too.

If you have utterly rejected the binary nature of my options, I applaud you. And still direct you to choose one of the above options.

3. Pick Your Writing Time

Now, it’s time to pick the chunk of time you are going to commit to writing. How much depends on you?

Only have ten minutes a day? What about fifteen or twenty?

Whatever the amount is, make sure it’s consistent and free of distractions.

The post 3 Easy Steps to Meet Your 2020 Writing Goals appeared first on LTT Editorial Services.

“Passive voice is wrong. Don’t ever do it. Ever.”

Fuck!

Now, instead of enjoying that one clever line you managed to write after hours of staring at your laptop, you have to scroll back through your draft, ready to tear out all instances of passive voice…once you figure out exactly what that is.

Luckily, I’m here to help!

Sentence Structure 101

The basic sentence structure taught in school looks like this:

Subject + Verb + Object: The person walks the dog

Another way to write this sentence would be:

Object + Verb + Subject: The dog is walked by the person

One of these is in active voice and one is in passive voice. Can you tell which is which? Don’t worry if you cant; I’ll help you.

Active v Passive

Active voice creates a direct connection between the subject, the verb, and the object. Passive voice separates the subject from the action.

Now that you understand what the difference is, you can go forth and completely eliminate passive voice from your writing…

Except that would be dumb.

It is true that active voice is easier to work with. It lessens confusion and tightens up your diction, I admit. But passive voice does have a place in modern language and therefore, does have a potential place in your manuscript.

Circumstances for Passive Voice

Character is going to drive voice here, so when you think about using passive voice, think about the individual and their reasoning.

For instance, I’ve come across tons of passive voice sentences and documents during my time as a federal contract editor. Government offices and employees don’t want to be held to anything because in the case of documentation, their word is legally binding.

So, instead of taking ownership and therefore responsibility in the case of “I/DCMO will review and implement the EEO policy by the end of the fiscal year.” it’s much easier to say that “The EEO policy will be reviewed and implemented by the appropriate authority within the allotted time frame.”

The first sentence tells you who’s implementing the policy, which policy it is, and when they must do it by. I could have included the how and the why, but that would have been a lot. The second sentence is full of confusion requiring any interested party to follow up and hunt down the specifics.

If you’re writing a thriller/spy novel a’la Robert Ludlum, then there’s an immediate connection to my example. But this can work in other genres as well because it comes down to character.

This type of person is the one who:
-Never offers to complete a task first (or second)
-Takes credit for other’s work
-Loves to be vague and noncommittal
-Is self-centered to the nth degree

There is definitely a place for a person/people like this in your story. Either as the high school/college antagonist or the unlikable spoiled protagonist who needs an epic quest to smack them upside the head with a personality.

Put pen to pad or fingers to keyboard, and write!

The post Use Both Your Voices: Active & Passive Demystified appeared first on LTT Editorial Services.

But do you know what type of edit you need? Were you aware that there was more than one kind? If you did, you’re ahead of the curve. If not, read on.

In answer to the titular question, yes there is more than one type of edit. There are three types of edits and then the final review, but to make all our lives simpler, remember the number 4.

What The Four Types Are

The four stages of the editorial process are:

1. Developmental Editing
2. Line Editing
3. Copyediting
4. Proofreading

Developmental Editing involves a big picture review of your manuscript. Does your story have a clear beginning, middle, and end? Does it follow the tenants of its genre? What’s the book’s tone? Does it align with the genre and subgenre(s) you’ve chosen? Does your protagonist/antagonist have a character arc? This edit involves Track Changes comments throughout the document and a separate summary/report that lays out the answers to these questions and poses some to the author as well.

Line Editing begins what I refer to as paragraph level edits. This involves reviewing a manuscript with an eye for how the bricks fit together instead of how the entire structure looks. I look at diction, individual scene cohesion, tonal shifts, author voice, minor characters and their arcs. This is also where the discussion of Show & Tell begins. You read right. A good manuscript has a mix of both, no matter what the popular belief is. Comments are left throughout the manuscript. Recurring issues are addressed as well; a great editor should note mistakes or foibles that appear throughout your writing to help you improve.

Copyediting is where the majority of the spelling, grammar, punctuation, and sentence level checks are performed. Does that comma belong there? Is that the correct spelling of Scheherazade? Are all of your sentences complete? Are the ones that aren’t purposefully so? The copyedit is also where the consistency check is done. Is your MCs name spelled the name throughout? Does the capital of the magically hidden continent have one l or two? Comments and Track Changes suggestions are left throughout the manuscript.

Proofreading is the final chance for you to ensure that your work is as error-free a possible before publication. Reviewing a PDF file during this process is standard. Proofreaders are checking to ensure that all of the grammar, punctuation, and spelling is correct one final time. There shouldn’t be any comments at this stage.

Where Each Type Fits in the Publishing Process

Now that you’ve learned about the four editorial stages and what each entails, it’s time to talk about where they fit in the greater scheme of things. Your goal as a writer is to publish your work. On your website. On Amazon. With a publishing house. Wherever. So, when you think about edits and editors, you have to place them within that greater publishing framework.

Since I work with indie authors, I will be discussing the editorial process as it relates to the Self-Publishing Process. If you’re seeking to self-edit or querying agents for a traditional publishing deal, this content can still offer you insight into those processes even though it does not directly relate.

The graphic below lays out three versions of the self-publishing process, detailing the steps taken from first draft to final publication. Take a look with a particular eye for where each of the editing stages is listed.

Final Thoughts

There are many paths to publishing, but one thing that I hope you’ll take away from this post is the value an editor provides. Your goal is to publish a story your readers will love. Your editors job is to help you do that.

Hopefully, this post has cleared up any confusion you had about the editing process. If you have any more questions, or you’d like to work with me, head over to the Contact page and we can talk shop.

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Note: Not all freelance editors offer every service and, although there are industry standards, not all editors define the types of edits in the same manner. When looking for an editor to work on your manuscript, gather as much information as possible about the edits they offer and the scope of work.

The post So, There’s More Than One Type of Edit? The Four Stages of The Editorial Process! appeared first on LTT Editorial Services.