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| Lee Van Cleef |
Just saying.
As you may have surmised from my opening sentence of really bad
English, Sergio Leone is directing my morning’s company. Clint Eastwood and his
poncho are also here, as are the rest of their “For a Few Dollars More” counterparts.
All of which means, of course, I’ll be trying to whistle the theme song
all freaking day. Ah, well. It’s a small price to pay for a few hours with Mr.
Van Cleef (I admit guiltlessly to watching “High Noon” just for that opening
shot of Lee waiting by the tree.)
While I’m sure all this Chloe-trivia fascinates you, let’s get to why
you’ve graced me with a Friday morning visit. That would be, in case you
weren’t aware, my authorly wisdom and insightful insight into the
being-a-writer business…
Yes, well.
Shall we carry on before we all choke to death in a fit of chuckles?
I do, however, have for you a small copy editor “cheat sheet,” if you
will. There are no trade secrets revealed here. This is just a little list of
the things I’m always caught on when I get edits back from a publisher. I’m not
sure how much this will help anyone, but I offer it in hopes that it will.
-Ellipses, editors
usually hate these. Occasionally you’ll find an editor who is Ok with them, so
if you feel they are vital to the feel of your story, include them. The worst
they can do is ask you to change them to periods or colons. I spent a great
deal of yesterday’s “Ravenscar” edits time turning ellipses into periods. (I’ve
got a hang-up with those three little dots that lead the reader on. Thankfully,
I never use such things in my blog…) *lol*
-Passive voice. Yeah,
this is one I’m sure you all know about. Instead of “He was listening at the
door,” it should be “He listened at the door.” After a couple dozen
publications, I’ve finally gotten a better hang at avoiding these. However, I’m
inevitably caught in the easy mistake a time or two each project.
-This one is a bit
tricky and really depends on the copy editor you get… Using the name of a
character too often versus using a descriptor for him. Such as, “Ethan couldn’t
believe…. Blah, blah, blah… but the man could believe this.” Some editors hate
you using Ethan this, Ethan that. They feel it’s too repetitive (and I agree
with them). However, sometimes you’ll get an editor who says that by using
these descriptors instead of the actual name of the character you are causing a
needless separation between the audience and the character. Don’t be surprised
if you’re caught in either “wrong.” It’s simply a personal choice, not an
attack on your writing skill. This is particularly true in the romance genre.
Alright, I believe I have bored you enough this morning with my silly
wisdom. I’ll leave you to your day.
Meanwhile, I’m off to whistle.
Until tonight…
Chloe
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