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Editor's Roundup: 2023 in Review

12/30/2022

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14 novels edited​

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Unreleased & covers not currently available:
  • Guardian by S.G. Blinn
  • First Immortals by S.G. Blinn
  • Shadow Kiss by S.G. Blinn
  • The Light after the Darkness by Beverley J. Hall

6 Novellas and Vellas edited

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*Stripped Away and The Daring Adventures of Honoria Porter are ongoing.

15 short fiction pieces edited

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Plus 12 other short fiction pieces!

3 trainings completed

  • ACES Certificate in Editing
  • Louise Harnby's Fiction Editorial Report training
  • Louise Harnby's Narrative Distance training

Thank you!

When I began my freelance editing business in 2020, I never dreamed  I would have such consistent work! Thank you for giving me a sneak peek at all your stories this year. You are all so talented and impressive, and polishing your manuscripts is the most rewarding work I've done in my adult life. I can't wait to see what is in store for you all in 2023!

Happy New Year!

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Editor's Roundup: November 2022

11/30/2022

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3 minute read
As seen on TikTok

​What’s discussed in this post

  • Farther vs. further
  • Unphased vs. unfazed
  • Breech vs. breach
  • Self-editing tips
  • ​Further reading

Farther vs. further

Of the three listed, further and farther is the most common correction I make. While they have similar definitions, The Chicago Manual of Style indicates that further and farther should be used in distinct ways.

Further is for metaphorical distance.
That couldn’t be further from my mind.
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Farther is for literal or physical distance.
She ran farther than me.

Unphased vs. unfazed

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I usually see this when an author is trying to describe a character being unaffected:
She was unphased by his comment.

However, to phase means to schedule or perform a plan or task in stages, and to faze means to disturb or disconcert. 
Therefore, the correct word to describe a character being “unaffected,” is unfazed.
She was unfazed by his comment.

​Breech vs. breach

Typically, an author mixes up these verbs when they’re describing breaking through a perimeter:
They breeched the border.

However, breech doesn’t have a verb form according to Merriam-Webster. It is a noun meaning the buttocks.

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At thirty-seven weeks, the baby was in a breech position.

The verb form of breach means to break open or break through. Therefore, breach is the correct homophone to use.

They breached the border. ​

Self-editing tips

When dealing with homophones and near-homophones, we need to look at both the words’ meanings and the context to determine which word to use.

One way to do this is to highlight the word, right-click, and look up synonyms. If none of the synonyms match the meaning of the word, you're probably using the wrong homophone. However, in the case of further and farther, this way would not be reliable because the first definition of further is farther (English is so fun).
 
So if you have MS Word, a second way to do this is to add the MerriamFetch macro. This is my favorite way to verify spelling and word choice because you can set it up with a keyboard shortcut so that Merriam-Webster is a keystroke away at all times.
Here is where you can find the MerriamFetch macro by Paul Beverley.

Lastly, if you know what homophones you confuse, make a reference chart!

Further reading

Instagram, @itssarahhawkinsedits, “Is it I have further to go or I have farther to go?” 
The Chicago Manual of Style, “5.250 Good Usage versus common usage.”
Editing Macros by Paul Beverley
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October Editor's Roundup: Commas

10/28/2022

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5 min read
Watch the Tiktok

What’s discussed in this post

  • Commas with a direct address in dialogue
  • Commas with an indirect quotation within the question
  • Commas with relative clauses
  • Self-editing tips
  • Self-editing tips

​Commas with a direct address in dialogue

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This is also known as a vocative expression. It's when one character directly addresses another character in dialogue, whether it be by name, nickname, a term of endearment, or another title, the address is set off by a comma or a pair of commas.
If the direct address comes at the beginning of the sentence, the comma goes after the expression:
“Duke, you need to stop talking.”

If the direct address comes in the middle of the sentence, the expression is set off by a pair of commas:

“C’mon, Addy, let’s go to the park!”

If the direct address comes at the end of the sentence, a comma goes before the expression:

“Go home, Martin!”

Commas with an indirect quotation within the question

In their latest manuscripts, a couple of my clients used a construction within dialogue that involved a character questioning what another character said. For example:

“What do you mean Lola ate all the cheese?” she said.

This kind of question can be styled in two different ways:



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1. A subordinate clause with a direct quotation – In this case, you'll put a comma between the subordinate clause What do you mean and the independent clause Lola ate all the cheese, and you’ll add single quotations around the independent clause.

​“What do you mean, ‘Lola ate all the cheese?’ ” she said.
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2. 
A dependent clause followed by an indirect quotation – This utilizes the scheme of elision, which is when you omit or drop words that are easily understood by the reader. In this case, the omitted word is by. When you utilize elision, a comma replaces the omitted word. 

​“What do you mean by Lola ate all the cheese?” she said.                 
“What do you mean, Lola ate all the cheese?” she said.

In either case, commas are needed between the subordinate interrogative What do you mean and the independent clause. Which style is up to you, but aesthetics should be a consideration. In the manuscripts I edited, I chose the indirect-quotation style because the direct-quotation style looked busy.

Commas with relative clauses

Relative clauses are dependent clauses that begin with relative pronouns. Who, which, what, and that are the most commonly used relative pronouns. Whether or not you need to set off a relative clause with a comma depends on whether the clause is restrictive or nonrestrictive.

Restrictive clauses include information that is essential to the meaning of the sentence. They should not be set off with a comma or pair of commas.

The woman who lives upstairs needs to soundproof her bedroom a little more.

Nonrestrictive clauses include information that is not essential to the meaning of the sentence. They should be set off with a comma or pair of commas.

Janet, who is my upstairs neighbor, needs to soundproof her bedroom a little more.

Self-editing tips

As an author, it’s sometimes hard to be objective enough to determine if a piece of information is essential to the meaning of the sentence. After all, if it wasn’t necessary, you wouldn’t have written it!

I find it helpful to think of nonrestrictive/restrictive this way:


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Is it identifying? Then it is restrictive. Do not set it off with a comma.
Is it commenting? Then it is nonrestrictive and should be set off with a comma or pair of commas.

Many proofreading and editing softwares will pick up on vocative expressions and introductory subordinate clauses and will suggest a comma or pair of commas, so use those to your advantage. Always keep in mind that a comma is required between an introductory subordinate (dependent) clause and an independent clause, and vocative expressions should always be set off with a comma or pair of commas. Otherwise, your reader will trip over the sentence, and they’ll be pulled out of the manuscript.

Further reading

The Chicago Manual of Style 5.56: Relative pronouns defined
The Chicago Manual of Style 6.24: Commas with introductory dependent clauses
The Chicago Manual of Style 6.53: Commas with direct address
The Chicago Manual of Style 6.54: Commas to indicate elision
Comma Table
Comma Series
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Editor's Roundup: One word or two?

9/30/2022

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What's discussed in this post

  • Introduction
  • Door frame or doorframe?
  • On to or onto?
  • Compounds beginning with half
  • Self-editing tips: One word or two?
  • Further reading

Introduction

​Welcome to Editor’s roundup, a monthly post of common edits I’ve made in the last month. This month, we’re discussing 3 compounds that authors commonly mix up, and I’ll give you some tips on how to self-edit for word compounds.
But first, why is it important for you to self-edit for word compounds? That answer is easy: many editors, including myself, base their rates on the total word count. So, if you have a ton of open compounds (two-word compounds) when they are meant to be closed (one word), you will pay more for your editing.
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Door frame or doorframe?

​We’ll start with an easy one. Often, I see authors split doorframe into 2 words, and I’ve even caught myself splitting the compound in my own writing! Merriam-Webster says doorframe is the correct spelling, so I looked into why we have a tendency to split the word. According to the Google Books Ngram Viewer, which checks how words and phrases are used over time, doorframe became the more common spelling in the 2010s. The use of door frame tapered off in 2013, and the use of doorframe peaked in 2017.

While door frame is still in use, a quick google search for entries of door frame yields results for doorframe in Merriam-Webster, Cambridge, Dictionary.com, and others, so I would stick to the one-word version.

On to or onto?

One of the fun things about being an editor is that I second-guess every grammatical rule I know, and then I end up down the rabbit hole. Along with lay vs. lie conjugations, I research onto vs. on to regularly, because if you mix them up, you can change the meaning of your sentence.

To know whether you need to use onto or on to, you need to know 4 things.

1.

The first thing to know is that the confusion with onto and on to we’re discussing here lies with using onto and on to as prepositions of direction.

2.

The second thing to know is that when you use on to, you’re actually using two distinct prepositions of direction: on and to. So, you need to look at these two words individually to see if they both fit the context.

  • To describes movement toward a destination.
  • On describes position.

Therefore, you’d only use the prepositions on and to together when you’re describing an object moving toward a destination and into a position. Often, you’re working with a verbal phrase (moved on) and–or an infinitive phrase (to become) when you use on to.

She went on to become a bestselling author. (The object she moved toward and into the position of becoming a bestselling author.)

They led them on to the upper landing. (The object them was led toward the position of the upper landing.)

She moved on to her next lover so fast. (The object she moved toward and into the position of a new lover.)

3.

Let’s move on to the third thing to know (see what I did there?), which is that onto means to position on, so it’s about an object’s movement on a surface.

I held onto the railing for dear life.
I set my phone onto the charger.
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4.

The fourth thing to know is that onto and on are interchangeable. So, a good trick to know if you should onto instead of on to is to drop the to. If you drop to without any meaning changing, you can use onto.
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I set my phone onto the charger and I set my phone on the charger mean the same thing, but I set my phone on the charger sounds better.

Compounds beginning with half

Half can precede verbs, nouns, and adjectives to create compound words. Those grammatical functions determine whether the compound is one word or two. According to The Chicago Manual of Style, the following general rules apply:

  • Adjectives are hyphenated to make one word (She peeked through the half-opened door).
  • Nouns are two words (She opened the half door).
  • Verbs are two words (She half opened the door).

​There are two major exceptions to these rules:
  1. The word is permanently one word or two according to the dictionary.
  2. The authorial or publisher style has a different preference. Yes, this means, if you’re an indie author, this is one of the places you can have a stylistic choice. You just need to communicate with your editor what your preferences are.

Self-editing tips

Editing for word compounds can be tricky. Spellcheck will often not recognize if a compound should be two words, one word, or hyphenated. Using a grammar check like Grammarly (although I think you need the premium version) or ProWritingAid can help you eliminate a lot of needless two-word compounds. Additionally, if you edit in Word, you can install a macro that will enable to you look up the word in Merriam-Webster with a couple of clicks.
Here are some final tips:

  • You generally hyphenate adjective compounds before a noun but not after a noun (the half-opened door vs. the door is half opened).
  • Nouns and verbs are typically open (two words) or closed (one word, not hyphenated), according to the dictionary entry.
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  • If you prefer an open or hyphenated compound to be closed, make it into a portmanteau! For example, I love to use snortlaughed instead of she snorted a laugh because it reads more like the action. If you follow this advice, make sure they make sense. Also, inform your editor which portmanteaus you created so they don’t edit them out!


Finally, as you learn which compounds you tend to mix up, make a Find+Replace list for future reference.

Further reading

Google Books Ngram View: doorframe and door frame
Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, s.v. “onto,” accessed September 25, 2022, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/onto.
The Chicago Manual of Style 7.89
“Using word macros for editing,” Rabbit with a Red Pen
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    Sarah Hawkins is a geek for the written word. She's an author and freelance editor who seeks to promote and uplift the authors around her.

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