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The Steve Laube Agency

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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Home » Writing Craft » Craft » Page 18

Craft

Style Sheet: Don’t Let Your Manuscript Leave Home Without It

By Karen Ballon November 4, 2015
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Okay, everyone sing it with me…

“We’ve got trouble, folks.

“Right here in Laube City.

“With a capital T and that rhymes with E and that stands for EDITOR!”

Ah, the joys of being edited. How often have you received a manuscript back from an editor only to find that this person changed elements of your manuscript that never should have been changed? That she “corrected” terminology specific to an industry, and her corrections made it all wrong? That he lowercased your deity pronouns when you wanted them uppercased. That a word you intentionally misspelled for a character’s voice is now dictionary perfect? That the edits “for clarity” have changed the details of something you researched in detail, that you made painstaking effort to write correctly, and now it was a mess? Worse, anyone in the know who reads the book now will blame you for getting it wrong!

Well, rejoice! I have a simple solution to all these problems. Friends, meet the trusty Style Sheet.

I first learned about these wonderful tools as an editor, but it didn’t take me long to realize what a benefit style sheets are for writers. Because you can use them to list any and everything you don’t want changed, to tell an editor why you’re going against accepted style, to lay the parameters for an editing job that will do what editing is supposed to do: draw the best writing out of you and enhance your story.

Next week I’ll share the template I use for my editing and writing style sheet. Feel free to copy it, adapt it, and use it as you wish. And the next time you turn your manuscript in to an editor, send the style sheet along as well. I’m betting that editor will not only appreciate it, but they’ll use it to add things they want the copyeditors and proofreaders to know. You’ll have made their jobs easier and protected your work all in one fell swoop. Now that’s a win/win.

Right now, though, I’d love to hear your editing stories, whether they’re about an edit you received or one you performed, what’s a lesson you learned from an edit?

I’ll start. Back when I was first writing, I was working for a publisher and had little time to do much of anything beyond my job. I received my galleys, as often happens, with the request to read them and send back any changes within a week. I just didn’t have the time. But I wasn’t worried. I trusted my publisher and editor. I received my copy of my novel the day I left for a writers’ conference. I was busy teaching, so didn’t get much time to look at it. Not until after my class on the most frequent foibles in fiction writing, during which I discussed the reasons to avoid –ly adverbs. There was a section in my book that I wanted to read for my next workshop as an example of the difference between showing and telling. So I flipped it open, started reading the paragraph…and found –ly adverbs.

Everywhere.

Yup. Everything I’d told my students not to do was right there, printed for all of eternity. In my novel.

I knew I didn’t put those in there, nor did my editor. So I called the publisher just a little irritated, and discovered that the changes had been made by a new copyeditor. All throughout the book. If I’d read the galley, I would have seen them. I learned two lessons from that: Read the galleys when they come in, and always, always use a style sheet!

Okay, your turn.

 

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Category: Craft, Editing, Writing CraftTag: Editing, Style Sheets, Writing Craft

Lessons from Halloween

By Karen Ballon October 28, 2015
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(First, one ground rule: This blog isn’t about, nor is it the forum for, either the debate on the origins of Halloween and whether or not Christians should celebrate it, or for the magic vs. no magic issue. Okay, on with the blog…) I used to love Halloween. Loved helping my mom decorate the house and make popcorn balls, the treat she always gave out to costumed munchkins at the door. Which …

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Category: Craft, Writing CraftTag: Craft, Halloween, Writing Craft

Where is the Romance?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon October 22, 2015
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When I talk with authors about their stories, sometimes they’ll say. “Yes, there’s romance. But it doesn’t happen until chapter five.” That’s when I look at the story and try to give advice on how they can change that. Granted, not every novel is a genre romance, nor should it be. And introducing the love element earlier shouldn’t turn the story into a genre romance. A more likely scenario? The …

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Category: Craft, Romance, Writing CraftTag: Craft, Romance, Writing Craft

Harvest Haiku

By Karen Ballon October 21, 2015
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I just realized that we haven’t had a writing blog for some time, so what better time to correct that situation than autumn, when the air is pregnant with possibilities and the fragrance of change. I admit it, autumn is my absolute favorite time of year. I love the colors, the holidays, and the cooler weather. The way the birds are more active and the breeze more crisp. So come, you writers. Share …

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Category: Craft, Writing CraftTag: Craft, Haiku, Writing Craft

When Trying to Sound Intelligent Backfires

By Karen Ballon September 30, 2015
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So, I’m at a writers’ conference—a professional setting, yes? With folks who are clearly well educated, especially about the use of words, yes?–and this is what I hear: “Just give Jim and I a call, and we’ll talk it over.” Cringe. Then came a recent commercial on TV, where a supposed doctor was saying, “This product has been tested by myself and others in the medical field.” Good grief. I …

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Category: Craft, Grammar, LanguageTag: Grammar

“Close your eyes dear, I have a surprise for you.”

By Dan Balowon September 22, 2015
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One hundred years ago this week, Cecil Chubb of Great Britain decided to give his wife a really great gift. He bought her a bunch of big rocks at auction for £6,600 (equal to US$10,500 in 1915 and about US$250,000 today). Mrs. Chubb was certainly surprised with the thoughtful gift. But the rocks just weren’t her cup of tea. You see Mr. Chubb bought Stonehenge for his wife. Yes, that Stonehenge. …

Read more“Close your eyes dear, I have a surprise for you.”
Category: Book Business, Book Review, Career, Craft, The Publishing Life, TrendsTag: classics, The Publishing Life

Write from the Deep Places

By Karen Ballon September 16, 2015
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Far down, under the ground many of us walk on day in and day out, are roads and buildings and the remnants of long-ago lives and loves. Underground cities, they’re called. I’ve visited the one in Seattle. Peered down through the dark and dust and imagined people, horses, carriages…life. Under our feet. In the deep. I’ve been to other deep places, too, but these weren’t quick visits. Nor were they …

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Category: Book Business, Career, Communication, Craft, Creativity, Editing, Get Published, Inspiration, Marketing, Money, Platform, The Writing Life, Theology, Trends, Writing CraftTag: Encouragement, Inspiration, The Writing Life

A Novel Idea

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon August 20, 2015
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As followers of this blog know, I have just returned from a wonderful conference in Oregon. Many of the questions and my interactions there caused me to re-evaluate my way of approaching how and what I read during my personal time. Please note: I am in no way changing my philosophy regarding what I represent as an agent. I’m still focusing on all forms of Christian romance and representing …

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Category: Craft, Get Published, ReadingTag: Ideas, Reading Craft

Doing Dialect Well

By Karen Ballon August 19, 2015
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“Aym t’inkin’ ye tol’ me, didna ya, dat dere be tips ‘n’ tricks ta doin’ de dialect da wey ye shud in buks?” Just in case you haven’t figured it out, here’s the translation of this bit of brutal brogue: “I’m thinking you told me, didn’t you, that there are tips and tricks to doing dialect the way you should in books?” There are, indeed. And the first line of this blog is the perfect example of …

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Category: Craft, Writing CraftTag: Craft, dialect, Writing Craft

Speaking of Dialect—Yea or Nay?

By Karen Ballon August 12, 2015
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I’ve had a number of people ask me lately about dialect in fiction. Next week we’ll talk about how to do dialect well, but for today, since I’m at the Oregon Christian Writers’ conference in Portland, Oregon, sitting in a hotel room with my roomie and buddy, Susan May Warren, writer par excellence and the mastermind behind My Book Therapy (pause to take a breath) I figured this was the perfect …

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Category: Craft, Writing CraftTag: Craft, dialect, Writing Craft
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