#WWoW! The Author's Craft: Simple Ways to Proofread Your Manuscript #AmEditing

Monthly Tips for Tightening Your Manuscript

Writers rarely put out their best copy on the first draft. First drafts serve the primary purpose of putting your ideas to page. So before you even consider handing the manuscript off to an editor, do your own proofreading. Create a cleaner second draft to bring to an editor. Here are some tips how to do that...

November's Tip of the MonthDon’t use the phrase "start to."

EXAMPLE:

Did you start to feed the cat, or did you feed the cat? Is the phone starting to ring, or is the phone ringing? Sometimes -though its not often- writers need to differentiate an action using the phrase "start to." But more often than not, you don’t need it.

RULE:

Rather than using “start to” as the active verb (because when you think about it, its not so much), use the verb that's more active to tell your story. See examples of feed or ringing above.

HINT: Use Word’s find function to look for the word “start” in your manuscript. Consider each instance individually to determine if you should remove it.

POST CONTRIBUTED BY Perk It Up.
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