Adverbs are a polarizing topic in the writing and editing world. Some people think we should eliminate adverbs altogether, and some people think we can use adverbs whenever we want. This controversy often centres around Stephen King's dislike of adverbs in his famous writing advice book, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. I think people often misunderstand King's intentions, although what he wrote about adverbs definitely seems harsh: "I believe the road to hell is paved with

Most people haven't heard of a manuscript evaluation, which is surprising and unfortunate because it's a cheaper way for authors to receive feedback and improve their manuscript before paying for in-depth editing. What do manuscript evaluations cover? A manuscript evaluation covers the same material as a developmental edit but on a more general scale. This includes feedback on multiple aspects of a story: Plot Characterization Pacing Tone Verb Tense Word Choice World-building

I've written a post about 5 Podcasts for Readers, but what about for writers? There are so many podcasts out there offering fantastic writing and publishing advice for those trying to get their stories out in the world. These are five of my favourite podcasts for writers. The Editing Podcast with Louise Harnby and Denise Cowle In The Editing Podcast, editors Louise and Denise provide all kinds of writing and editing advice for authors. Learn why editing is important, how to f

One of the hot topics in the writing and editing world is editing rates. How much do editors charge? How much should editors charge? Both independent authors and new freelance editors want to know about the money side of the business. Before we dive into how editors determine their rates and what authors can expect to pay, we need to remember that both editors and authors are human beings who need to make a living. Editors need to make enough to cover their grocery bills, ren

Photo: an example of proofreaders' marks for inserting a hyphen, an en dash, and an em dash. Most people use hyphens on a regular basis, but what about en dashes and em dashes? I didn't even know what they were until I went to university, and I wasn't familiar with how to use them until I took a grammar course for my Editing Certificate. So what are the differences between a hyphen, an en dash, and an em dash? Hyphen A hyphen is the shortest dash, and there is a key for it on

Oh, the dreaded semi-colon. I have heard people complain about using it since I was in high school. One of my teachers told us to avoid it altogether because no one ever used it correctly, and my university professors often discouraged students from using it as well. I have to confess, though, that the semi-colon is my favourite punctuation mark. I have a tattoo of a semi-colon on my wrist, although not because I'm such a grammar nerd (even though I am a grammar nerd). I got

We've established that you need an editor no matter what kind of writing you do. But what kind of editing do you need? There are multiple types of editing, and knowing what kind you need can be tricky because types of editing are not clear-cut. Even different editors define the levels of editing in different ways, which is why communication is key. If you are not sure what type of editing you need, your editor should be able to tell you based on a sample of your manuscript. K

No matter what you write, whether it's blog posts, essays, cookbooks, short stories, novels, or textbooks, you will need an editor. Why? Even if you have fantastic spelling and grammar, another pair of eyes can do wonders for your work. I'm a professional editor, and I always get someone to read over my blog posts and sometimes even my emails before sending them out. Fresh Eyes You are familiar with your work. The brain is a funny thing; it will trick you into skipping over t