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Kim Wilson P.O. Box 4145 Hamilton, NJ 08610 Tel: (609) 888-1683 Fax: (609) 888-1672 E-mail: kim@writefromhome.com
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the Page... You have a way with words, right? You can manipulate syllables, phonics and the alphabet to create works of art, in-depth stories, and intriguing prose. So, why do editors seemingly pass by your perfect piece in favor of a less interesting one? Words, baby, words. Newspaper, magazine, even book and Web editors have developed a thick skin. Writing that contains any of their pet peeves will surely see the reject pile. Here’s an inside glimpse into the words to watch out for. Edit these from your completed manuscript before submission. No Unnecessary nouns, verbs,
modifiers the process of
elimination change to elimination the volume of sales
rose change to sales
rose the field of
microbiology change to microbiology
This editing process works similarly with excessive verbs or “helping”
verbs. is indicative of change to indicates serve to make reductions change to reduce provide a summary of change to summarize Noun modifiers, often thought to clarify, become sentence bogglers. Beware of these: the children who were involved change to the children were the facts presented in change to the facts in the statistics that are contained in change to the statistics in Do you see how much simpler the alternatives are? You’ve heard it often enough, editors have become the hounded and do not have time to edit your manuscript. To get it past his desk and to publication, you must learn to trim the fat, delete every unnecessary word and phrase and still pack your piece with punch. Stop "It" It is Janie who
called change to
Janie called It was StarCo that
complained change to
StarCo complained There, There There are many
teachers that do
change to
Many teachers do There are some
supporters who are
change to Some
supporters are Weak
Words
active I committed a major faux pas when I used
the phrase in fact in a news story. My editor called me in to the
office and explained. The reader assumes that every word you write in a news
story is fact. By using the phrase, in fact, you only serve to
confuse the reader and lessen your own credibility. Quite a lesson. Now, that you are on
the path to trimmer, leaner sentences and manuscripts, you will see more
words that can be cut. Ask yourself, Is there a shorter word that would
work here? Is there a more concrete word to replace an abstract term? Am I
using friendly, everyday language easy for the reader to understand? Do I
have any contractions mistakenly typed in? Edit with gusto. Go
with your gut. The fat will leave your manuscripts and, as you sell more
stories, find its way to your bank account, a much better place for it.
Tama Westman writes the Off the Page column for Write From Home. As a correspondent and columnist, she publishes news articles, feature stories and her column, Cuppa Thoughts, regularly with her local paper, the Chaska Herald. She has served as the editor of the award-winning literary magazine, Haute Dish. Her articles appear in several local newspapers and, nationally in The Gathering and Light & Life Magazine. She teaches creative writing and poetry classes with the AHEAD program (Achieving Higher Education and Dreams) at Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, MN, mentors high school journalism students, and teaches beginning and intermediate writers at conferences throughout the country. Married with two grown children, she keeps her balance with a cup of tea taken in the afternoon in her English garden. Further samples of her writing can be viewed on her Web site, http://www.tamawestman.com feel free to e-mail comments to tama@tamawestman.com |
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