NORTHWEST INDEPENDENT WRITERS ASSOCIATION
  • HOME
  • NIWA
    • Our History
    • Board of Directors
    • Membership >
      • Membership Policy
  • CATALOG
    • Our Authors
    • NIWA 2018 WINTER CATALOG
    • Anthologies
    • Children
    • Middle Grade / Young Adult
    • Action & Adventure
    • Contemporary
    • Erotica
    • Fantasy
    • Gay & Lesbian
    • Historical Fiction
    • Horror / Thriller
    • Mystery / Suspense
    • Paranormal
    • Romance
    • Sci-Fi
    • Non-Fiction
  • Shop NIWA
  • MEMBERS
    • Add an Event
    • Add My Book/New Release
    • Author Interview / Featured Author
    • Review A Book
    • Author Resources >
      • Advertise Your Book
      • Cover Designers
      • Editing & Formatting
      • Grammar
      • Indie Friendly Bookstores
      • Marketing-Indie-Friendly Bookstores
      • Marketing-Bloggers
      • Marketing-Printers
      • Marketing-Web Tech
      • Publishing
    • Add A Resource
    • Event Assistance
    • Events & Cons List
    • NRSQ
    • Renew / Update Membership
    • Member Newsletters Archive >
      • NIWA Newsletter - Mar 2018
      • NIWA Newsletter- FEB 2018
      • NIWA Newsletter - JAN 2018
      • 2017 Winter Gift Catalog
      • NIWA Newsletter - Dec 2017
      • NIWA Newsletter - Nov 2017
      • NIWA Newsletter - Oct 2017
      • NIWA Newsletter - Sep 2017
      • NIWA Newsletter - Aug 2017
      • NIWA Newsletter - Jul 2017
      • NIWA Newsletter - Jun 2017
      • NIWA Newsletter - May 2017
      • NIWA Newsletter - Apr 2017
      • NIWA Newsletter - Mar 2017
      • NIWA Newsletter - Feb 2017
      • NIWA Newsletter - Jan 2017
      • NIWA Newsletter - Dec 2016
      • NIWA Newsletter - Nov 2016
      • NIWA Newsletter - Oct 2016
      • NIWA Newsletter - Sep 2016
      • NIWA Newsletter - Aug 2016
      • NIWA Newsletter - Jul 2016
      • NIWA Newsletter - Jun 2016
      • NIWA Newsletter - May 2016
  • Blog
  • 2019 Anthology
    • Order Contributor Copies
    • Members Only - Anthology Order Form
  • HOME
  • NIWA
    • Our History
    • Board of Directors
    • Membership >
      • Membership Policy
  • CATALOG
    • Our Authors
    • NIWA 2018 WINTER CATALOG
    • Anthologies
    • Children
    • Middle Grade / Young Adult
    • Action & Adventure
    • Contemporary
    • Erotica
    • Fantasy
    • Gay & Lesbian
    • Historical Fiction
    • Horror / Thriller
    • Mystery / Suspense
    • Paranormal
    • Romance
    • Sci-Fi
    • Non-Fiction
  • Shop NIWA
  • MEMBERS
    • Add an Event
    • Add My Book/New Release
    • Author Interview / Featured Author
    • Review A Book
    • Author Resources >
      • Advertise Your Book
      • Cover Designers
      • Editing & Formatting
      • Grammar
      • Indie Friendly Bookstores
      • Marketing-Indie-Friendly Bookstores
      • Marketing-Bloggers
      • Marketing-Printers
      • Marketing-Web Tech
      • Publishing
    • Add A Resource
    • Event Assistance
    • Events & Cons List
    • NRSQ
    • Renew / Update Membership
    • Member Newsletters Archive >
      • NIWA Newsletter - Mar 2018
      • NIWA Newsletter- FEB 2018
      • NIWA Newsletter - JAN 2018
      • 2017 Winter Gift Catalog
      • NIWA Newsletter - Dec 2017
      • NIWA Newsletter - Nov 2017
      • NIWA Newsletter - Oct 2017
      • NIWA Newsletter - Sep 2017
      • NIWA Newsletter - Aug 2017
      • NIWA Newsletter - Jul 2017
      • NIWA Newsletter - Jun 2017
      • NIWA Newsletter - May 2017
      • NIWA Newsletter - Apr 2017
      • NIWA Newsletter - Mar 2017
      • NIWA Newsletter - Feb 2017
      • NIWA Newsletter - Jan 2017
      • NIWA Newsletter - Dec 2016
      • NIWA Newsletter - Nov 2016
      • NIWA Newsletter - Oct 2016
      • NIWA Newsletter - Sep 2016
      • NIWA Newsletter - Aug 2016
      • NIWA Newsletter - Jul 2016
      • NIWA Newsletter - Jun 2016
      • NIWA Newsletter - May 2016
  • Blog
  • 2019 Anthology
    • Order Contributor Copies
    • Members Only - Anthology Order Form

making effective revisions and self-editing

1/1/2018

1 Comment

 
Picture
Making revisions and self-editing is a daunting task, especially when you get to the line-editing part. This is because many frequently used words are "homonyms" or sound-alike words. I think of them as “shapeshifters” because they blend into the background perfectly, hiding their alien nature.

At times, only a homonym, a word that sounds very much like another, can be used in a sentence. That similarity makes it hard to know which word is the correct word in a given circumstance, and when you are spewing the first draft of a manuscript, autocorrect may "help you" by inserting the wrong instance of those words.

If their meaning is similar but not exactly the same, negotiating the chicken yard of your manuscript in the second draft becomes quite tricky.

This is where the diligent author does a little research. We go to the internet and Google every possible spelling of the word and decide which of the sound-alike words is the one we want to use.

Consider whether or not you want to use the word "ensure."

There are three words that could work, and they sound alike. They have similar but different meanings.  So I do my research:

  • Assure: promise, as in I assure you the house is clean.
  • Ensure: confirm, as in Ensure that you have set the burglar alarm before going on a long trip.
  • Insure: protect with an insurance policy, as in Insure your home for your peace of mind.

Some other oft confused soundalikes are (these are borrowed directly from the Purdue Online Writing Lab)

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
One of my worst failings is the word "it." If I am going to muck up my manuscript, this word will be a major culprit. I try to do a global search for every instance, and make sure the word is correctly used:

  • The texture of the wall --it’s rough. (It is rough.)
  • I scratched myself on its surface. (The wall's surface.)

Its… it’s… which is what and when to use it?

The trouble here can be found in the apostrophe. In probably 99% of English words an apostrophe indicates possession, but occasionally, it indicates a contraction.

  1. It’s is the contraction of “it is” and sometimes “it has.”
  2. Its denotes possession: It owns it

I highly recommend you go to the Purdue Online Writing Lab for a complete list of often used homonyms. Purdue OWL is an excellent resource for information crucial to the craft of writing. Much of what I know about the craft comes from there.

When you're in the throes of a writing binge, you write as it falls out of your head. But these “shapeshifter” words are frequently misused and are difficult to spot at first glance. Their ability to blend in can lend confusion to the second draft. The problem is, you will see the word as you intend it to be, not as it is written, so these are words you must pay attention to. Sometimes, doing a global search will locate these little inconveniences.

Some words stick out like sore thumbs when we are reading:

  • they're,
  • their,
  • there.

But some are so frequently confused and misused in our modern dialect that it is best to simply look it up to make sure you are using the right word for that context. If you search for these now, you will save your editor having to do this for you, and your edit will be much more productive.

  • Accept: (verb) consent to receive (a thing offered)
  • Except: (preposition) not including; other than. (conjunction) used before a statement that forms an exception to one just made. (verb) specify as not included in a category or group; exclude.

Searching for these words and sorting them out is a time-consuming task, but it is crucial that you do this, especially if you don’t have the funds to hire a line editor. It’s a job I have come to think of as sorting the rattlesnakes out of the chicken yard, and is a fundamental part of making your manuscript submission-ready.

    ___________________________________________________________________________________

Credits:

" Spelling: Common Words that Sound Alike," Purdue OWL, Contributors: Purdue OWL,  https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/660/01/  (accessed December 28, 2017).
 
   ____________________________________________________________________________________

Connie J. Jasperson is an author and blogger and can be found blogging regularly at Life in the Realm of Fantasy.
1 Comment
Ann Simas link
1/22/2018 02:30:54 pm

95% of the people who post on Facebook should be required to read this article!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Contributor:
    Connie J Jasperson

    Write something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview.

    Archives

    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016

    Categories

    All
    BLOGGING
    MARKETING
    PUBLISHING
    WRITING

    RSS Feed

© COPYRIGHT 2018
Northwest Independent Writers Association.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Contact us at:
Mailing Address:   Northwest Independent Writers Association
                                                 P.O. Box 1171
                                            Redmond, OR  97756

Email:  president@niwawriters.net
            webmaster@niwawriters.net