The Equality Standard (newsletter)

50/50 Leadership: Promoting Women’s Equal Leadership.  Here’s their newsletter: The Equality Standard: http://5050leadership.com/PDFnewsletters/January%202015.pdf

 

Guest post by Carolyn Howard-Johnson: An Attack on Wordiness

An Attack on Wordiness:
All the Better for Your Query Letter My Dear Author 

By Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Adapted from the chapter on wordiness in the second edition of The Frugal Editor: Do-it-yourself editing secrets for authors: From your query letter to final manuscript to the marketing of your new bestseller, newly available as an e-book

 

As writers, we all know that we should avoid wordiness. The trouble is, we become so used to phrases that clutter our speech (and our writing) that we often don’t realize they need a good edit.

I thought I’d share with you some wordy phrases that can always be shortened, though–on rare occasions–you may not want to do that. An example of such an occasion might be in the dialogue of a character who is prone to wordiness. Very occasionally the wordy phrase might reveal your intent more clearly than the shortened one. It’s yours to decide, but when you see these phrases in your writing they’re clear warnings to take heed:

“The exact same…” That’s redundant, huh? “The same” will do.

“Due to the fact that…” Substitute “because.”

“In need of…Just “need to” will usually do.

“In addition to…” is a phrase that often forces you to repeat something you’ve already said.

“Used for purposes of…” How about just “Used for…”

“She is a woman who…” can probably be replaced with the woman’s name or just plain “she.”

“May be in need of…” Shorten that one to “may need.”

There are thousands more, but once you start searching for them, others will become more evident to you. Generally, active sentences are shorter and livelier than sentences that curl back on themselves (sometimes called passive sentences).

You may ask, if these little gremlins litter our speech unnoticed, why worry? Well, they may very well annoy an agent or editor if you use them in a query letter, as an example. These people have been around the publishing yard for a while and will often use wordiness as a determiner: Should they chuck the manuscript or give it a read? I, for one, would prefer not to take that risk.

Mmmmm. “May very well…” in that last paragraph of mine. How about just “may.” Or, better, “might.” It’s nice to write like we talk. It can even help us reflect our personalities in our work. But that “very well” couldn’t add that much to this piece–especially at the risk of ticking off a reader.

I bet you can find others in this post if you look. I’m collecting often-used, wordy phrases. Maybe for a booklet. Maybe for my Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In blog (www.thefrugaleditor.blogspot.com). If you think of any of your own, please let me know. If I include your suggestion, I’ll credit you and include the name of your book and a link to your Web site. Find me at HoJoNews [at] AOL. com or http://www.howtodoitfrugally.com.

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the author of the multi award-winningThe Frugal Book Promoter: How to Do What Your Publisher Won’t (www.budurl.com/TheFrugalEditor), winner of USA News Best Book Award and the Book Publicists of Southern California’s Irwin Award. The first edition of The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success also won a USA Book News’ award as well as a Reader Views Literary Award and nods from the Military Writers Society and Next Generation Indie Awards. The second edition has been Expanded! Updated! And Reformatted! for easy Kindle reading.

Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Instructor for nearly a decade at the renowned UCLA Extension Writers’ Program
Author of the multi award-winning series of HowToDoItFrugally books including the second edition honored by USA BOOK NEWS

/ The Frugal Book Promoter: http://budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo
/ Web site: http://www.HowToDoItFrugally.com
/ E-mail: CarolynHowardJ@AOL.com
/ Facebook: http://Facebook.com/carolynhowardjohnson
/ Twitter: http://Twitter.com/FrugalBookPromo
/ Pinterest: http://Pinterest.com/chowardjohnson

Let’s Network Today!

Almost here: Advice from The Frugal Editor!

More recommendations and background:

In this invaluable (and yes, accessible and engaging, too!) resource, Carolyn Howard-Johnson masterfully elevates an oft-misunderstood practice into the critical component of writing that it is. Don’t turn in anything until you turn to this book. ~ Peter Bowerman, author of The Well-Fed Writer series

Using the basic computer and editing tricks from The Frugal Editor, authors can prevent headaches and save themselves time—and even money—during the editing process. It’s well worth your effort to learn them. ~ Barbara McNichol, Barbara McNichol Editorial

Howard-Johnson hit the nail on the head with The Frugal Editor. She pointed out the gremlins and simplified the eradication process. What more could a writer/editor/publisher ask for? ~ Peggi Ridgway, author of Successful Web site Marketing and other business books

The Frugal Editor: Do-it-yourself editing secrets for authors: From your query letter to final manuscript to the marketing of your new bestseller will become a well-used reference for writers around the world. ~ Cheryl Wright, editor of Writer2Writer

Good editing is like honest business accounting: If you don’t have it, you end up with a mess. The Frugal Editor is a must for the novice writer who needs to make that ideal first impression and the writer with a tenth book hitting the shelves who has become complacent about his brilliant prose. ~ Kristin Johnson, author and writing consultant

Nothing demonstrates professionalism like a well-edited submission. Follow Carolyn Howard-Johnson’s clear, step-by-step self-editing approach for putting your Best Book Forward and you’ll submit like a pro. ~ Gregory A. Kompes, conference coordinator of The Las Vegas Writer’s Conference

Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Instructor for nearly a decade at the renowned UCLA Extension Writers’ Program
Author of the multi award-winning series of HowToDoItFrugally books including the second edition honored by USA BOOK NEWS

/ The Frugal Book Promoter: http://budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo
/ Web site: http://www.HowToDoItFrugally.com
/ Facebook: http://Facebook.com/carolynhowardjohnson
/ Twitter: http://Twitter.com/FrugalBookPromo
/ Pinterest: http://Pinterest.com/chowardjohnson

Let’s Network Today!

Coming Soon! The Frugal Editor Blog Tour!!

I’m pleased to be a host for the Frugal Editor’s blog tour. Carolyn Howard-Johnson will be a guest on my blog Friday, January 24, 2014. Her topic will be: An Attack on Wordiness, which is adapted from a chapter in the second edition of The Frugal Editor: Do-it-yourself editing secrets for authors .

Here are a couple of review excerpts:

Carolyn Howard-Johnson has done it again! Whether you’re writing your first book or tenth, The Frugal Editor is a must-read. ~ Tim Bete, director, Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop

Carolyn Howard-Johnson has created a practical guide to editing your work. You’ll want to keep it handy and refer to it every time you finish a piece of work whether it is a query letter, a simple pitch, or a novel. Use her system step-by-step and you will very likely see your work change from an attractive lump of coal to a polished diamond editors won’t be able to refuse. ~ Magdalena Ball, editor and owner of The Compulsive Reader

Stay tuned for more background and her article. (I got to read it already, and I certainly can use her advice. Not only that, she’d appreciate your input.)