Tag: editing

A dash of Em— A dash of En–

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[found on makeuseof.com]
“Stop avoiding dashes in your writing just because you don’t know how to type them outside of word processors. Learn the proper keyboard shortcuts and you can type these essential parts of the English language in basic text editors, browsers and anywhere else you may need them.
 
The en dash (–) is my favorite piece of punctuation–it’s perfect for inserting points, like this one–but I’ve been neglecting it in my writing for a couple of years, for a really dumb reason. What’s my dumb reason? I’ve stopped using Word and Open/Libre Office. I know their shortcut for an em dash–type two dashes between two words and they will transform once you type a space after the second word.
 
I stopped using word processors when I started writing for the Internet, however, because they add a bunch of nonsense code to my writing. But outside programs with their own shortcut, I never got around to learning how to write em or en dashes. This means the text editors and browsers I now do my writing in are dashless wastelands. There are online tools for creating em dashes, and I’ve resorted to Googling “en dash” and copying the resulting punctuation, though
Not anymore. I’m going to stop restructuring sentences out of laziness, and I’m going to help you do so as well. Here’s how to make your favorite punctuation on your favorite operating system. Keep reading!

Create Em and En Dashes On A Mac!

First up: the easy one. Apple’s operating system OS X comes with a couple of keyboard shortcuts that make typing em and en dash a snap.
    • For an en dash (–), use “Option” and “-”.
    • For an em dash (—), use “Option”, “Shift” and “-”.

Create Em and En Dashes on Windows!

Windows users can easily make an em dash if they’re using Word: just type two dashes between two words, as I explained above. Outside of Word, however, the story is different: you need to use four digit alt codes. You’re going to need a keyboard with a number pad for this–the block of numbers to the right of the arrow keys:

Laptops without physical number pads can occasionally use the “Fn” key and some letter keys instead of a number keypad–search your keyboard for blue numbers. Lacking that, you may be out of luck.

    • To create you dash, first put your cursor where you’d like it and hold down the “Alt” button. Now you need to type a four digit code:
      • 0150 for the en dash (–)
      • 0151 for the em dash (—).”
[found on http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/type-em-en-dashes-word-processor]

We don’t need no stinkin’ italics!

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[found on grammar.quickanddirtytips.com]
Did you know…when you italicize a word or phrase,  the following punctuation should NOT be in italics?
Here are some more fun facts:
“…a medium-sized list of things you probably should italicize. Just be sure to double-check the style guide you’re supposed to use, as rules vary. Here goes:
      • foreign words not yet assimilated into English—more on that later;
      • legal citations;
      • letters of the alphabet when you’re referring to them as letters;
      • scientific names;
      • titles of works, including books, plays, short stories, very long poems, newspapers, and magazines;
      • titles of movies and radio and television series;
      • names of operas and long musical compositions;
      • and names of paintings and sculptures (1).
      • You might also be asked to italicize the names of famous speeches, the titles of pamphlets, the names of vehicles (such as Challenger), and words used as words (2).”
[found on http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/how-to-use-italics.aspx]

Struggling with lie, lay, lain, laid, lying, laying….?

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When do you use them? And HOW?

Here is a simple breakdown to guide your pen:

Screen Shot 2013-06-08 at 7.09.52 PM

How does this correlate to the page—in the real world of writing?

Let’s take a look:

PRESENT TENSE:

      • I am going to lie down on the floor.
      • Henry lay his book on the floor.

PAST TENSE:

      • Yesterday, Henry lay in the hammock before dinner.
      • Yesterday, I laid the book in the hammock before dinner.

PAST PARTICIPLE:

      • He had lain in the sand two hours before they left.
      • He had laid the lunchbox in the sand two hours before they left.

Bitter writer? Or Better writer?

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[found on goinswriter.com]

“Anyone who writes is a writer, but that doesn’t mean they’re a very good one. So let’s talk about how to become a better writer. We’ll begin with the basics — here are seven key lessons:

    • Writing is simple, but not easy.
    • Before you get a larger audience, you have to get better.
    • Practice makes you better; it’s the repetitions that make it effortless.
    • Until you put your work out there, you’re only screwing around. Write for real.
    • You can’t practice without discipline. Keep showing up and persevering.
    • There will always be resistance; type through it, anyway.
    • Get over your excuses and do the work.”

[found on http://goinswriter.com/writing-tips]

George Orwell Asks Before Writing…Do You?

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[found on writingclasses.com]

 “A scrupulous writer, in every sentence that he writes, will ask himself at least four questions, thus:

    1. What am I trying to say?
    2. What words will express it?
    3. What image or idiom will make it clearer?
    4. Is this image fresh enough to have an effect?

And he will probably ask himself two more:

    1. Could I put it more shortly?
    2. Have I said anything that is avoidably ugly?

One can often be in doubt about the effect of a word or a phrase, and one needs rules that one can rely on when instinct fails. I think the following rules will cover most cases:

    1. Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.
    2. Never use a long word where a short one will do.
    3. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
    4. Never use the passive where you can use the active.
    5. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
    6. Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.”   

[found on http://www.writingclasses.com/InformationPages/index.php/PageID/300]**

Ending Soon: Publishing Package CONTEST!!!!!

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There’s not much time left to enter!

A Book’s Mind is having a Back Cover Battle!
 
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO??
      1. Write your book’s summary.
      2. Submit it.
      3. You could win a Basic Publishing Package!

HURRY! The contest ends June 15th!

Make sure and tell A Book’s Mind that Editing Addict sent you!

Our ABM coupon code is B012.

 

Follow the Yellow Brain Road

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[found on mindmapping.com]
 
“Mind mapping is a highly effective way of getting information in and out of your brain. Mind mapping is a creative and logical means of note-taking and note-making that literally “maps out” your ideas. 
 
All Mind Maps have some things in common. They have a natural organizational structure that radiates from the center and use lines, symbols, words, color and images according to simple, brain-friendly concepts.
 
Mind mapping converts a long list of monotonous information into a colorful, memorable and highly organized diagram that works in line with your brain’s natural way of doing things.
 
One simple way to understand a Mind Map is by comparing it to a map of a city. The city center represents the main idea; the main roads leading from the center represent the key thoughts in your thinking process; the secondary roads or branches represent your secondary thoughts, and so on. Special images or shapes can represent landmarks of interest or particularly relevant ideas.
 
The Mind Map is the external mirror of your own radiant or natural thinking facilitated by a powerful graphic process, which provides the universal key to unlock the dynamic potential of the brain.*
 

The five essential characteristics of Mind Mapping*:

  • The main idea, subject or focus is crystallized in a central image.
  • The main themes radiate from the central image as ‘branches’.
  • The branches comprise a key image or key word drawn or printed on its associated line.
  • Topics of lesser importance are represented as ‘twigs’ of the relevant branch.
  • The branches form a connected nodal structure.*”
 Mind Mapping graphic

[*found on http://www.mindmapping.com]

Jot It, Don’t Thought It

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“The more you write, the more ideas you are going to generate.  It’s inescapable; as your brain gets used to being creative, you’re going to create, and probably many more ideas than you need.  And at some point later, you’ll be able to use those ideas.  But only if you catch them.  It is essential to get your ideas recorded permanently as soon as possible after you think of them.  The longer you wait, the more the idea will fade, and the less will remain when you finally are ready to take it down.  This means you have to be able to take your ideas down wherever you are….
 
However you decide to capture your ideas, you must do so as soon as possible.  Immediately, if you can.  This applies even at night–perhaps even more so at night.  At no time is an idea likely to be more vivid than at night, and at no time is it likely to fade faster.  If you wake up in the middle of the night to a great idea, you really need to write it down.  Get yourself a drink of water, jot the thing down as completely as you can, and go back to sleep.  In the morning you will be in a much better position to judge whether the idea holds any real promise.  This is much better than waking up certain that you had the inspiration for the next Great American Novel last night–and now you can’t remember what it was!”  
-found on http://www.pgtc.com/~slmiller/writing-tips-ideas.htm
 
IDEAS FOR JOTTING YOUR THOUGHTS…while you still have them:
      • Use the technology you have been blessed with today!
        • SmartPhones / iPods / Tablets / Laptops / Desktops…
          • Type Note Apps
          • Hand Writing Apps
          • Voice Recorder Apps
        • Tape Recorder / Micro Recorder
        • Voice Mail
          • Call and leave yourself (or a friend) a message
        • Email / Text / IM / Social Media / Blog
          • Send yourself a quick text
          • Send yourself a quick email
          • Post an idea
        • Any other idea you can think of to use (safely)
      • Use the old-school tools you  have….we all know you still have them:
        • Pen / paper
          • Keep in the car with you
          • Keep in your purse / wallet
          • Keep by your bed
          • Keep in the bathroom (use responsibly!)
          • Keep by the TV
          • Take with you on walks
        • Typewriter (not all have this one, some will need to look it up, it’s in the dictionary)
        • Any other idea you can think of to use (safely)