Modern technology has provided us with an easy way to spellcheck our work but you must remember that it can’t catch every spelling mistake.  Sometimes there are correctly spelled words used the wrong way.   Here’s an example sentence:  It is impotent to proofread your work.  The spellcheck won’t recongnize that impotent is a mistake because it is spelled correctly.   You can catch the mistakes that your spellcheck missed by using the simple proofreading techniques below.

• Read slowly so that you can concentrate on individual letters of words rather than on the meaning of the words.

• Stay within your visual span.  This is the number of letters that you can identify with a single glance; for most people about six letters.

• Put a ruler or large index card under each line as you proofread to focus your concentration and vision.

• Read each paragraph backwards, from the last sentence to the first. This will focus your attention on each individual word.

The the Impotence of Proofreading is the funniest proofreading article that I’ve ever read.  I just know that you’ll enjoy it as well.

Please check the submission guidelines with your targeted publisher before submitting your work.  Below are a few generic rules for manuscript submissions.

• Use the correct sized white or plain envelope for your submission.  If your work is too big to fit in an envelope, use the correct sized first class mailer box.

• Use high quality, plain white, 20lb bond paper.

• Your work should be double spaced with a one inch margin frame.  This provides space for the editor to make notes.  Use clear, laser jet, black print and a standard 12 size font.

• Most publishers will not considered work that has already been published.  If you have posted your work on your website that is also considered published material.  Please submit only unpublished work!

• Send only one story at a time.  If you are working on a series you can mention that in your cover letter.  Worry about the other stories later.

• Tell the editor if you have any credentials or experience relating to the work you are submitting.  For example, if your book is about diet and nutrition and you’re working as a dietitian in a hospital, the editor might find that useful information. 

• Include a self addressed stamped envelope if you want the work returned.  Be sure to use the right amount of postage.

When I was little, about four, I remember the neighbors borrowing things from my grandmother.  “Miss Joyce, let me borrow a little sugar” they would say.  They also borrowed baking soda, salt, and flour.  Most of the time my grandmother  gave what little she had because she knew that it would be returned.   Being only four years old, it never occurred to me why they had to borrow.  Now the reason is pretty clear; they either had no money or it was Sunday.  We lived in the West Indies and on Sunday everything was closed.

I lived and studied in North America for a while and enjoyed the differences that makes North America so great.  One of them is that stores and other businesses are allowed to open on Sunday.  My North American friends probably take this luxury for granted.  I now live in Europe and must adjust to the Sunday business laws.  I call it the Sunday siege.  If I forget to buy something on Saturday then on Sunday I have to make do without or borrow from my neighbors.

Toiletries are the most embarrassing things to try and borrow.  I can understand borrowing a roll of toilet paper but how do you borrow toothpaste or deodorant without being a weirdo.  Also, how would you return those items?  I don’t remember any of my grandmother’s neighbors saying, “Miss Joyce, can I borrow a little deodorant?”  I miss a lot of things from North America but the thing that I miss the most is living without a Sunday siege.

Choosing a title for your book, article, or other work is very important.  The title or headline is the first thing that potential readers will see and it will give them a first impression of your work.  It is often the deciding factor between a book that is sold and one that is left on the shelf.  A title is a very powerful marketing tool.

There are different types of titles for different kinds of work.  Newspapers, technical and how to books use titles that are straight forward and explanatory.  The purpose is to correctly label the information so that readers can find what they’re looking for.  This is the kind of title that I use for the Home page articles of this blog.  I want readers to easily find the appropriate information about writing.  Using words that people might type into a search engine is a good system because Google and other search engines check the words in an article’s headline first.  That’s how most of you found this website.

Works of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry usually have more artistic titles; titles that capture your attention or arouse your curiosity.  Imagine yourself in a book store.  You’re looking for a book to read on an eight hour flight.  How do you choose?  I first choose by title and then by the summary on the back cover.  The Weekly Word and Obiter Dictum articles in this blog have artistic titles.  They allude to the articles purpose without being too descriptive.  These titles should stimulates the reader’s curiosity and keep them reading.

Everyone knows the saying “you can’t judge a book by it’s cover”.  I wish that saying was true, but it’s not.  The reality is, people do judge books by their cover and people by their clothes.  Therefore, choose your title the same way that you would choose your clothes for a job interview.  Remember that first impression is everything.

The first licensed public radio stations emerged in the early 1920′s. The first TV became commercially available in the late 1940′s. Before radio and TV were popular forms of entertainment people had other forms of amusement: reading, playing music, dancing and singing were common activities. The art of storytelling was also popular during this period because not everyone could read. I imagine that a good storyteller was welcomed by everyone. He told suspenseful stories creating a mood by changing his voice to match that of his characters. He would also vividly describe the setting and sounds that were in the story. The storyteller had a major advantage as he could change his story based on the audience’s reaction. How wonderful it must have been to sit among a group of people and listen to tall tales.

The author’s voice in a written story is not much different from that of a storyteller. It is the author’s job to vividly describe the setting and set the mood with written words. He will also capture the emotions of each character and effectively narrate but, unlike the storyteller, will not tell the story himself. A good author will let the characters tell the story for him through their dialog. The combination of the author’s voice and the character’s dialog will make the difference between a good story and a mediocre one. The author can not change the story based on his reader’s reactions but, if the story is well written, he can successfully influence the reader’s mood.

Every author has a different voice and will narrate in his own unique way. Ten authors can write the same story and every single one of them will be different. There will be some good stories and there will be some bad stories. Logic might tell you that there can’t be good stories and bad stories if all authors wrote the same story. You might think that the stories must be equally good or equally bad regardless of who wrote it. This logic only works for recipes. The heart of a story is how you tell it. For this reason the author’s voice is the most important ingredient in a written work.

It’s not what you think, this blog is rated PG. However, the title does hold true to this story. When I say story I don’t mean fable or fairytale, this really happened.

It was difficult adjusting to a new city. Everything was so different from home: the language, the food, the culture, the people. I didn’t have any friends but I had a new baby which was another adjustment for me. Soon, I got lonely and made a conscious effort to make some new friends. I noticed a lady that lived in our apartment building. She was slightly older than I am; I would guess late 30′s early 40′s. She also had a young baby. I watched her go in and out of the building and even passed her in the lobby a few times before I gathered enough courage to say hello. She was a nice lady. There was a friendly warm vibe about her. I later found out that she was a lawyer.

Some time past and New Year’s Eve was just around the corner. If you have children you already know that it’s impossible to find a babysitter for this time of the year. I was thrilled when my new friend invited us (me and my husband) to spend New Year’s Eve with them (she and her husband). I suppose they couldn’t find a babysitter either.

The evening began so nicely. We talked for awhile and the babies played with one another. Our husbands seemed to like each other. Her husband was some sort of engineer. Dinner was excellent. We had a rice dish that I brought and they made a very delicious Thai stew.

After dinner got interesting. The conversation had slowed down so her husband pulls out their photo album. I was actually looking forward to seeing their family pictures, but I wasn’t prepared for what I was about to see. The pictures were taken while they were on vacation in the Nevada desert. I remember them explaining that they took part in this strange festival. Anyway, the album contained naked pictures of them both. She had body paint on but it really didn’t cover everything. You could tell that she was naked. There was a picture of her husband participating in a peeing contest and it showed all his naked maleness. He also explained that he took part in a public questioning where he was asked humiliating questions. Without thinking I asked, “what did they ask you”. My husband started laughing and said, “you can’t ask him that.” I waited a little for an answer but I never got one.

We were scared that our new friends were into wife swapping but we stayed until the evening was over. Leaving before midnight would have been beyond rude. I personally felt like I was in the twilight zone. A few months after this incident, they moved. Later, we also moved into a bigger apartment. I haven’t heard from them since but that’s one New Year’s Eve I will never forget.

Homonyms are words that sound alike and for this reason they are often confused with each other. The spell check will not correct these errors because the words are misused not misspelled. I also use the wrong word every now and then so be careful.  Here is a list of the most misused words.

accept………………………….to receive
except…………………………with the exclusion of

advice…………………………recommendation
advise…………………………to recommend

affect………………………….to produce an influence on (verb); an emotional response (noun)
effect…………………………..result (noun); to bring about or cause (verb)

aisle……………………………space between rows
isle……………………………..island

allude………………………….to make indirect reference to
elude…………………………..to avoid

allusion……………………….indirect reference
illusion………………………..false idea, misleading appearance
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