Editing Your Novel - Part 3 Misused, Overused, & Sticky Words

By Elva Cobb Martin

Editing a novel is a big job, but don't let it stress you. We've got a lot more help available today than a quill! 

In Part 1 we first strongly suggested you spend quality time planning your novel and finish your first draft before doing a lot of editing. And we reviewed the 10-Part steps to planning your novel that I've covered in earlier blogs starting in July, 2017. Go here to find the first step to planning your novel: http://bit.ly/2zPmZa1. 

In Part 2 we talked about a great editing program and covered ProWritingAid's "The Writing Style Report." This edit highlights several areas of writing that should be revised to improve readability, including passive voice, overuse of adverbs, repeated sentence starts, hidden verbs, unneeded words, and much more. And I gave examples from my wip.

Today, we continue with some of the great edits Pro-WritingAid.com will do for your manuscript.

The Grammar Report 
This works like the spelling and grammar checks in a word processor but does more. It makes sure the structure, punctuation and tense are correct. It will also check misuse of words like "adverse" for "averse" or "clinch" for "clench."

The Overused Word Report --covers a lot.
Overused words fall into five main categories:
1) Too Wishy-Washy
2) Telling Rather than Showing
3) Weak words/verbs dependent on intensifiers vs. stronger                     words/verbs.
       Examples: very hot vs. suffocating, 
                       walked vs. strode, marched, scrambled, tottered
                        strong voice vs. husky, strident, guttural
4) Non-Specific words 
5) Awkward Sentences

The Sticky Sentence Report--this is a fun one.
A sticky sentence is one that is full of glue words like in, of, on, the, at, if, that, then, over, in order, what, some.
   Example: John walked over into the backyard of the school in order to see if there was a new bicycle that he could use in his class.  (27 words)
   Corrected: John checked the school backyard for a new bicycle to use in class. (14 words)

Example from my historical romance wip, Marisol.

Cloaked in the early morning shadows of the cemetery, Marisol watched Captain Becket place flowers on his wife’s grave. He had finally returned from his long trip to England the night before, and the welcome sight of him caused her heart to hammer so hard she feared he might hear. His bronzed face, thick arms and chest befitted a seaman’s demeanor. Nothing remained to hint he’d once been the minister of the small rock church beyond the graveyard. How had a man of the clergy become what some might call a pirate?  

Ethan turned and she shrank behind a monument.

“Marisol.” His deep voice rooted her bare feet in the dew-laden grass.

He strode toward her. His heavy booted step, and the jangling of his sword and pistols startled birds into flight. He stopped a yard from her. “I’m glad you followed me. “I have some good news to tell you.”

Trembling, she looked up into his bearded face and startling grey eyes. 

First sentence corrected: How had a pastor become a pirate?

Second sentence corrected: "I have good news." 

Thanks for stopping by. Are these editing tips helping you? Please share on your social media by clicking on the small icons below.
  
Blessings,
Elva Martin

Elva Cobb Martin is vice-president of the South Carolina Chapter of American Christian Fiction Writers. She is a former school teacher and a graduate of Anderson University and Erskine College. She has two inspirational novels published with Lighthouse Publishers of the Carolinas. Summer of Deception, a contemporary romantic suspense, and an historical romance, In a Pirate’s Debt. Both have spent time on Amazon’s 100 Best Sellers List for Women’s Religious Fiction. She has indie published a Bible study on Amazon, Power Over Satan, on the  believer's authority in Christ. Decision, Charisma, and Home Life have carried Elva's articles. Jim Hart of Hartline Literary represents her. She and her husband Dwayne are semi-retired ministers. A mother and grandmother, Elva lives in South Carolina. Connect with her on her web site http://www.elvamartin.com,on Twitter www.twitter.com/ElvaCobbMartin; Facebook http://www.facebook.com/elvacobbmartin;  and Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/elvacobbmartin    

 Link to her romance novels and non-fiction works on Amazon:http://amzn.to/2pOgVHI

Six Things the ProWritingAid Editing Tool Taught Me That Might Help You

by Elva Cobb Martin

I finally bit the nail and bought an editing tool before sending out my latest novel proposal. I checked out several editing tools but ended up buying ProWritingAid for an annual fee of $40.

One of the best things about it is that I could buy the version that integrates with MSWord. ProWritingAid is now right up in my Word top menu bar that I can click on after I pull up any document I want to edit. I can click on "Full Edit" or any of 25 individual edits. You can check out the program and get a sample edit at ProWritingAid.com   And no, I am not receiving any kickbacks!  ( :

Frankly, it's like having a highly skilled editor looking over your shoulder.

Six Edits That Are Making My Manuscripts Shine:

1) Repeated Words  --it's amazing how often I repeated without realizing it.
2) Cliches and Redundancies- - we all have favorites that slip in
3) The Dialogue Tags check - use action beats instead

4) The Sensory Report - helps you write using all five senses
5) The Pacing Check - very good to know if this is going well
6) The Grammar Report - catches everything besides spelling--including two             periods or even an extra space between words that pop up in my writing.

One of the first things I was glad to find out was the Reading Level of my ms.

ProWritingAid does much more--The Writing Style Report (very comprehensive), Thesaurus Check, Diction Report, Vague and Abstract Words Check, the Plagiarism Report, Sentence Length, Transitions, Consistency, and Sticky Sentences full of glue words that can be rewritten for greater clarity.

Needless to say I am happy I now have this "editor over my shoulder" to help hone my writing.

Have you found a great editing tool? Would love to hear from you. And please do share this on your social media by clicking on the small icons below.

Blessings,
Elva Cobb Martin

First Round of Edits

by Elva Cobb Martin

Recently I received the first round of edits for my contracted book, Summer of Deception. Have you ever wondered what a professional editor's first round might look like? Here're the beginning pages with editing marks showing overused words and phrases I needed to change or reword.

Chapter One
Charleston, South Carolina

Barrett Hall arose in the stormy night emblazoned in the taxi headlights. Rachel York’s breath caught in her throat. She shook away lightheadedness and weariness as the taxi crunched the rest of its way up the tree-lined shell drive.

On the wide porch she propped her umbrella beside her suitcase and tried to ignore the shivers of disquiet travelling up her spine. She would find the truth. This new summer job in Charleston was the first step.

The rain pounded pounding against the slate roof then stopped as quickly as it had begun. The moon angled out from behind a cloud, and Rachel glanced around the plantation’s wide portico with its six imposing columns and rocking chairs bathed in shadows. The brass horse- head knocker adorning the entrance added to its aura.

She held her wristwatch to the moonlight and grimaced. Ten o’clock. Five hours late. She’d arrived. With no cell phone connection, she had not been able to telephone. How early did the elderly Mr. Barrett retire? Had he given up on her? Thought she’d changed her mind about his job offer? No way. Never had she dreamed such an opportunity would fall into her lap.

Rachel took a deep breath. The smell of sweet gardenias calmed her. Swinging her thick hair behind her shoulders, she lifted the knocker and let it go. The sound broke the quietness like a pistol shot.

A sharp bark from behind startled Rachel’s already antsy nerves. She whirled around. A gray German shepherd the size of a calf stood on the steps staring at her. She gasped as she reached for her umbrella and pointed it at the beast as if it were a sword.

“Gabriel, what are you barking at?” A tall man stepped into view from a path beside the house, shaking rain from his cowboy hat. The moonlight revealed his strong build and tanned good looks. He wore an eye patch and an olive green T-shirt etched with the word, Marines.

He looked up and saw Rachel. “Come Gabriel,” he commanded the dog. The animal obeyed and he snapped a leash on its collar. “Sorry if this big mutt frightened you. He’s not ferocious, but we don’t broadcast that fact. And the umbrella wouldn’t have done an iota of good if he had a mind to attack—which he hasn’t.” The man chuckled, a pleasant sound in the shadows.

Was he a farmhand or some kind of security guard patrolling the grounds? Rachel breathed easier and lowered her umbrella. She was about to speak when the porch flooded with light and the door opened. Rachel turned.

A gray-headed woman in a wilted apron stood in the partial opening. She glared at Rachel with narrowed blue eyes. They widened when they fell on the luggage.

“I’m Rachel York. Mr. Barrett’s expecting me. Sorry I’m so late.”    

“Mr. Barrett, eh? He didn't tell me he was ‘specting nobody, ’specially for overnight.” She frowned and pursed her lips. “And I'm the housekeeper. What did you say your name was?”

“Rachel York.” Not expecting her? And definitely not for overnight, but for the whole summer.

The woman opened the door wider and her eyes fell on the man in the shadows. “Oh, there you are.”

Rachel glanced back at the man and dog.

He spoke to the housekeeper. “Mrs. Busby, show our guest to the game room in about five minutes.”

“Yes, sir.”

Obviously not a farmhand. Or a guard. Rachel pulled her luggage into an elegant entrance hall lit by a grand chandelier. A delightful fragrance wafted up from roses on a side table. She propped her Pullman upright and dropped her carry-on beside it. Glancing around, she tilted her chin and smiled. What a lovely, historic place to work this summer.

And who was the striking man who had been walking in the rain?

The housekeeper disappeared, then [SB1] returned and gestured for Rachel to follow. They turned past a curving staircase and stepped down into an enclosed patio dotted with plants amid white wicker furniture. Rachel’s metal-capped heels clicked across polished brick.

What Rachel saw of the house appeared to be exactly the kind she expected an elderly southern plantation owner like Mr. Barrett to have. Dean Woods had described it perfectly as a Gone with the Wind setting. Her future employer had smiled and nodded.

The woman gave a brief knock at a door and opened it. She motioned for Rachel to enter and stepped in beside her.

Rachel inhaled the delightful woodsy scent of cedar chips and turned at the sound of a voice, the same masculine one she’d heard earlier.

---

Note from [SB1]What did Rachel do or think as she stood there in the entryway waiting? Did her pulse race (due to anxiety?) or did she give a sigh of relief she had at least made it inside?

Next week I'll share the "rewrite" I did of these pages. The editor gave me one month to complete all edits of my 209 pages. At first it took me a day to do three pages. But I soon got the hang of it and was able to do 15-20 pages a day, a better goal for having it finished on time.

What have you learned from this editing sample?  Please leave a comment or suggested changes you'd make to these pages.

Elva Martin