tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30931389.post8244128041119468592..comments2023-09-06T05:48:05.398-06:00Comments on Terry's Place: Don't Sweat the Small StuffTerry Odellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11610682530545306687noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30931389.post-41528586588670065622012-10-20T17:57:08.063-06:002012-10-20T17:57:08.063-06:00Good advice! I definitely sweat the small stuff fa...Good advice! I definitely sweat the small stuff far too often! I'll try to relax a bit more. :)Jemi Fraserhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02214408467456320167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30931389.post-32630761084344997602010-08-31T18:55:06.640-06:002010-08-31T18:55:06.640-06:00Jud - since everything I've done has been elec...Jud - since everything I've done has been electronic, there's no pencil of any color involved. Just computer markups.<br /><br />I learned to assume I know nothing, even when I do know it. And there's always someone who's going to "know" you're wrong, no matter what. Can't sweat the small stuff. If I've done my homework, I have to let go. (Author Linda Howard said she got an angry letter complaining that her scene set in a KMart at midnight couldn't happen because they closed at 9 -- but not the one where Linda Howard actually went to in the wee hours to figure out where her character could have hidden a laptop. Some are 24 hour stores, but if yours closes at 9, you'll assume the author got it wrong.)Terry Odellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11610682530545306687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30931389.post-36975935001283242152010-08-31T18:28:40.228-06:002010-08-31T18:28:40.228-06:00Terry: Did you use the term 'blue-pencil' ...Terry: Did you use the term 'blue-pencil' generically, or do most of your editors use that colour?<br /><br />For over 30 years I've been using a red pencil to edit and proofread and assumed red was standard. Your post sent me scuttling over to Wikipedia, where I discovered the choice of colour depends on the technology used in the next step of publishing. <br /><br />(Grinning, not grouching, this time. It's great to learn something new, however late.)<br /><br />Commas: I've learned not sweat it when American editors persist in removing my Oxford Commas. <br /><br />Pines and Spruces: One of the main reasons I've never had the courage to venture into fiction writing. As a reader, factual errors spoil the pleasure of a book and I don't have the confidence to write about something with which I'm not familiar.Judhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06655631638867333878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30931389.post-11384124627954646472010-08-31T17:21:48.272-06:002010-08-31T17:21:48.272-06:00Sheila - it's nice to have a professional opin...Sheila - it's nice to have a professional opinion, especially knowing they're trying to make the work better. Crit groups are great, but this is an entirely different level.Terry Odellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11610682530545306687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30931389.post-81279384370869977082010-08-31T15:16:00.787-06:002010-08-31T15:16:00.787-06:00Cool. I'm still glowing at actually having wor...Cool. I'm still glowing at actually having worked with an editor. The small stuff is just that--stuff--and the big stuff is writing the best I can, and fixing the best I can when the editor tells me what doesn't work, because, after all, she's far enough away to know how it reads, not just how it's meant.Sheila Deethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13465615546936319164noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30931389.post-14715755843482870222010-08-31T06:49:30.487-06:002010-08-31T06:49:30.487-06:00Glynis - sorry to hear about the rejection, but if...Glynis - sorry to hear about the rejection, but if you can take it constructively, you're moving forward. (And my first reaction was "only 6?" I've got a three-inch stack of them! Keep writing. Keep submitting.Terry Odellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11610682530545306687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30931389.post-1426645270909120712010-08-31T06:47:58.852-06:002010-08-31T06:47:58.852-06:00Jud - I'd love to live in that publishing worl...Jud - I'd love to live in that publishing world. I recall when I was starting out, (not long ago) a crit partner said, "You're ready to let an editor fix it. Submit." Well, editors don't have time for all that blue-pencil stuff anymore. And publishers will take a 'ready to go' book over one that will need a lot of work.<br /><br />Still, there's no need to obsess over minor formatting or style issues--those things they will fix.Terry Odellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11610682530545306687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30931389.post-70612591905500876142010-08-31T04:38:50.067-06:002010-08-31T04:38:50.067-06:00Oh boy, did I need to read this today. Rejection 6...Oh boy, did I need to read this today. Rejection 6 made me look at my ms again. I am ripping it apart and jiggling it about. Sorry, editing.☺<br /><br />I have been fretting so much over the 'small stuff', that I missed the big picture; several errors.<br /><br />Thank you for an interesting post.Glynis Peters https://www.blogger.com/profile/01175378917872403609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30931389.post-42259638970636218232010-08-31T02:29:07.836-06:002010-08-31T02:29:07.836-06:00In the best of all possible worlds, an author woul...In the best of all possible worlds, an author wouldn't have to worry about page numbering, headers, footers, what-have-you. That's the job of the publisher. Until a few year ago (maybe still), Japanese authors submitted handwritten manuscripts, some of them so illegible that publishers hired decrypting experts. :)<br /><br />Now some publishers are demanding direct-to-print submissions and, judging from some of the dreadful examples it's been my misfortune to buy and read, some books do go directly from .doc files to print. Either that, or publishers are hiring editors who think two hyphens do an em-dash make, and quotation marks are straight not curly.<br /><br />A month ago I d/l an e-book that was set in a hideous decorative typeface. For a book-lover like myself, it was the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel. Absolutely unreadable. I gave up after two lines.<br /><br />jud@grouch.modeJudhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06655631638867333878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30931389.post-18940724200332013252010-08-30T21:41:57.403-06:002010-08-30T21:41:57.403-06:00Good luck, Kathy - I recently read a mystery that ...Good luck, Kathy - I recently read a mystery that went into a dog's POV, so there's no 'right' or 'wrong' if you can do it convincingly. I'm a minimalist when it comes to POV characters--3 is the most I've ever written.Terry Odellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11610682530545306687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30931389.post-40235916623058797162010-08-30T20:25:33.204-06:002010-08-30T20:25:33.204-06:00I was worrying earlier tonight about showing vs te...I was worrying earlier tonight about showing vs telling. I'm working with an 18 month old here so I was trying to figure out how to show her and not tell. But sometimes you just have to tell. I don't know if it worked or not. I sort of head hopped between the villain and the child he kidnapped, he hates kids-the boss stuck him with the baby to keep for now. The baby is a tough one like her mommy she gives him hell when she can. An independent toddler, I have a 21 month old great niece to borrow for observation. I will double check with my niece who has her cousin the same age almost just a month older. Lily will be 2 in Ootober, Kylee will be 2 in November. SO I ask Lily's mom does this work? Between three mommy's I get fact checks and reasonability checks lol.<br />But I hear a voice in my head saying you are doing that wrong or this wrong and I get bogged down right there.Kathyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05983209367295987926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30931389.post-34256661256228156182010-08-30T17:54:20.186-06:002010-08-30T17:54:20.186-06:00Janice - when formatting for e-books on places lik...Janice - when formatting for e-books on places like Smashwords or for the Kindle store, they don't want page numbers. But my other 3 publishers all expect them--some in the headers, some in the footers, but their guidelines want numbers on the pages, even though they all want their submissions send as e-mail attachments.Terry Odellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11610682530545306687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30931389.post-89428141883175899182010-08-30T17:44:18.746-06:002010-08-30T17:44:18.746-06:00Very good post.
But I'd like to add that if ...Very good post. <br /><br />But I'd like to add that if your submitting through email you don't need the pages numbered.<br /><br />Janice~Janice Seagraveshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02576031935823587485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30931389.post-61864599626114760742010-08-30T16:15:07.681-06:002010-08-30T16:15:07.681-06:00Mary, you only need to remember what you're de...Mary, you only need to remember what you're dealing with at the moment. As far as the style guide--I refer to it faithfully when I'm submitting; not when I'm writing, unless I'm writing for a specific publisher. I have 3 at the moment, and yes, they've all got different requirements.Terry Odellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11610682530545306687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30931389.post-31507651348822502112010-08-30T16:09:16.982-06:002010-08-30T16:09:16.982-06:00I've printed this for reference. I could never...I've printed this for reference. I could never remember it all. How the heck did you?Mary@GigglesandGunshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07350818228268801008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30931389.post-46803829727838665442010-08-30T15:42:27.111-06:002010-08-30T15:42:27.111-06:00Carolyn, you've nailed it.
TerryS - Nope. :-...Carolyn, you've nailed it. <br /><br />TerryS - Nope. :-)Terry Odellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11610682530545306687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30931389.post-21214275800462993492010-08-30T14:28:21.517-06:002010-08-30T14:28:21.517-06:00Oh my. a writing career seems to be a series of mo...Oh my. a writing career seems to be a series of more and more hoops. Do they ever stop?Terry Stonecrophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03726985400500572770noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30931389.post-87776971136598205092010-08-30T12:36:58.311-06:002010-08-30T12:36:58.311-06:00As a Virgo, I'm all about trying to make thing...As a Virgo, I'm all about trying to make things perfect, but until the final edit is underway I concentrate on more on logic, accuracy, and making sure characters act in character. My theory is that the protagonist's automatic becomes a standard shift or if the solution to the mystery hinges on a cliched plot device like a convenient dream, I'll alienate readers faster than I will by misplacing a comma.Carolyn J. Rosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02499059171631792224noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30931389.post-14266032304504951372010-08-30T12:23:34.586-06:002010-08-30T12:23:34.586-06:00Oops - didn't mean to skip your comment, Patri...Oops - didn't mean to skip your comment, Patricia. I've caught one 'suggested' change that does alter the meaning. I'll be going into more detail about how I approach this phase in Wednesday's post as well.Terry Odellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11610682530545306687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30931389.post-36530055994979126532010-08-30T12:22:07.163-06:002010-08-30T12:22:07.163-06:00Jacqueline - nobody's perfect, and with only 2...Jacqueline - nobody's perfect, and with only 2 rounds of edits, things do get missed. <br /><br />Sue - there's always going to be something you wish you'd done differently. You just have to let go at some point (but it's hard!)<br /><br />Carol - yep. Move on.<br /><br />Hart - Hubster does scientific writing, and there's always something. <br /><br />Mary - yes, having a reader like the book IS what it's all about. Once you get it to the point where they can access it!<br /><br />Jemi - stay tuned - I've got more for Wednesday.Terry Odellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11610682530545306687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30931389.post-4180367897967234602010-08-30T12:16:47.049-06:002010-08-30T12:16:47.049-06:00That's so interesting. I didn't have any i...That's so interesting. I didn't have any idea how that worked - thanks so much :)Jemi Fraserhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02214408467456320167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30931389.post-22055718993817610492010-08-30T11:52:59.070-06:002010-08-30T11:52:59.070-06:00Sweating that stuff after the book is in print, is...Sweating that stuff after the book is in print, is a waste of sweat. I sweat about whether it will be liked by readers.<br />It does effect you when you are writing if you sweat the small stuff. That can be fixed before publishing. Just write and fix later.Mary Ricksenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12676306822821614446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30931389.post-79546598983489106442010-08-30T11:48:49.873-06:002010-08-30T11:48:49.873-06:00And finally my day job is good for something! I p...And finally my day job is good for something! I publish scientifically, and journals all have thier quirks. There is no benefit whatsoever to arguing with the person whose decision it is... You're right--don't sweat the small stuff!Hart Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17599570189253229318noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30931389.post-26796478912222732010-08-30T11:29:13.311-06:002010-08-30T11:29:13.311-06:00I'm glad to read this. Don't sweat the sma...I'm glad to read this. Don't sweat the small stuff. Check. Moving on :)Carol Kilgorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15168273312704732896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30931389.post-9225337180117678542010-08-30T10:52:11.898-06:002010-08-30T10:52:11.898-06:00And you have to watch copy editors who make a last...And you have to watch copy editors who make a last minute comma change which alters the meaning of your sentence. By the time I'd reread my novel through the editing and copy editing phases, I was sick of it. I didn't love it again until I held the hardcover version in my hands.Patricia Stolteyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17192369425956406122noreply@blogger.com