Q: I saw a post online that said only people over the age of forty put two spaces after a period. But I’m under thirty, and my college professors said to use two. I’m confused. Which is correct? A: Both are correct in different circumstances. As with so much else …
Tag: Style
Fiction Q&A: Styling Royal and Noble Titles
Q: When referring to a king or lord, when do you capitalize—if at all—for sire and your majesty and such? For example: All we can do now is wait and pray that you and your healers can help my sister, your majesty. I’m so confused. Thanks for your help. A: …
Using Words as Words
Often when we’re writing nonfiction we need to refer to words in such a way that the term being used is itself the subject of the discussion, rather than the concept the term describes. If I say “My Sunday school students have difficulty understanding the concept of propitiation,” it means …
Capitalizing Deity Pronouns
One more post on editing books for the Christian market, and this one’s a touchy subject. The Christian Writer’s Manual of Style calls for lowercase deity pronouns (that is, he and his when referring to God). This deeply offends some people, who see it as a sign of disrespect, despite …
Finally, a writing guide for the 21st Century
Last time I taught my Edit Like a Pro: Elements of Fiction seminar, one of the students questioned the absence of The Elements of Style from my recommended reading list. “It’s a primer,” I said. “If you’re writing novels, you’re beyond Strunk and White.” That little book is such a …
Choose Your Style Guide
I wrote before about three of the most common style books: The Chicago Manual of Style, The Christian Writer’s Manual of Style, and the Associated Press Stylebook. Two others are worth considering if you do most of your work online. The Yahoo! Style Guide is a huge compendium that not …
Can a person be a “that?”
Ever had critique partners question a sentence like this? The waiter that spilled coffee on my new dress offered to pay the dry-cleaning bill. Some will say you shouldn’t use “that” for a person. But Garner’s Modern American Usage and other expert sources say it’s acceptable. Are your critique partners …
Fiction Q&A: Using italics for character thoughts
Hey Kristen — Sorry to pester you, but I didn’t know who else to ask. I was going over a critique someone gave me, and they mentioned that top editors teach to never use italics, even with internal thought. Some say never to use italics at all. Here’s my concern. …
Use styles to keep your manuscript in order
We all want our documents to look good. Here are some advanced techniques to make sure your manuscript is not only good-looking, but orderly, whether you’re submitting traditionally or self-publishing. The first thing to remember is that your manuscript needs to be edited before it’s designed, so save the design …
How does one train to be a fiction editor?
When I guest blogged at Random Writing Rants the other day, a commenter asked about how one gets trained as a fiction editor. Here’s an expanded version of my answer. I belong to two professional associations, both of which provide editor training: Editorial Freelancers Association The Christian PEN: Proofreaders …