For all the SEO writers out there 🤣 Use strong verbs. Question every appearance of the verbs “to be,” “to do,” or “to have.” “Very” weakens what it modifies. Delete it. A semi-colon links two complete sentences; it reinforces and seems to prove their connection. If it sounds literary, it isn’t. Remove the boring stuff. Nothing is ineffable. Make the effort: Write the stuff that’s hard to articulate. “Said” is always enough. “Chuckled,” “smiled,” “ranted,” “explained” … all of them are too much. Don’t find synonyms, and drop explanatory adverbs from attributions. This list of writing rules is lifted shamelessly from Neal Allen https://lnkd.in/eASAYT5q
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Check out my October blog post. What is a Beta Reader? Explore the terms involved in receiving feedback and edits By Alissa Dedic October 31, 2024 Recently I have seen first-time writers looking for feedback on their writing. These writers are excited about completing the first draft of their manuscript. Sometimes they apologize because they don’t know all the right terms for requesting feedback. Sometimes they are confused and overwhelmed by all the new terms. I felt and shared their sense of confusion and overwhelm. There were so many different terms when I returned to writing and editing. The internet wasn’t as developed back when I was in college. I had kind professors who helped students learn the terminology and appropriate order for publishing something. I felt out of date when my term was not the same as the one currently showing up on social media or job postings. Thankfully the internet has many resources that are kind like my college professors. I was able to get up to speed on these terms and sort it all out with a simple Google search. I discovered the three key terms that come up as a writer looks for feedback and edits: editor, alpha reader and beta reader. To read the full post click the link https://lnkd.in/giejz6t9
What is a Beta Reader?
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Simple language keeps people reading. Before publishing your next post... Check your post's Flesch Readability score. Aim for a score above 70. Scores range from 0 to 100. Higher scores = easier-to-read content. To get there... Delete any big words and complicated phrases. Shorten longer sentences. Then, press publish Not sure how to check your score? Use a website like Hemingway Editor. Or an app like Grammarly. 𝙁𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙞𝙥 𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙛𝙪𝙡? 𝙃𝙞𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙚
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Simple language keeps people reading. Before publishing your next post... Check your post's Flesch Readability score. Scores range from 0 to 100, so aim for above 70. Higher scores = easier-to-read content. To get there... Delete any big words and complicated phrases. Shorten longer sentences. Then, press publish Not sure how to check your score? Use a website like Hemingway Editor. Or an app like Grammarly. 𝙁𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙞𝙥 𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙛𝙪𝙡? 𝙃𝙞𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙚
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Day #61 of #HowCanHumansHelp Today's HUMAN is Debbie Emmitt! 🙌 Check out Debbie's profile and the services she provides. 💻📲 How can this HUMAN help you? Debbie is an editor and proofreader for authors and website owners, an “Editor to learn craft from”, and a specialist editor of books set in France. Debbie is also the author of: - Improve Your Author Website - Improve Your Editor Website - mystery novel in progress In her words... “Whether you're a self-published author or planning to submit your book to a literary agent, I can help. I line-edit, copyedit and proofread novels (esp. mysteries, thrillers and historical fiction) and non-fiction (esp. memoirs and biographies). Read more, plus 5-star reviews: https://lnkd.in/dEcWB9Fb If you're a first-time author, I'll take any fears you may have out of the editing process, guiding you through it and focusing on retaining your voice. If you've written a book set in 🇫🇷France🇫🇷, I can check it for authenticity and language/dialogue/accent issues in addition to a full edit. I read French at the University of Oxford, have lived and worked in France, and have written a book set in France. I have extensive experience editing and proofreading web content. I can check your copy through the lens of SEO, web accessibility and user experience. I edit web content for The Royal Mint and other prestigious clients.” I e-met Debbie thanks to the amazing LinkedIn #network, and I simply LOVE her posts. I learn a lot! THANK YOU for sharing your knowledge!🤗 -------- #HowCanHumansHelp daily hashtag celebrates the power of humanity on LinkedIn. Imagine a LinkedIn feed filled not just with “How can AI help you?” but also with “How can this HUMAN help you?” Let's make this platform a daily celebration of human potential. Here's how you can HELP: 1️⃣ Start posting similar content and tagging HUMANS from your network. 2️⃣ React and share if you resonate with the message. 3️⃣ Comment if you've had the pleasure of working/speaking… with the HUMAN being tagged. 4️⃣ Use the hashtag #HowCanHumansHelp to spread the movement. The goals are simple: ✨ Give visibility to HUMANS. ✨ Replace or at least balance the AI-related posts with #HUMAN posts. #HowCanHumansHelp
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It is always a pleasure to read the #editing-related musings of Benjamin Dreyer, author of 𝐷𝑟𝑒𝑦𝑒𝑟'𝑠 𝐸𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑖𝑠ℎ and the retired copy chief and managing editor of Random House. His Substack post today is "10 Additional Stray Copyeditorial Thoughts," and I agree with most of those thoughts. https://lnkd.in/eFHcepmm Thought #3 (with which I agree) is this: "Good writers, I believe, appreciate being well #copyedited, accent on 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝑑 and 𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑙. Less adept writers may view a copy editor’s suggestions and alterations as an affront to their talent and will balk at almost everything you say, often increasingly angrily." For newish editors, I offer this advice on how to decrease authors' angst at being edited: Word your queries and comments on their manuscript respectfully, making it evident that you consider them intelligent and hardworking. Do not condescend to them or merely recite grammar rules to them or preach to them. When you see something praiseworthy in their writing, do make sure to mention it. Act like a human, not like a censor or editorial automaton.
10 additional stray copyeditorial thoughts
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📝 If you want to be a great writer, don't copy what great writers do. Copy what they DO NOT do. This may seem like a strange approach, yet it's been a crucial reframing for me. When you avoid common mistakes, you do better than 99% of people. Over the past ten years, I've compiled a list of 20 things great writers never do that I should avoid doing too: 1/ Try to Please Everyone 🎯 Great writers understand that not everyone will like their work, and that’s okay. They gather a loyal following who appreciate their authenticity. 2/ Use Spellcheck as Their Only Editor ✍️ They don’t rely only on spellcheck to catch every nuanced mistake. Human editors are indispensable. 3/ Copy Trends 🌟 They do not simply mimic popular trends without adding their unique voice and perspective. 4/ Plagiarize 🚫 Great writers do not steal others’ work. They value originality and authenticity. 5/ Procrastinate (Especially with Cat Videos) 🕒 They maintain discipline and write regularly, even in the face of the Internet's endless supply of adorable cat videos. (see image for the rest of the 20) By avoiding these common mistakes, you'll become a better writer. Try it yourself. Repost to share ♻️. And follow Chris Banks for more. p.s. what advice would you give aspiring writers not to do.
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Here is Part 2 of tips on dealing with editors and reviewers. 8. Use tact and courtesy in your responses to the editor and reviewers. -Some of their points may piss you off, but they are performing a valuable service AND they are the gatekeepers of publication acceptance. 9. Write your paper well, as bad writing will likely get your paper rejected. -Do not start writing until you have clearly conceptualized your theoretical framing, understand your results, can account for findings that failed to support your hypotheses, and know the main take-away(s) from your study, etc. In other words, do not start writing until you have figured out the points you wish to make in your paper. Then, you can focus your writing on presenting your ideas clearly, instead writing a bunch of half-baked, convoluted gibberish that will piss off reviewers because it's difficult to follow. -Write a single, non-technical sentence that summarizes your study and use it to guide your writing of the paper (i.e., Think of how you would respond to a reporter who asks what your paper is about). The sentence helps prevent you from going off topic and annoying the editor and reviewers with extraneous material that is irrelevant. MORE ISN'T MORE!!! If you reach the method section beyond pages 15 or 16, then I guarantee nearly 100% that your paper will be rejected (due to poor writing, poor logical flow, lack of conciseness, etc.). An exception to this heuristic is multi-study papers. -As an AE, writing quality fed my estimation of an author's ability to respond effectively to the review team's comments. Simply put, poor writing led me to make attributions of author incompetence. Accordingly, if I was on the fence about whether to reject a paper or grant a revision, then a poorly-written first submission would guarantee rejection due to the above-described attribution process. First impressions mean a lot so put your best foot forward on your initial submission. If you have writing difficulties, then seek out a colleague who writes well to proof your draft or consult a professional copyeditor for assistance. 10. Seek out a friendly review for each submission from a trusted colleague (or colleagues) who has (relatively recent) publication success in the journal(s) you wish to target.
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In this story, wearing my writer, reader, and curator hats, I introduce a powerful technique and show how I do it for my impactful stories, making them helpful and memorable for my readers. Writers, editors, and content curators may also use this template
Advanced Writing Techniques: The Importance of Questions in Stories with a Sample Presentation
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Every content writer has their own pace and research time, but I've found that taking at least two days to complete an article can be highly beneficial. In the past, I wrote an article in one day and proofread it the same day but didn’t submit it. The next day, I revisited the article, made several genuine improvements, and added value-adding content. Why is taking a day gap for proofreading and editing so effective? 🪶 You approach it with a fresh mind. 🪶 You distance yourself from the topic for a while. 🪶 You create space for new ideas to enter. 🪶 You can read it as a reader, not as the writer, making a significant difference. In my opinion, taking a minimum of two days to complete an article allows for the necessary time between writing, reading, and evaluating. How much time do you generally take to write an article? 🤔
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