Louise Harnby | Fiction Editor & Proofreader
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The Editing Blog: for Editors, Proofreaders and Writers

FOR EDITORS, PROOFREADERS AND WRITERS

10 killer editing macros for writers and editors: The Editing Podcast

29/7/2019

1 Comment

 
In this episode of The Editing Podcast, Denise and Louise talk about 10 editing macros that will save you time and improve the quality of your writing.
The Editing Podcast logo
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​Click to listen to Season 2, Episode 5
Summary
Listen to find out more about:
  • Macros how they work in Word
  • CatchPhrase
  • CitationLister and CitationListChecker
  • CompareWordList
  • File Cleaner
  • FullPointInDialogue and CommaInDialogue
  • MultiSwitch
  • PerfectIt
  • ProperNounAlyse
  • SpellingErrorLister
  • VisibleTrack

Editing bites
  • ​‘Advanced Find and Replace for Microsoft Word’: Available from Jack Lyon
  • ‘20-Minute Macro Course’: Available from Tech Tools for Writers​

Music credit
‘Vivacity’ Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.
Louise Harnby is a line editor, copyeditor and proofreader who specializes in working with crime, mystery, suspense and thriller writers.

She is an Advanced Professional Member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP), a member of ACES, a Partner Member of The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi), and co-hosts The Editing Podcast.

Visit her business website at Louise Harnby | Fiction Editor & Proofreader, say hello on Twitter at @LouiseHarnby, connect via Facebook and LinkedIn, and check out her books and courses.
1 Comment

The Editing Podcast: Adverbs: Use and abuse in writing

22/7/2019

2 Comments

 
In this episode of The Editing Podcast, Denise and Louise talk about adverbs, and how to use or remove them purposefully.
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​Click to listen to Season 2, Episode 4
Summary
Listen to find out more about:
  • What Stephen King said about adverbs
  • Adverb use versus adverb abuse
  • Definition of an adverb with examples
  • Definition of an adverbial phrase with examples
  • Adverb red flag #1: the double tell in narrative
  • Adverb red flag #2: the double tell in dialogue
  • Adverb red flag #3: the double tell in dialogue tags
  • Fixes: using stronger verbs and strengthening dialogue
  • Why adverbial phrases don’t solve the problem
  • Extent of overuse

Editing bites
  • How to Write Dazzling Dialogue by James Scott Bell
  • Oxford Guide to Plain English by Martin Cutts

Other resources
  • Stephen King on Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

Music credit
‘Vivacity’ Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Louise Harnby is a line editor, copyeditor and proofreader who specializes in working with crime, mystery, suspense and thriller writers.

She is an Advanced Professional Member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP), a member of ACES, a Partner Member of The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi), and co-hosts The Editing Podcast.

Visit her business website at Louise Harnby | Fiction Editor & Proofreader, say hello on Twitter at @LouiseHarnby, connect via Facebook and LinkedIn, and check out her books and courses.
2 Comments

How to edit for consistency and style with PerfectIt: The Editing Podcast

15/7/2019

0 Comments

 
In this episode of The Editing Podcast, Denise and Louise talk with Daniel Heuman, founder of Intelligent Editing and developer of PerfectIt – consistency-checking and style-enforcing software for editors and writers.
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​Click to listen to Season 2, Episode 3
Summary
Listen to find out more about:
  • What PerfectIt does
  • Who uses PerfectIt
  • What’s new with PerfectIt 4
  • Using the onboard styles
  • The PerfectIt 4 interface
  • How to access PerfectIt on PC and Mac
  • How much a subscription costs and what’s included
  • Where to download PerfectIt​
​
​Music credit
‘Vivacity’ Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Louise Harnby is a line editor, copyeditor and proofreader who specializes in working with crime, mystery, suspense and thriller writers.

She is an Advanced Professional Member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP), a member of ACES, a Partner Member of The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi), and co-hosts The Editing Podcast.

Visit her business website at Louise Harnby | Fiction Editor & Proofreader, say hello on Twitter at @LouiseHarnby, connect via Facebook and LinkedIn, and check out her books and courses.
0 Comments

The Editing Podcast, S2E2: 4 kinds of writer, and how editing helps

6/7/2019

0 Comments

 
In this episode of The Editing Podcast, Denise and Louise discuss four different kinds of writers and how identifying what kind you are can help you work out the kind of editing that’s the best fit for you.
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​Click to listen to Season 2, Episode 2
Summary
Listen to find out more about:
  • The confident writer
  • The nervous writer
  • The reluctant writer
  • The impatient writer

Editing bites
  • ‘How to proofread your own writing – 10 tips to clean up your writing’
  • ‘Is proofreading enough? Does Your Reader Dance?’

Music credit
‘Vivacity’ Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Louise Harnby is a line editor, copyeditor and proofreader who specializes in working with crime, mystery, suspense and thriller writers.

She is an Advanced Professional Member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP), a member of ACES, a Partner Member of The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi), and co-hosts The Editing Podcast.

Visit her business website at Louise Harnby | Fiction Editor & Proofreader, say hello on Twitter at @LouiseHarnby, connect via Facebook and LinkedIn, and check out her books and courses.
0 Comments

The Editing Podcast, S2E1: How to prepare your book file for editing

1/7/2019

0 Comments

 
In this episode of The Editing Podcast, Denise and Louise discuss how to prepare your book file for editing ... whether you're doing it yourself or working with an editor.
Picture
​Click to listen to Season 2, Episode 1
Summary
Listen to find out more about:
  • When to do interior layout
  • Where to do your editing
  • Whether to edit in a single document or multiples
  • Using styles
  • Font choice
  • Colour choice
  • Paragraph design​​
  • Spacing
  • Defining headings
  • Page numbering
  • Section breaks
  • Pictures and images
  • Tables of contents
  • Indexing


​Editing bites
  • Editing in Word, 2nd Edition, by Adrienne Montgomerie
  • How to Market a Book, by Joanna Penn

Other resources
  • Review of Montgomerie’s Editing in Word, 2nd ed. by Louise Harnby (blog post)
  • How to use styles (free tutorial)
  • How to use styles (blog post)
  • PerfectIt
  • Formatting in Word: Find and Replace (booklet containing raw-text tidy-up tips)
  • Proofreading checklist (free PDF booklet, available when you sign up to The Editorial Letter)
​
Music credit
‘Vivacity’ Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Louise Harnby is a line editor, copyeditor and proofreader who specializes in working with crime, mystery, suspense and thriller writers.

She is an Advanced Professional Member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP), a member of ACES, a Partner Member of The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi), and co-hosts The Editing Podcast.

  • Get in touch: Louise Harnby | Fiction Editor & Proofreader
  • Connect: Twitter at @LouiseHarnby, Facebook and LinkedIn
  • Learn: Books and courses
  • Discover: Resources for authors and editors
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