April 12, 2009

In the last blog, I began with the idea of keeping the writing going. “Don’t procrastinate,” I said. Huh! look who’s talking. I have procrastinated for two months now on getting this, my next blog up and going. But I still believe that if you want to get published, you have to keep writing. At least with regards to my book, I am keeping up to date and writing regularly. Well, that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it.

Now that you are writing, keep an accurate record of events, character names, place names and so on. If you don’t, you will be forced to scroll through the pages in search of a name or spelling. Let this record be in writing and on paper. This way, you will always have essential information at hand. And while your busy writing, stay true to the character. Don’t change their behaviour or the way they think- unless you have a plan.

If you use abbreviations, use the same abbreviation style throughout the book. For instance, doctor can be written as: doctor, Dr, dr or Doctor. If you create an abbreviation for your novel, stick to this rule. You might understand the reason for a change in abbreviation, but your readers will get confused.

While we’re on a bit of a spelling thing here, don’t rely solely on the word processor spell check, or grammar check for that matter. Your word processor can be set using a wide variety of ‘English’ styles. There is British-English, Australian_English, US-English and so on. If you are planning to publish in US, set the spell checker to US-English, but check the spelling with a dictionary, and do not rely on the word processors grammar check. It can be wrong very often. Go back to your old English text books, or go on line to check your grammar.

Remember, you are in charge of your book, but poor grammar and spelling errors will not help to get you published. Keep the ideas flowing and stay mentally fit. Your book idea is worth the effort. Keep it up. Write to me if you get confused or if you need a push. Go for it.

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