M.B. Brophy's Blog
July 13, 2012
Proofreading Tips
Read any guides about self-publishing, and it won’t be long before you come across a mini-lecture on the importance of proofreading. Nothing undermines a message more thoroughly than excessive typos and spelling errors. But hiring a pro to look over your work can be cost-prohibitive, particularly for independent e-publishers. Fortunately, there are a few tricks and tips that will help you clean up your manuscript on a budget.
1. Be honest with yourself about your level of grammatical proficiency. The goal of proofreading is to spot errors, but its effectiveness relies on your ability to recognize an error when you see one. If your command of basic writing mechanics is shaky, then you need to invest in a grammar guide � like Strunk and White’s Elements of Grammar � or a writing class. Don’t undermine the value of your ideas by cutting corners on presentation.
2. Read your manuscript backwards sentence by sentence. This is an adaptation of an old proofreader’s trick from the days of manual typewriters: going backwards word by word to catch spelling errors. While word processing programs have largely eliminated the need for that level of precision, reading backwards by sentence can disrupt the flow of thought, allowing you to spot errors in structure more readily.
3. Plan to read your manuscript a minimum of five times, with at least 48 hours between readings. When you see publication on the horizon, it can be tempting to rush things. However, your brain needs time to reset itself. Otherwise, you will see what you expect to see (“the dog from Dallas�) and not what is really on the page (“teh dog form dallas�).
4. Read your manuscript in as many different formats and settings as possible. I like to proofread at least once in a Word document and once in a PDF. I’ll sit at my computer for one read-through and in bed with my iPad for another. The more you change things up, the more likely you will be to spot mistakes.
5. Have a friend read the manuscript looking for nothing but grammar and spelling errors. If you ask people to give you feedback on content AND mechanics, you split their focus. You’re much better off giving the reader one thing to look at. For proofreading, I find it’s best to trade favors. My reader is probably going to take more time and care if I fed her cats for a week while she was in Cabo than if I regularly turn up at her doorstep, manuscript in hand, with nothing to exchange but my thanks. Professional proofreaders charge anywhere from 2 to 10 cents per word, so be sure your friend understands you appreciate the favor you are asking.
6. For your final read-through, print a double-spaced hard copy of the manuscript (try not to think of the trees). Get a ruler or a folded piece of dark-colored paper, and line the edge up beneath the line you are reading. This will help you keep your eyes focused and minimize the likelihood that you will inadvertently skip lines.
7. Finally, when you have located every possible error and are ready to publish, convert the document into your chosen e-reader format, design the cover, and create your table of contents. Then, as your finger hovers over the proverbial “publish� button, step back and read the manuscript one more time. You’ll find another typo. I promise. It will be a doozy too � something you simply could not have missed over and over again. Except you did. Haven’t found it? Check the title and your name. It’s there.
If you’ve tried all these strategies and still get feedback about errors, you may want to think about hiring a professional to proofread the first 10 pages of your next manuscript. Ask him or her to identify the errors but not actually fix them. Then, look for patterns in the mistakes. Unless you have severe writing problems, chances are good that you are making the same one or two errors over and over again. Once you see what those errors are, you can spend an afternoon going over the relevant rules. You’ll also know what to look for as your review the rest of your manuscript.
I hope you’ve found these tips helpful. Good luck!
1. Be honest with yourself about your level of grammatical proficiency. The goal of proofreading is to spot errors, but its effectiveness relies on your ability to recognize an error when you see one. If your command of basic writing mechanics is shaky, then you need to invest in a grammar guide � like Strunk and White’s Elements of Grammar � or a writing class. Don’t undermine the value of your ideas by cutting corners on presentation.
2. Read your manuscript backwards sentence by sentence. This is an adaptation of an old proofreader’s trick from the days of manual typewriters: going backwards word by word to catch spelling errors. While word processing programs have largely eliminated the need for that level of precision, reading backwards by sentence can disrupt the flow of thought, allowing you to spot errors in structure more readily.
3. Plan to read your manuscript a minimum of five times, with at least 48 hours between readings. When you see publication on the horizon, it can be tempting to rush things. However, your brain needs time to reset itself. Otherwise, you will see what you expect to see (“the dog from Dallas�) and not what is really on the page (“teh dog form dallas�).
4. Read your manuscript in as many different formats and settings as possible. I like to proofread at least once in a Word document and once in a PDF. I’ll sit at my computer for one read-through and in bed with my iPad for another. The more you change things up, the more likely you will be to spot mistakes.
5. Have a friend read the manuscript looking for nothing but grammar and spelling errors. If you ask people to give you feedback on content AND mechanics, you split their focus. You’re much better off giving the reader one thing to look at. For proofreading, I find it’s best to trade favors. My reader is probably going to take more time and care if I fed her cats for a week while she was in Cabo than if I regularly turn up at her doorstep, manuscript in hand, with nothing to exchange but my thanks. Professional proofreaders charge anywhere from 2 to 10 cents per word, so be sure your friend understands you appreciate the favor you are asking.
6. For your final read-through, print a double-spaced hard copy of the manuscript (try not to think of the trees). Get a ruler or a folded piece of dark-colored paper, and line the edge up beneath the line you are reading. This will help you keep your eyes focused and minimize the likelihood that you will inadvertently skip lines.
7. Finally, when you have located every possible error and are ready to publish, convert the document into your chosen e-reader format, design the cover, and create your table of contents. Then, as your finger hovers over the proverbial “publish� button, step back and read the manuscript one more time. You’ll find another typo. I promise. It will be a doozy too � something you simply could not have missed over and over again. Except you did. Haven’t found it? Check the title and your name. It’s there.
If you’ve tried all these strategies and still get feedback about errors, you may want to think about hiring a professional to proofread the first 10 pages of your next manuscript. Ask him or her to identify the errors but not actually fix them. Then, look for patterns in the mistakes. Unless you have severe writing problems, chances are good that you are making the same one or two errors over and over again. Once you see what those errors are, you can spend an afternoon going over the relevant rules. You’ll also know what to look for as your review the rest of your manuscript.
I hope you’ve found these tips helpful. Good luck!
June 30, 2012
Developing Believable Detectives
One of the most challenging aspects of writing a mystery novel is advancing the plot in a way that keeps readers guessing but doesn’t leave them feeling deceived by red herrings and hidden clues. One of the best ways to meet this challenge is to flesh out your protagonist, or detective, before you establish the plot of the novel. If the detective, whether professional or amateur, emerges from the page as a fully developed and unique person, the reader will more readily accept the twists and turns because the detective is solving the mystery in the only way he or she can.
For example, the protagonist of my upcoming mystery novel, Mayor of Hollywood, is a famous actress named Lucy Cassidy. Her background enables her to immediately recognize that a suspect has lied about what is normal behavior on a film set, but it also means that she misses some subtler clues because she is used to dealing with larger than life personalities. Her unique perspective informs how she investigates the murders, allowing her to pursue leads in her own way.
Since the most important part of a mystery novel is the mystery, writers often skip right to plot development, drawing the protagonist in broad strokes. However, this can lead to credibility problems since the detective must make discoveries in a certain order simply because that is the way the plot says that the mystery unravels.
Imagine, for example, a scene in which your homicide detective protagonist breaks into a suspect’s house and discovers a fresh body. Why did the detective risk her career entering a private home without probable cause or a warrant? The answer cannot be because the plot requires that the body be found at this point in the book. But think about some of your favorite fictional police detectives. Would John Rebus break into a house without a warrant? Probably. Harry Bosch? Maybe. Peter Decker? Not unless he thought Rina or one of his kids was in there. We can speculate about what they would do because they are well developed characters with clear points of view. As such, they have the ability to drive the plot, rather than letting the plot drive them.
So how do you set about developing your detective? You must start before you have more than the basic sketch of the mystery. Establish, of course, whether he is a police detective, federal agent, private investigator, or something else entirely. Then, dig deeper. What was her childhood like? Is he single, married, or divorced? How did she choose her career? Is he a lone wolf, like John Rebus? A team leader, like Peter Decker? Or something in the middle, like Kinsey Millhone?
Don’t underestimate the importance of apparently small details. For example, Lucy Cassidy is very intelligent, but she was also raised by a controlling stage mother. Her resulting resistance to letting other people control her actions causes her to periodically take risks she knows she probably shouldn’t. She doesn’t go into dangerous situations alone because the plot requires it. She does so because her personality compels her.
Character development worksheets can seem overwhelming and needlessly detailed, but I encourage you to use them at least for your protagonist. Once you know your private investigator is a vegan, a widower, an expert chess player, and dozens of other things, you’ll be surprised by the exciting ways that your plot outline unfolds. Don’t be afraid to make unusual connections. Kinsey Millhone, for example, doesn’t have claustrophobia from being trapped in a wrecked car at a young age. Rather, she is drawn to small, cozy places, and that approach has allowed Sue Grafton to write some really evocative scene descriptions. Just because most vegans find meat unappealing, that doesn’t mean yours can’t salivate at the smell of a steak. Real people are a bundle of seeming contradictions, so give your detective some surprising traits and see where they lead you.
Once you have a fully fleshed out character, outlining your mystery will be much easier. You can simply ask yourself at each step: WWMPD? (What would my protagonist do?)
Good luck!
For example, the protagonist of my upcoming mystery novel, Mayor of Hollywood, is a famous actress named Lucy Cassidy. Her background enables her to immediately recognize that a suspect has lied about what is normal behavior on a film set, but it also means that she misses some subtler clues because she is used to dealing with larger than life personalities. Her unique perspective informs how she investigates the murders, allowing her to pursue leads in her own way.
Since the most important part of a mystery novel is the mystery, writers often skip right to plot development, drawing the protagonist in broad strokes. However, this can lead to credibility problems since the detective must make discoveries in a certain order simply because that is the way the plot says that the mystery unravels.
Imagine, for example, a scene in which your homicide detective protagonist breaks into a suspect’s house and discovers a fresh body. Why did the detective risk her career entering a private home without probable cause or a warrant? The answer cannot be because the plot requires that the body be found at this point in the book. But think about some of your favorite fictional police detectives. Would John Rebus break into a house without a warrant? Probably. Harry Bosch? Maybe. Peter Decker? Not unless he thought Rina or one of his kids was in there. We can speculate about what they would do because they are well developed characters with clear points of view. As such, they have the ability to drive the plot, rather than letting the plot drive them.
So how do you set about developing your detective? You must start before you have more than the basic sketch of the mystery. Establish, of course, whether he is a police detective, federal agent, private investigator, or something else entirely. Then, dig deeper. What was her childhood like? Is he single, married, or divorced? How did she choose her career? Is he a lone wolf, like John Rebus? A team leader, like Peter Decker? Or something in the middle, like Kinsey Millhone?
Don’t underestimate the importance of apparently small details. For example, Lucy Cassidy is very intelligent, but she was also raised by a controlling stage mother. Her resulting resistance to letting other people control her actions causes her to periodically take risks she knows she probably shouldn’t. She doesn’t go into dangerous situations alone because the plot requires it. She does so because her personality compels her.
Character development worksheets can seem overwhelming and needlessly detailed, but I encourage you to use them at least for your protagonist. Once you know your private investigator is a vegan, a widower, an expert chess player, and dozens of other things, you’ll be surprised by the exciting ways that your plot outline unfolds. Don’t be afraid to make unusual connections. Kinsey Millhone, for example, doesn’t have claustrophobia from being trapped in a wrecked car at a young age. Rather, she is drawn to small, cozy places, and that approach has allowed Sue Grafton to write some really evocative scene descriptions. Just because most vegans find meat unappealing, that doesn’t mean yours can’t salivate at the smell of a steak. Real people are a bundle of seeming contradictions, so give your detective some surprising traits and see where they lead you.
Once you have a fully fleshed out character, outlining your mystery will be much easier. You can simply ask yourself at each step: WWMPD? (What would my protagonist do?)
Good luck!
