Before I was a publisher, I was an editor. Now I’m both, of course, but the editor in me is the one that faces the most challenges in the world of publishing.  So both as a lark and as a way to give writers a bit of a head’s up, I thought I’d create a column that addresses some editing problems I often face.

1)      And then….

The word “and” is an important conjunction in writing, but it is often very much over-used.  And combining it with “then” is redundant.  In most instances, the words “and” or “then” are interchangeable, meaning one or the other can be used.  But using both is not recommended.  Another option is to use neither, replacing them with a simple comma.  (I highly recommend using all three throughout a manuscript, in all honesty.) The only time I would recommend – or more aptly, expect – the use of “and then” is in dialogue, more specifically when someone is telling a story. (Example:  “I turned off my flashlight and then heard someone scream…”)

Also, please do not fall into the trap of using “and then” to extend your sentences.  Sometimes it’s much better to start a new sentence then to have “and then” added more than once.  (Example:  Which is better:  She came. She saw. She conquered.   or She came and then she saw and then she conquered.)

2)      Large Indentations

This is more of a personal preference for me as an editor.  When I see a manuscript with paragraph indentations of more than 3 spaces, it annoys me.  It just doesn’t look aesthetically pleasing to the eye.  I’ve been told that the standard format for manuals is 5 indentations, and that’s fine – if you’re writing a manual.  So it’s not wrong to use the larger indentation, but make sure to check the submission guidelines of the magazine or publishing house you’re submitting to to make sure they don’t have a preference before you commit an unwitting mistake.

3)      Indenting & Double Spacing

Very quickly, if you’re going to indent your paragraphs, don’t double-space between them as well.  It’s unnecessary and redundant and shows that you are not professional.

4)      Know your characters

Once of my biggest pet peeves when I read a manuscript is not being able to tell who’s speaking because every characters speaks exactly the same way the writer (or narrator of the story itself) speaks.  And even if I do know who is speaking each time – because the writer tells me so – those characters have failed to come alive in my mind as I read….leaving me feeling as if I’ve somehow missed out on something good.

I had to do an assignment in Composition class once that really helped me with this.  The assignment was to write 2-3 pages of dialogue with two people talking without using anything but dialogue.  No “he said/she said,” nothing explaining the sex or the emotions of the characters – I was to just let the dialogue do the talking.  And the more my readers could tell about who was speaking when I was done, the higher my grade was.  It was really quite illuminating – and a lot of fun.  So if you find that all of your characters speak with the same accent, using the same grammar, and the same rhythm as you do, regardless of their age, sex, education or time in history they’re living in, your manuscript has a good chance of being rejected – or at least edited to death.  And your characters have certainly not come alive for you either.

5)      Commas, commas, commas

Where to place or not place a comma can be very tricky.  And truthfully, sometimes that can be a personal preference.  But regardless of whether you are an over-comma user or rarely use commas at all, there are a few hard-and-fast rules you should keep in mind:

a)      Always use a comma before someone’s name

(Example:  “How are you today, Diana?” or “I’m coming home, dad”)

b)      If you qualify a person who is speaking after dialogue, and you are not using an

      exclamation point or a question mark, you must use a comma… NOT a period.

      (Example:  “I don’t want to answer that question,” she replied.)

c)      Always put a comma before “which” in a sentence

(Example:  She ran to the door and threw it open, which is not what her husband expected.)

     More on commas in later installments.

I hope this was helpful for you.  If you have some editing pet peeves of your own, please feel free to share them with us.