Posts Tagged: Editing

Featured Editor

The thing I love best about working in the Christian publishing industry is the camaraderie among colleagues. Technically, we are all competitors, fighting for the same clients, the same jobs. But it is a cooperative competition—we all help one another out. Because, in the end, we all have the same boss—God. So when a colleague succeeds, we all cheer (even if that means we missed out on an editing gig). So because of this cooperative competition, we boost one another and encourage each other. Many thanks to Karin Berry of Write Now Editing for featuring me on her blog.

Enjoy some tips and inside scope of my interview here.

Inspiring Kids to Write!

One of my favorite things to do is talk to elementary classes about being an editor and writer.

Mrs. Wampole invited me to come speak to her second-grade class last year, and now I think we’ve created a tradition. I’m glad because I love it!

I’ve found that second-graders are at a good age to talk about writing and editing. They are now readers and writers themselves and are excited to learn new things. Their enthusiasm is pretty contagious!

This year when talking with students, my goal was to share my enthusiasm for what I do and encourage them to think about what they like to do and what they are good at. I told them, “When you think about what you want to be when you grow up, think about what you like to do, what you can do to help others, and what you can do to make money (since we all like to eat and live in houses!).” This led us into a discussion about how different talents, skills, and jobs can actually help people. It also helped them think about creative ways to make a living.

I love letting the kids get a sneak peak of a writer’s life to show that it is so much more than the five-sentence paragraph and the five-paragraph essay that they are drilled on because of standardized testing. We talked about all the different types of writing. I had them look around the room and think about the least obvious things they see that someone had to write—posters, textbooks, flyers, Scholastic newspapers, menus, etc. Even greeting cards! The kids were in awe of everything they could write.

Second-grade writers!

Second-grade writers!

I then began talking with the second-graders about the two main jobs I do: magazine writing and nonfiction book editing.

First, I introduced them to the world of magazine writing. They told me all types of ways magazines are different than books. I described the process I go through when writing for ParentLife and showed them a “spec sheet,” a contract, my Word document, and then the final designed magazine pages. It’s a pretty neat process from beginning to end!

Then we talked about what an editor does. I like to say I make the author’s book SHINE. Whether that is helping with the story or putting the commas in the correct places, my job is to make the manuscript the best it can be.

I explained the types of editing: developmental/substantive, copyediting, and proofreading. Then we edited a few sentences together using the proofreading marks. They thought the proofreading marks were funny!

I showed them my resource manuals—The Associated Press Stylebook for magazine writing/editing and The Chicago Manual of Style for book publishing. After seeing the CMOS, which is about three inches thick and full of “rules,” they decide they would not want to be editors!

Lastly, we talked about the process of editing a book and getting it published. And how sometimes an author gets to make input on his or her book cover. We looked at several books from authors I have edited and discussed who the kids thought the readers were—men, women, parents, moms, young, old, etc. They had some interesting ideas on what makes a cover interesting to men vs. women!

Then was Q&A time! They had LOTS of great questions and wanted to be sure I answered every single one. Others may have the same questions the kiddos did, so here are my answers.

Q: How do you get the magazine to look like that?

A: Graphic designers take the Word documents and design the pages of the magazine on their computers. They style the text, make the fonts look pretty and eye-catching, put in art, make bullets, and create the final layout of the magazine that you see.

Q: How do you get the pictures in the magazine?

A: The graphic designers uses “stock” photos. They work with companies who sell lots and lots of different photos that professional photographers have taken. Graphic designers have to read the articles and think about what photos would go with each article. Sometimes they use real photographs, and sometimes they work with illustrators and use illustrations. All the art work and design work is done on the computer.

Q: Have you ever written comics before?

A: Nope, but I have written games and puzzles for children.

Q: Have you ever been fired before?

A: No, but I’ve fired writers before! (The kids usually laugh!) Okay, not really. I’ve just been honest with potential clients and said that perhaps I’m not the perfect editor for them. Perhaps it’s because I don’t specialize in what they need edited. For instance, I don’t edit fiction, so I would suggest a fiction author to find a better editor. And sometimes it’s not a good partnership. An author and editor have to work so closely together, like a team. So our relationship has to be good, even if we disagree about the edits!

Q: Do you have a boss?

A: Yep—me! As a freelance editor/writer, I get to work for myself. So I choose when to work and who to work with.

Q: Have you ever missed a deadline?

A: Oh yes! But usually the writers are so understanding and just want the editing to be the best it can be . . . even if that means it has to take longer.

Q: What do you do if one of your kids is sick?

A: The glory of being a freelancer is that I get to work at home, so my schedule is flexible for when my kids get sick or we go on vacation.

Q: Do you have to read and memorize the entire CMOS book?

A: No, definitely not! But I have to know how to find the info I’m looking for, so it’s important to know how to use a resource book.

Q: How long does it take to edit a book?

A: It really depends on what stage we are in the process of editing and how well the author writes. If an author writes well, I can edit 10–20 pages an hour. If an author is not so good and takes a lot more editing, it can take me an entire hour just to work through 2 pages. But typically, it takes me about 2-4 weeks to edit an entire book manuscript.

Q: How long does it take to write a book?

A: It takes most authors several months to write a book. Even up to a year or more!

Q: How does writing and editing help people?

A: My writing that is published in parenting magazines helps parents learn about developmental stages of childhood so they know how to best parent their children. Sometimes it encourages them in what they are doing well or it helps them realize what they could be doing better. My editing helps authors achieve their dreams of being published, and it helps make their manuscripts the best they can be for all their readers.

Thank You, Mrs. Wampole’s Second-Grade Class!

Sing Your Song

birds sing

I’m sitting here editing … another book proposal, one of my favorite things to do … and I hear a song. The song of a bird, high atop one of the massive pine trees that congregate in our back acreage.

Out the window, I can see the lone bird, nestled and content. It’s so loud, so strong, I think to myself. Surely there is another bird joining in.

Nope. Just one bird. Singing for anyone—or no one—to hear. Singing because it can. Because that’s how God created it.

“The birds of the sky nest by the waters; they sing among the branches.”
(Psalm 104:12 NIV)

This bird has a beautiful song, and I sit and listen, enraptured by its melody. One bird. One song. One moment that brings so much joy and peace, even if it’s only for me.

No matter what the weather, no matter what the other birds and animals are doing, no matter that no other creature joins in … this bird sings its song.

Do you sing your song? Do you do what God created you to do?

Regardless of the weather, your emotions, what others are doing, what social media posts, whether others join in or understand or appreciate?

Whether a writer, editor, carpenter, stay-at-home mom, sales manager, or waitress … whoever you are, whatever you do, wherever you are … sing your song.

“Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth.” (Psalm 96:1 NIV)

What Authors Need in Today’s Publishing World


More Than an Editor

Today I’m starting a new series, “More Than an Editor.”
If you are an editor (or an author), follow this series based on classes I have developed and teach for freelance editors. 

The publishing world has vastly changed in the last decade. Authors no longer get to just write. They have to develop, plan, and grow a platform. They have to be social media experts. They are like business people executing business plans. They must be knowledge in how to promote, market, and sell their books. They are required to develop their “brand” and make their name recognizable. They must know well-known endorsers, connect with bloggers, and develop reader newsletters, Facebook groups, and fan forums.

To say authors are overwhelmed at the publishing process would be an understatement, I believe.

As the publishing industry changes how authors write, it is also changing how editors edit. Since authors must be more than authors—they must be social media experts, business people, marketers, promoters, brand developers—editors have to be more than editors. We have to develop skills that are beyond those of developmental editing, substantive editing, and copyediting. We must know everything that an author must know in order to best serve our author clients. That means we have to know all about publishing—both the writing side and the editing side.

As I work with book authors, I discover that the entire scope of what an author is expected to know and do is overwhelming for them. All of my clients have sought not only feedback on how to make their manuscripts better but also advice on how to navigate through the publishing process.

When do I send a query letter?

How do I write a proposal?

What does “competitive analysis” mean?

How is a proposal formatted? 

These are all questions and concerns that authors have. Yes, they can find blogs and websites and resources to answer all of these questions. They can study and learn how to do it all themselves. But if you have the answers, if you can format their queries and proposals, if you can consult them through the publishing process, then you have not only extended the paid gig with a client, but you also have likely secured a life-long relationship with this author. One that will keep the client coming back to you for her second book proposal, third book proposal, etc.

I have found that the most satisfying thing for me as an editor is developing relationships with authors and journeying with them through the entire publishing process. It is priceless to know you did such a good job consulting them that they can’t wait for you to help edit and format their next book proposal and give your expert advice on how to navigate the next journey of their career. Even after landing contracts with publishing houses and working with the in-house publishing editors, I’ve had clients come back to ask me my advice about book cover design or social media blasts. It’s not only been an honor for me to do so, but it is also amazing to see the entire life of a book, from manuscript to publication and beyond, not just the edits on a page.

Bottom line: I truly think editors need to develop skills that extend beyond editing in order to service the whole scope of an author’s publishing journey.

Stay tuned for next week’s article: “How to be Coach and Cheerleader as an Editor.”

Keys to Successful Freelance Editing Convention

Have you ever found something “accidentally” and later realized what a great impact it’s had?

That’s how I feel about The Christian PEN. I joined this network of Christian editors about two years ago. I’m not even sure how I found it—I wasn’t looking for it intentionally. I joined and even registered to take one of the many online classes offered by founder and director Kathy Ide. During that class I learned valuable lessons on establishing a freelance business, and I was able to connect with other Christian editors.

Last spring, when I attended Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference, Kathy was one of the faculty members. I wanted to introduce myself as one of the students who had taken her class. Maybe she would recognize my name from the homework assignments? I was nervous! It was like meeting a celebrity in the world of editing!

Kathy and I were able to chat several times during the conference. She is a delight! Not only is she my idol as an editor, but she also happens to be one of the most gracious, encouraging, professional, and wonderful people I’ve ever met!

This spring I get to see Kathy again and all the members of The Christian PEN, and I can’t wait! Ten years ago, God gave Kathy a vision of a network for Christian freelance editors. Now with over 600 members, The Christian PEN is celebrating its 10th anniversary and holding its first convention, “Keys to Successful Freelance Editing.”PEN

From April 23-25, 2014, freelance editors from throughout the United States will be gathering at Richfield Community Church in Yorba Linda, California, to listen to established editors share information about editing and learn how to improve their businesses. The speakers will include Kathy Ide, Cecil Murphey, Jeanne Leach, and Alycia Morales (and even yours truly).

For $100, editors can enjoy a Wednesday evening meet-and-greet, a full-day speaking event on Thursday, followed by dinner on Thursday night, and a final meeting Friday morning. Friday afternoon, Family Christian Bookstore in Santa Ana will host a book signing that will include Christian PEN authors as well as authors from the Orange County Christian Writers’ Conference.

Are you a writer who edits or an editor who writes? Stay for the OC Writers’ Conference immediately after The Christian PEN’s convention, April 25-26.

I will be attending both conferences. I hope to see you there!

Click to Tweet: The Christian PEN is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Join founder @KathyIde in CA this April for festivities: http://ctt.ec/eCHn2+

Visit the PEN website for more details and to register: The Christian PEN.

Visit the OC Christian Writers’ Conference for more
details and to register: OCCWC.

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Hands Free Mama: An Editor’s Review

Three words are going to change, shape, and define 2014.

HANDS FREE MAMA

If you don’t already know and love Rachel Macy Stafford (“Hands Free Mama”), you most definitely will this year.

Literary agent Steve Laube predicted that in 2014 “There will be at least one surprise breakout Christian book.” [To read the entire article of 2014 publishing predictions, click here: http://www.authormedia.com/2014-publishing-predictions.]

Friends, this is that book.    

HFM

Rachel started blogging about her daily struggles and her desire to live a less distracted life. Her blog, Hands Free Mama, boasts 1 million hits a month, and her Facebook page, The Hands Free Revolution, has over 100,000 fans and friends. Her much anticipated debut book, Hands Free Mama: A Guide to Putting Down the Phone Burning the To-Do List, and Letting Go of Perfection to Grasp What Really Matters, was released on January 7 by Zondervan.

Her endorsers include well-known names such as Glennon Doyle Melton, author of the New York Times bestseller Carry On, Warrior, and founder of Momastery.com, and Arianna Huffington, chair, president, and editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post Media Group and author of thirteen books.

Rachel is a featured columnist for the Huffington Post and is leading a six-week workshop for HuffPost Parents readers. [Check it out here: “Stress-Less Parenting Workshop.”

I could go on and on, listing Rachel’s credentials and the rave reviews and overwhelming accolades she’s received for Hands Free Mama, but I want to tell a slightly different tale from my perspective of editor and friend.

In August 2011, I received an email one Saturday from a stranger who had happened upon my website. She wrote:

Hello there! It has been a pleasure to “get to know” you through your blog and through your comments on my blog! I so appreciate all of your encouraging and positive words. I truly feel your entrance into my life has been divine intervention. I think you might be able to give me some advice/wisdom that I need to make a decision.

Indeed, our blossoming relationship—both personally and professionally—did seem like a divine intervention! We started “chatting” on email, getting to know each other. Ironically, she used to live in my small town, just a few miles from me. Her two girls even took swim lessons from the same instructor as my two girls. I began to feel a kindred connection with this woman I had never met but who I could tell had talent, passion, and authenticity, and I knew—just knew in my heart—that she was destined for greatness.

Rachel and I continued working together over the next year-and-a-half. Editing for her was divine. I’d get lost in her words, forgetting that I was supposed to be proofing and critiquing and finding mistakes (which were always few). Typically, writers are talented for their thoughts and words, not necessarily for their correct grammar, sentence structure, punctuation, verb usage, etc. However, Rachel is gifted in all things writing—sentence structure, grammar, showing not telling, unique voice, flow, attention-grabbing titles and headlines (I could go on and on …).

Rachel is a dream client.

Then we actually got to meet in person. Ahh! We were both excited! But I was worried—would she be the person I had gotten to know online?

Indeed, she was.

It instantly felt like we were sorority sisters, kindred spirits, good friends.

Others often ask me: “What is Hands Free Mama like?”

One word: AUTHENTIC.

Rachel is authentic, sincere, humble, kind—REAL.

These characteristics are why she’s so loved by her fans.

Rachel’s authenticity has led to the phenomenon of being Hands Free—of showing millions how to open their hearts and hands to each God-given moment.

Leave the laundry until tomorrow. Learn to dance with your kids in the rain. Love each moment your kids call your name. Live in the present. Join Rachel and live authenticity.

*Hands Free Mama is now on the New York Times Best-Sellers List. Her book is available at HandsFreeMama.com or on Amazon  

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Win a copy of Hands Free Mama personally signed by the author, Rachel Macy Stafford!

To enter to win:

1. Share this on Twitter: “Win a signed copy of HANDS FREE MAMA via @ChristiMcGuire: http://wp.me/p3cLRA-14Y

2. Like my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ChristiMcGuireWriter. Share this post http://wp.me/p3cLRA-14Y on your FB page and tag me.

3. Follow me on Pinterest at http://www.pinterest.com/christimcguire. Go to my pin at http://www.pinterest.com/pin/4151824630580300/and pin it on your boards!

A winner will be chosen at random and notified on February 10, 2014.

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If you have publishing dreams like Rachel, I can help you through the process.
Visit my Services page for more info on my editing and consulting services. 

©2011- 2013 Christi McGuire. All Rights Reserved.

Spaces After Paragraphs

Word

So have you stopped living in 1989 yet? Are you caught up to 2013? Are you resisting the urge to put only one space between sentences?

I hope so! (Or maybe I don’t hope so, since my job is to correct other people’s mistakes!)

It’s hard enough to remember to follow all the current (and sometimes ever-changing) rules. But when Word automatically does stuff that you don’t want it to, that is just plain frustrating!

Newer versions of Word (again, get up-to-date if you’re using the 2003 version!), automatically put more space between paragraphs than you want—and that manuscript format standards call for.

Sneaky, eh?

Totally sneaky, because even if you display paragraph marks, you will NOT see an extra paragraph mark after every paragraph! It’s just part of Word’s styling. Word increases the space between paragraphs every time you press “Enter” to create a new paragraph.

Even hitting “Backspace” doesn’t delete the extra space.

So what do you do? Well, if you only want to remove the space after a particular paragraph, put your curser on the paragraph, then click “Paragraph,” then “Line Spacing,” then “Remove Space After Paragraph.” (I don’t know why you would want to do only one paragraph, but you could.)

Before I learned this next trick, I started to do that for an entire eBook manuscript—with over 30,000 words. After clicking through all those menu items for three paragraph, I was already frustrated. Selecting all text (“Ctrl” + “A”) and clicking on “Remove Space After Paragraph” didn’t solve the issue either.

So I invested a little bit.

Maybe you’ve already discovered this tip or have known about it since the dawn of Word. But just in case … here it is.

To remove the spacing between all paragraphs:

1. Click “Paragraph Dialog Launcher” (small arrow in lower right corner of Word 2007 or later). A new dialogue box pops up.

2. Make sure you are on the “Indents and Spacing” tab.

3. Check the box, “Don’t add space between paragraphs of the same style.”

4. Click “OK.”

This change will only affect the document you are working on. If you want to use this as a default property, click the “Default” button in the Paragraph Dialog Box.

As an editor who formats client’s query letters, proposals, and manuscripts, this has been a huge help to me as I work.

Tell me … have you noticed the extra space after each paragraph? Did you already know how to change it? Or did you learn this trick for the first time?

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©2011- 2013 Christi McGuire. All Rights Reserved.

Social Media Numbers: Do They Really Matter?

Numbers (377x400)
She’s right.

Shauna Niequist is so very right.

We are not defined by numbers. We are more than a math equation. More creative than calculus. More excellent than exponential notations. (Okay, that’s about all the math terms that I know.)

I needed to read this quote. Because lately, wherever I turn, my life is dictated by numbers. The entire publishing industry has changed from writing books to creating numbers. What do I mean by this?

One word: PLATFORM

Number of Facebook friends

Number of Twitter followers

Number of Pinterest re-pins

Number of blog subscribers

Numbers, numbers, numbers!

If your social media numbers don’t add up to a big, gigantic, impressive number … then probably no book deal for you.

Is platform everything in publishing? Yeah, it pretty much is. Are there those rare instances of authors not having a platform and getting publishing? Sure, but that is being more and more scarce.

And I understand—agents and publishers want to guarantee they are making their returns when they invest in authors. In today’s economy, authors must prove they have an audience, guaranteed sales, long-term success.

I get it. I really do. But it gets exhausting.

Consuming. Disappointing. Depressing.

Eventually, I can feel like all my worth, value, credentials is summed up in one NUMBER.

Do you ever feel that way? (Go ahead, admit it.)

Our magic can’t be calculated by math. You are more than a number. Whether you struggle with feeling like the number on a scale, the number of your 401K, or the number of your platform (or the lack of numbers of your platform), you are so much more than that.

God didn’t create a number. A figure. A robot. A calculation. He created you.

You are His CREATION.

You were created by the Creator. In turn, you create. You create magic every day when you write, edit, rewrite, proofread, blog, market, sell, encourage, challenge, change, discover.

How? How can that be?

Mary DeMuth made an excellent point in a recent Webinar on how to Pinterest. She said: “It’s not who follows you that is important. It’s who follows the ones who follow you.”

Did you get that?

Your numbers may not be astronomical. That’s okay. Jesus had 12 disciples. That’s pretty pitiful in today’s Social Media terms.

But what did those 12 followers do? They changed the world. They influenced others, who influenced others, who influenced others. And today, there are millions of Christian believers around the world.

It’s not the numbers of your platform—it’s what you do on your platform and how you encourage and influence others to encourage and influence others.

numbers2

One writer friend confided that she was discouraged when she put her heart, soul, time, energy into a blog series that wasn’t getting much feedback. I understood—been there, done that! But the next day, an acquaintance from long ago commented that the blog series had encouraged her to spend more time with her son. In fact, she bought her son a Bible for them to read together.

ONE.

One person might have been the only numbered outcome of her efforts. But oh, how did my writer friend change eternity with that ONE person?

Are you looking at your writing, blogging, publishing, and marketing with earthly eyes focused on numbers?

Or are you looking at your work with eternal eyes—how you can change eternity through ONE person at a time?

God changed the world—all of eternity—with ONE person: JESUS.

Forget about being defined by your social media numbers. Focus on the power of ONE. Be encouraged that your efforts in influencing one person can multiply into big numbers—numbers you may never even know on this side of heaven.

Don’t be defined by numbers. Be defined by purpose. Your purpose. Eternal purpose. God’s purpose in you.

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Are you looking for a professional editor for your manuscript or book proposal? Check out the SERVICES I offer for editing, proofreading, and consulting!

©2011- 2016 Christi McGuire. All Rights Reserved.

Proofread with Precision

hand working business

What was one of the things your teacher always told you in school?

Do your best. Keep your hands to yourself. Practice makes perfect. Raise your hand before speaking.

Yes, these are all valid. But the particular one I am thinking about is: Double check your work.

As an editor, that’s pretty much what I do all day long: Double check other people’s work! Was it only applicable in seventh grade? Nope! Anybody who writes a letter, word, or sentence needs to double check—triple check—his or her work. Whether or not you are a grammar goddess or spelling bee queen, you need to proofread everything you write.

Proofread, proofread, proofread!

You may never be congratulated for using proper grammar, but you sure may be ridiculed if someone finds a mistake in your marketing copy, your resume, a business email, or even a restaurant menu. Incorrect copy, misspelled words, and improper sentences can cost you a sale, a job, or even your reputation.

The cure? Proofread! No matter who you are or what you do, anything you write needs to be double checked for correctness. So how can you proofread accurately to catch mistakes?

1. Take a break for at least 24 hours. Write your copy, and then leave it alone for at least a full day. Writing is like having blinders on—your brain knows what it wants to see, and it can’t always see the mistakes. Not looking at it for a while will give you fresh eyes when you pick it back up again.

2. Block out noise. Proofreading = precision. It’s hard to work precisely with noisy distractions. I can often write with music on, the TV blaring, and the kids playing. But I absolutely cannot edit when it is noisy around me. I need a quiet place to focus and concentrate on each word.

3. Read out loud. OK, I know, this seems silly. But it does work! (Although you might want to do this when nobody is around!) Read your work out loud, and you will catch the mistakes and the parts that don’t flow well, seem awkward, and not what you originally wanted to say.

4. Print a hard copy. I always edit on paper. Maybe I’m old school, but it really does help me edit better. Reading on a screen, my eyes become tired and glance over mistakes. When I print out a manuscript, article, or any other copy, it is easier and more effective to edit properly.

5. Read it backward. It may sound like Jabberwocky, but reading backward will help you catch misspelled words.

6. Use color. When you print out a copy to proof, use colored ink to make your corrections. It’ll help you as you enter in the corrections.

7. Take a break. Proofreading and editing take focused, concentrated effort, so take a break every 20 minutes or so, just to give your eyes and brain a quick rest.

8. Let someone else read it. After you’ve done the previous seven tips, the last (and best) thing to do is ask a friend to read your copy. Ask them, “Does it make sense? Do you see any mistakes? Do you understand the point I am trying to make?” Someone reading a document for the first time will more likely be able to catch mistakes and give you feedback (whether positive or negative) better than you, especially when you have read the same sentence twenty-five times.

Please proofread! Make your seventh-grade teacher happy, don’t forfeit the job interview, secure the sale, and, most of all, look like an intelligent, competent person with correct copy by proofreading, proofreading, proofreading!

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©2011- 2013 Christi McGuire. All Rights Reserved.

 

The Pesky, Little Dots Known as Ellipses

Ellipses
Such havoc these three little dots cause.
When writing, you most certainly need to pause.
Where do the spaces go?
Most writers just do not know.
Do the spaces go before, in-between, or after?
The wrong style sends editors into a fit of laughter.
Check your style guide before you write,
Or make you look silly, it just might!
Instead, look intelligent, smart, and clever,
When you correctly use ellipses. The wrong way? NEVER!

 final_ellipsis

I never thought three little periods would drive me crazy! Most people love to use ellipses, but the problem is creating the ellipsis properly. How do you style it? Like most things having to do with grammar, punctuation, mechanics, and the like, you must consult your style guide.

However, each style guide has its own … you guessed it … style! The AP Stylebook is comically referred to as “The Journalist’s Bible” (it has most certainly been the case for me). This guide is used mostly for writers and editors of newspapers and news magazines and is updated annually by the Associated Press.

The rival of the AP Stylebook is the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS for short), and it is the oldest style guide (first published in 1891) and the most comprehensive (over 1,000 pages) and covers everything you cannot find in other style guides. Book editors use the CMOS. However, the style guides do have their differences in style (which I’ll save for a later post).

Now back to the issue at hand … those pesky ellipses. How do you make them?

The Chicago Manual of Style defines an ellipsis as “the omission of a word, phrase, line, paragraph, or more from a quoted passage” (13.48). Omitted material is indicated by the use of three spaced periods (or ellipsis points). Ellipses may also be used “to show a trailing off or an indecisiveness in thought or speech” (The Christian Writer’s Manual of Style, page 191).

However, the ellipsis is so elusive that four pages have been devoted to its correct use in the CMH. Four pages! So apparently, I’m not the only one who is often confused on its usage.

The confusion arises not from the dots but from the spaces. Where do they go? I’ve seen writers use every combination of the dots and spaces imaginable. Which do you suppose is the correct form?

  1. I just don’t know…where do they go? (no spaces)
  2. I just don’t know… where do they go? (space on the right of the dots)
  3. I just don’t know …where do they go? (space on the left of the dots)
  4. I just don’t know . . . where do they go? (space before, after, and in-between each dot)
  5. I just don’t know … where do they go? (space before and after the dots)

If you chose #5 you are correct!

An ellipsis is created with three dots and one space before and one space after. (Although in-house style guides for particular publishers may differ—always use the appropriate style guide for your publication.)

Technically (and we are getting way technical here), the truly appropriate way to create an ellipses is with a teeny-tiny space in-between each dot; however, a “space” is too much space. How do you solve that problem? I found a fantastic blog with the answer!

“9 Months with the Chicago Manual of Style” is a very in-depth blog about “one man’s quest to read the Chicago Manual of Style from cover to cover in nine months and discuss points of grammar along the way.” How fantastic is that?

I know, I know … only for people like me who care about these tiny little dots and lie awake at night thinking about them. But Peter, the man behind the blog who is enduring the 9 months of dissecting the CMH, has saved my life … editorially speaking. I never, ever knew the secret to ellipses. Peter shares from his blog on May 6, 2011: “I’ve found a shortcut in Word whereby you type CTRL+ALT+period to get three (slightly different-looking ellipsis points).”

Can you say FAB-U-LOUS?

Thanks, Peter! Now there is no more worry about where the spaces around the dots go. We can all sleep at night knowing this valuable shortcut to creating the ellipses. And I can guarantee you all … I will be using this shortcut with devotion for the rest of my life!

Elusive ellipsis? No more! Ellipses no longer have to create havoc in your life! No more sleepless nights! However, now that you know how to properly create them, my next post will be a few do’s and don’ts in using them … do … stay … tuned!

(Part of this post was originally published as “The Elusive Ellipsis” at Witty Words on July 27, 2011.)

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