: Chris Goebel's Writing Help Page :
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I’m glad you’re referring to the No-No page. Obviously, you care about presenting your material professionally and it will pay off. If you have questions (or disbelief) regarding my Top 10, I’ve provided links to assist you in your quest for near-perfect manuscripts. These tips will not only help you get published with Humdinger Literary E-zine, but they also provide great practical advice for writers in general. I have tried to make this as concise and simple as possible, because the last thing we need is a complicated explanation of something we don't understand.
Best of luck. Should you have suggestions for additions to my page, e-mail me:
Pen to Paper~ Chris Goebel
CHRIS GOEBEL’S TOP 10 NO-NO’S 1. Do not have two spaces between sentences. This is not the appropriate format for manuscripts. No-No: He went home later. Jessica called him afterwards. Yes: He went home later. Jessica called him afterwards. You can see this verified at: http://www.wizards4word.com/bookdoctor.html http://www.aeonix.com/comntypo.htm and at the Chicago Manual of Style’s website at: http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/cmosfaq/cmosfaq.html Single spaces used after periods is very practical; after all, it requires less space. 2. Writers often do not space between periods in an ellipsis. If the whole sentence ends with an ellipsis, then do not space between the ellipsis and the final word and add a fourth period as final punctuation. (Ex.: He always went that way. . . .) No-No: She thought about it frequently and then… Yes: She thought about it frequently and then . . . You can read more in depth examples about ellipsis at Aeonix Publishing Group’s website at: http://www.aeonix.com/comntypo.htm or at Cliff Pickover’s website: http://sprott.physics.wisc.edu/pickover/bestseller.html 3. Avoid using too many “to be” verbs. No-No: The actor is using fresh scripts for rehearsal. Yes: The actor uses fresh scripts for rehearsal. You can read more about this at GrammarCheck, which also recommends that you eliminate extra “to be” verbs after you’ve written a final draft. I agree. http://www.grammarcheck.com/archives/02-29-2000.htm Be sure to scroll midway down the page to find this section. 4. Semi-colons should be used to join two complete sentences. No-No: We wrote for several hours; that caused us to become desperate. Yes: We wrote for several hours; we became desperate. Verify this at: http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/cmosfaq/cmosfaq.html 5. Ending punctuation should, in most cases, be placed inside quotation marks. No-No: “Angel”, he said, “you’re just the wrong type”. Yes: “Angel,” he said, “you’re just the wrong type.” Check this rule at: http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/cmosfaq/cmosfaq.html 6. Eschew the use of “It is” or “There are” at the beginning of sentences. No-no: It was a dark and stormy night. Yes: Darkness and hail-filled rain filled the night. View this rule at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_concise.html 7. Strive to use the active (action) voice instead of the passive voice. No-no: The door was opened by Tabitha. Yes: Tabitha opened the door. This is also at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_concise.html 8. Misspelled words aren’t necessary. If you see red underlined words in a Word document, they are either misspelled or unfamiliar to the program. Please double-check instances that prompt the red line. You can also complete a Spell Check through the Tools Menu. 9. Avoid simple grammar errors by spotting the green underlined text in your Word program. You can also complete a Grammar Check through the Tools Menu. 10. Don’t submit sexually explicit or graphically violent material. Humdinger Literary E-zine’s an online publication and faces more stringent requirements of decency than printed publications.
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