Write It Right: The Ground Rules for Self-Editing Like the Pros [Paperback]

Dawn Josephson (Author), Lauren Hidden (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2005 | ISBN-10: 0974496626 | ISBN-13: 978-0974496627

In a succinct five-step process, this reference shows how to save time and frustration when editing one's own work, creating stronger, more precise text that holds the reader's attention. Through its practical, field-tested approach featuring frequently asked questions and key points for reflection at each step, writers learn how to avoid embarrassing themselves on paper, remain objective throughout the process, pinpoint their own unique writing challenges, and recognize when it is time to call for outside help. Tips and examples in the grammar and usage section further illustrate how to overcome the most common writing challenges that plague writers.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dawn Josephson is the author of Putting It on Paper. She is an editor, ghostwriter, idea development consultant, and public speaker, and a former editor-in-chief for Cutting Edge Media; a frequent contributor to The Entertainer, a Central Florida arts and entertainment magazine; and an advertising copywriter. She lives in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Lauren Hidden is the founder of The Hidden Helper, LLC which provides virtual assistance services including research, data management, administrative, editorial, and transcription assistance to authors, speakers, and real estate professionals. She has worked in the public relations department at a Fortune 500 company and as a caseworker for the elderly. She lives in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Cameo Publications (September 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0974496626
• ISBN-13: 978-0974496627
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,010,624 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lauren Hidden is a book editor and author's virtual assistant who, on the rare occasion she actually leaves her house, always takes her Kindle along. In business since 2003, Lauren has edited scores of books including many business books and memoirs with the occasional novel thrown in. With her author virtual assistant duties, she frequently assists self-published authors in handling all those little details that they would rather not do themselves.

Lauren is the past Marketing Director for the International Virtual Assistants Association, and enjoys traveling to conferences and meeting authors. She's even met a few celebrities along the way. Lauren is a certified Professional Virtual Authors Assistant and a certified Social Media Marketing Specialist.

Lauren lives in New Cumberland, PA, right across the river from Three Mile Island (TMI). When not working, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two elementary-school-age sons. And of course, her favorite hobby is reading.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great procedures for editing your work, August 27, 2005

By 

Harold McFarland (Florida) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Write It Right: The Ground Rules for Self-Editing Like the Pros (Paperback)

Whether just an article or an entire novel most of us need to edit our work to give it that professional finish. This book is not a grammar book with all those rules on how to make your work syntactically correct. Instead it takes a larger view and supplies the basics of writing well. For example the "ground rules" include checking to make sure the story is organized well and and checking that paragraphs have a topic sentence that the rest of the paragraph relates to. For each of the ground rules the authors discuss how to check your work to see that it conforms to the rules and how to change it so it does.

The section starting on page 33 is a welcome change from most writing books. The authors suggest that you should identify areas where you have problems and include them on a check list of editing problems to watch for. But, how do you know your problem areas if you don't see the problem? This section gives several examples of sentences with various problems. Find the ones where you don't see a problem, go to the answers section that explains the problem and you have your short list of items to learn about and watch for in your work.

For the person looking to raise their writing quality to a higher level of professionalism Write It Right is a recommended read.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Jam-packed little book of writing advice, May 17, 2007

By 

Betty Dobson "InkSpotter" (Halifax NS Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Write It Right: The Ground Rules for Self-Editing Like the Pros (Paperback)

As the second book in the Ground Rules series, Write It Right continues the solid, succinct advice presented in its predecessor, Putting It On Paper. Dawn Josephson is joined this time around by Lauren Hidden, and, together, they walk you through all the whys and hows of self-editing your writing to make it as good as it can be.

Josephson and Hidden understand that there's more to self editing than the mechanics. Many writers will have a hard time accepting the idea that self-editing is something they should even be doing. We all make mistakes in our writing. Even editors make mistakes.

If you're still not convinced once you've read the Introduction--which includes "The Case for Self-Editing"--I urge you to keep reading anyway. You won't be sorry.

For such a slim volume--as the Ground Rules series tends to be--this book is jam-packed with useful exercises to help you identify and correct your writing weaknesses.

And don't overlook the many appendices at the back. These pages constitute a big chunk of pages overall and could be the most valuable part of the whole book. "How To Sabotage Your Self-Editing Efforts" and "The Ground Rules of [Grammar] and Usage" are especially useful.

My one real quibble with the process promoted and taught in Write It Right is that it seems more practical when applied to shorter works. I cannot imagine undergoing the same lengthy process for a book-length manuscript. How many times can you reread your manuscript before the words blur and you see what you want or expect to see?

Also, while I don't doubt the lessons could be applied readily to creative writing, the focus here seems to be on non-fiction, specifically business writing. That distinction might deter some writers from giving this book a try.

In general, I think Write It Right deserves a spot on every writer's bookshelf. You don't just read this book. You open yourself up to a learning experience taught as much by you as by the authors.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Commen sense advice on self-editing, August 28, 2005

By 

Meryl K. Evans "Content Maven behind meryl.net" (Plano, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Write It Right: The Ground Rules for Self-Editing Like the Pros (Paperback)

"But isn't editing the editor's job?"

The authors say, "Yes and no." They explain the editor's purpose is to polish the work and not rewrite your work. The writer looks good in the editor's eyes when turning in an "almost finished product." Not only do you make the editor's work easier when rechecking your product, but also it earns you a better reputation.

Writers aren't the only ones who benefit from Write It Right. The College Board's National Commission on Writing conducted a study that concluded a third of employees in America's blue-chip companies wrote poorly and businesses were spending up to $3.1 billion per year on remedial training (2004). Newspapers like the New York Times published the statistics from the report to show the gravity of the situation in the U.S.

The five chapters in the book make up the five steps for self-editing. Each chapter ends with "Questions for Self-Reflection" to help readers determine what areas need working on, so they focus on those while self-editing. The first chapter ends with a grammar quiz, which is the book's paradox. It has two errors. One question misses a word that appears in the answer and another has a typo.

While following the five step process feels lengthy, the authors include advice on what to do when in a hurry. Writers can judge how much to review their work and adjust the process as needed.

The basic advice consists mostly of common sense, the things we learned in school or through experience. However, the book shows how to find your weak areas and work with them. The authors do an impressive job covering all the bases in this small book by tackling the editing process, giving a handful of grammar tips, and providing checklists. It takes less than an hour to read straight through without completing the suggested activities.

This little guide has a good chance of coming in handy rather than sitting on a bookshelf never to see the light of day. The easy-to-scan format, checklist templates, short list of rules, and examples increase the probability of the reader using it.