Amanda Breen

Should you pivot, or persist? If you've ever dealt with writer's block or self-doubt, you've probably struggled with this question. I've had multiple authors come to me in just the past weeks wondering if it was time to change targets. For my thoughts on how you can think it through, check out my post today on substack -- https://lnkd.in/eFThaNZp

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Serious question: Who’s partnering with all these writers to ensure their work is a worthwhile contribution to the web? I’ve spent a lot of time perusing job boards and LinkedIn hiring announcements in recent months, and one thing is clear: Businesses are hiring far more writers than editors. Writers are great. I love a strong writer. I claim that title myself on occasion. But please hear me on this: Even great writers need an editor. I’ve worked with some of the best over the years, and they welcomed my feedback. Why? They knew they couldn’t look at their work with an objective lens. They knew their eyes glossed over key areas for improvement. They knew they struggled with a particular sentence or paragraph and needed another brain to help them work through it (two heads are better than one and all that). Editing is not glamorous work. It’s heads-down, behind-the-scenes, you’ll-never-believe-how-much-thought-I-put-into-this-seemingly-small-editorial-decision work. But it’s so important. It advocates for both the reader and the writer. It prioritizes accuracy. It champions originality. It fights for clarity and consistency. All told, it safeguards your company’s reputation. Don’t miss that last part: It safeguards your company’s reputation! If you’re hiring writers and producing a lot of content, please consider the value an editor could provide. That is all. 🤍 #contentmarketing #writingcommunity #editing

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🧰 What's in your #editing toolbox? As a copy editor and proofreader, I do a lot of fact-checking. That (already complex) process can hit a snag since many primary sources are now gated or behind paywalls. One of my favorite tools for navigating this is https://archive.is/, which provides viewable screenshots for many webpages, enabling me to quickly check a stat or quote or date without having to pay for an endless number of subscriptions. While I definitely believe in supporting good journalism and careful research (as a few examples), I also believe tools like this are fair given the specific and limited purpose for which I'm using them. Do you agree? What's one of your favorite tools in your editing toolbox? I’m Kelsey. 👋 Editing is my bread and butter—and it’s also my jam. I copy edit and proofread for publishers and nonfiction writers. 📚✍️ Follow Kelsey Mitchener Editing for thoughts and updates on #editing and #freelancelife.

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A great test to see if your copy is too formal is the "comma Mary” test. The test comes from Bruce DeSilva, a thriller author and former journalist. The test: put ", Mary" at the end of a statement. Then read it aloud. If it doesn't sound right—namely, too formal—turn the word-choice dial toward less specialized, more conversational until it feels right. Example: “Undergoing regular cancer screenings is the expert-recommended approach to discovering cancer early enough to optimize treatment options and improve health outcomes, Mary." or "Regular cancer screenings help find cancer early, which is why experts recommend them. Treatment works best then and can help patients live longer, Mary." Which one are you most likely to say to a person? Now, it's no silver bullet; you'll want to go deeper and look at your writing decisions—sentence length along with word choice and order. But the "comma Mary" test is a great tool to judge your copy's readability. And to make changes toward making it more human—if that's what it needs, Mary. Alexandra Howson and I talked shop about voice last year. #writing #storytelling #medicalwriting

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A great test to see if your copy is too formal is the "comma Mary” test. The test comes from Bruce DeSilva, a thriller author and former journalist. The test: put ", Mary" at the end of a statement. Then read it aloud. If it doesn't sound right—namely, too formal—turn the word-choice dial toward less specialized, more conversational until it feels right. Example: “Undergoing regular cancer screenings is the expert-recommended approach to discovering cancer early enough to optimize treatment options and improve health outcomes, Mary." or "Regular cancer screenings help find cancer early, which is why experts recommend them. Treatment works best then and can help patients live longer, Mary." Which one are you most likely to say to a person? Now, it's no silver bullet; you'll want to go deeper and look at your writing decisions—sentence length along with word choice and order. But the "comma Mary" test is a great tool to judge your copy's readability. And to make changes toward making it more human—if that's what it needs, Mary. My friend Alexandra and I talked shop about voice last year. #writing #storytelling #healthcare

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Something I'm constantly doing as a copyeditor is looking things up, and perhaps compound words are what I look up most. Should a compound word be open (like "rib cage")? Should a compound word be closed (like "windowsill")? Should a compound word be hyphenated (like the noun "run-in")? It can be easy to know how to write many compound words we encounter regularly, but while editing manuscripts it's very common to stumble upon those that require a look-up. That's why I always, always have Merriam-Webster open in one of my browser tabs. (And, yes, M-W actually lists both "look-up" and "lookup" as acceptable spellings of the noun, so in a case like that, it's my job to ensure each instance of such words is written consistently throughout a manuscript.) Let me tell you about "motor home." I recently did a sample edit for a potential new client. His story features a motor home. He had written it as "motorhome" throughout his first chapter. As this is a compound I don't come across every day, I needed to look it up and, lo and behold, M-W lists it as "motor home." Apparently, many sites that sell motor homes write this as a closed compound, so it's completely understandable that this author went with that spelling; he clearly did his research. I decided to leave a query in the sample edit, explaining what I found in M-W. There's more leeway in fiction writing as compared to formal writing, so it would have been completely acceptable for this author to have gone with "motorhome" as a closed compound if that's what he thought looked better or if he wanted to stick with how many retailers write the noun. What's most important is maintaining consistency throughout a manuscript. It should either be always written as a closed compound or always written as an open compound. In this case, the author ended up choosing to go with the M-W entry, and he was so impressed with my desire to be meticulous that he's chosen to hire me to proofread his manuscript. I couldn't be happier. Copyediting is slow work. Nobody can memorize every compound in the English language, and that's only one sliver of the job. But it's worth doing it slowly and correctly. Having this mindset can help you be a better editor, and even land you projects that might've otherwise passed you by. (And, yes, M-W also lists "mind-set" as an acceptable, though less common, spelling.) Need an editor who'll check all those compounds for you? I'm Timothy, a fiction editor. My schedule is full for the remainder of 2024, but I'd love to start chatting about working together in 2025. Feel free to reach out if you're interested. Timothy #amediting #writingcommunity #editing #copyediting #proofreading #books #fiction 

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Hey Seattle area friends, writers, actors, improvisers, and people with things to say, this post is for you! If you've followed me for a while, you know how passionate i am about good storytelling...on paper and in person. And one of the best places I know to share a story is Ignite Seattle! This is community storytelling at its informative, entertaining best...but we need YOU and your stories to make it happen. Share your Big Idea with us (a great title and short summary) by August 22 (Thursday!) for our next show, happening October 3 at Town Hall Seattle. Make us laugh, make us cry, but most of all, make us think. (Not sure about public speaking? No problem. We provide lots of hands-on coaching--some of it from me!--support, and the most supportive audience anywhere. This is your chance to stretch yourself!) Find out more in the link in the comments. #publicspeaking #seattle #storytelling #seattleevents #enlightenusbutmakeitquick

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