2014: Epublishing Adventure Continues-Editing Software

Critiques Lead To Discovery

When my beta readers returned my manuscript, their truthful notes were humbling. I felt I gave them a presentable copy. Yes, the spelling and grammar was in order.  They liked the story line, but they yearned for more colorful characters, deeper emotions, and a better story pacing. Lucky for me, their truths about my story sent me on a quest for an editor.

Editorial assistance is costly. It is difficult to acquire a person with quality skills fitting within your budget. My quest for a technician ended when www.AutoCrit.com Editing Wizard appeared on my computer.  Documents receive quick and clear editorial feedback using this software. 

Take the Test Drive

I took advantage of AutoCrit's Editing Wizard generous trial of three, free 500-word submissions. I extracted the maximum amount of words allowed for a test from my novel. In less than thirty seconds, the following categories summarized areas needing editorial attention:

• Overused Words - saps energy from sentences and your story
• Sentence Variations - impacts the vibrancy and readability of your writing
• Clichés and Redundancies - assists with clean and lean prose
• Repeated Words and Phrases - spots not so easy to see errors readers hate
• Phrase Summary - helps stop repetition and aids in varying prose
• Pacing - keeps readers engaged 
• Dialogue - uses characters' actions to move the story, counts dialogue tags
• Initial Pronouns and Names - identifies pronouns or names at the beginning of a sentence
• Readability- calculates difficulty of your writing for several reading level scales
• Homonyms- assists writer in clarifying word usage
• Combination Report- reveals a writer's trouble trend by combining three reports 

The program's "side by side” feature allows the writer to edit text while using the report. The Editing Wizard offers several paid subscription levels. I chose the Platinum Level because it best suited my writing needs. The link below gives access to the “Free Wizard” sample. Take your document for a drive by clicking this link bit.ly/edittool. 

Detail Reports Deliver

Editing Wizard's scrutiny is valuable for both novice and veteran writers.  My writing experience expands beyond twenty years. The world of fiction is new writing territory for me. This software reminded me of what I already knew and what I needed to remember.  Stronger and varied nouns and verbs are appearing upon my screen.  Adverbs are waning. The dialogue report improved my ability to show more than tell. Each report offers writers those “aha” moments. Click this link http://bit.ly/editreports; it demonstrates what "Editing Wizard's" reports add to a writing career.

Wizards Share Information

A current and accessible ‘Writers Library' filled with information on the writing business is another user feature. Contemporary writers share experiences and knowledge in this section. Also available is support for editing issues from the analysis report. Click this link http://bit.ly/writerslibrary to access the Editing Wizard Writers Library. 

 

Go, Don’t Stop!

Check out this writing tool today. In my opinion, all writers need Editing Wizard. Not only does it help you with your writing, think about what it can do for the documents you read for your critique group.

2014: Father's Day - "If Only I Could..."

The topic of Father's Day dominated the last few weeks.  Newspapers remind us with ads of things 'Dad needs.' Television, radio, and the Internet prompt us of items every father wants for his workshop, garage, or cabin. This mild rant about Father's Day, like every holiday remembering a loved one, focuses on things.

My husband and I no longer can pick up the phone and talk to our fathers. We lost the moments of hearty laughs, intense conversations, strolls through the gardens, and the comfort of their presence.

Both our fathers born at the beginning of the twentieth century lived complicated lives.  They served in World War II. They came home. Built a life with a woman they loved.  Raised a family and wanted their children to have a better life than they did.

My dad would be 97 years old this Father's Day.  My husband's father would be 104 years old. Today we yearn for the day of talking to them face-to-face.

This holiday invokes strong memories. The celebration of Fatherhood evokes thoughts and questions we'd like to ask our fathers today. If only we could ask them:
What are the pleasures of your life?
Tell me something about your parents.
Tell me something your grandparents.
What were the hardest times of your life?
What were the best times of your life?
Explain to me the things you do at work.
Share with me the folks you like to spend time with to relax.
What innovation has been good for the world?
What would you like to tell me today?
Do you know I love you?

Give the gift of your presence: pick up a phone, text a message, Skype, Facetime, send a card, drop by, email, Instagram... today we can keep in touch so easily.