500 pages of punctuation questions

[anthorn]

Yeah, so finished me manuscript. Was wondering, anyone with perfect punctuation want to go over it with a tooth comb.

Or provide me with a program or link that does?

 

[The Judge]

Can't help you myself, anthorn, sorry. But I'm moving this to GWD since it patently isn't a workshop matter.

 

[anthorn]

Ah, ok. I thought it was, considering.

 

[The Judge]

Not as I understand it. The heading for Workshop is "Writers workshop: challenge yourself and your imagination here." -- it's meant for things like the Writing Challenge and exercises such as writing the pieces of physical description.

 

[anthorn]

Ok/ Pft. Back to manuscript work.

Do you know how to get a header from page two? Using Officeworld and I can't get rid of it from the title page.

 

[The Judge]

I've never used Officeworld, only Word, sorry. But in Word there is an option for "Different First Page" which is in the "Header and Footer Tools" Design tab -- you might find there's something similar.

 

[anthorn]

Nope, not at all

I could get away with it if i print it out as a hard copy, but as I am sending it as email to Angry robots........

 

[J Riff]

500 is a lot of pages Anthorn, it's never a problem going through maybe 5 pages or so, but posting excerpts in critiques gets you a lot o' punctuation help that should apply to the whole shootin match.

 

[TheEndIsNigh]

Not as I understand it. The heading for Workshop is "Writers workshop: challenge yourself and your imagination here." -- it's meant for things like the Writing Challenge and exercises such as writing the pieces of physical description.

Sounded like a challenge to me J.

Mmmm, I wonder if Chris charges by the comma.

Chris!!! do you charge by the comma?

While we're asking about software, is there one that gives the operator a slap every time s/he gets the second letter of every capitalised word as a capital? The shift key must stick on all the machines I use. Is this a common problem with other peoples PCs?

 

[anthorn]

Not with mine. Some times my computer reverses the capital letter button, so when it's on it's lowercase

 

[chrispenycate]

Chris!!! do you charge by the comma?

Not up to now. What's the going rate? Actually, I suspect that would leave a number of critiquees owing me a beer or several . But I don't think the career of 'professional punctuator' exists – or should, for that matter.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

But I don't think the career of 'professional punctuator' exists – or should, for that matter.

Sure it does. It's called a copy editor. Punctuating is not all that they do, of course. They fix grammar and word usage and such, as well.

They are expensive, though. (It's pretty tedious work, from what I understand.) It's better to learn how to do these things passably oneself.

 

[TheDustyZebra]

While we're asking about software, is there one that gives the operator a slap every time s/he gets the second letter of every capitalised word as a capital? The shift key must stick on all the machines I use. Is this a common problem with other peoples PCs?

TEIN, I have the same problem! Well, not every one, but a lot of them. I haven't delved into it enough to decide whether one of my little fingers is heavy, or the other one, or both equally. I like your plan of blaming the keyboard.

 

[Culhwch]

I do that too. WOrd will fix it up for you, but here on the CHrons you'll need to fix it yourself. I also have the porbelm that somteimes I type too fsat and get the lettesr in the worng order. Sometimes Word helps me out with that as well, but not always.

I'd suggest, anthorn, that J Riff's solution is best. Unless you have the dough to hire a professional editor (and even in that case) the best thing is to learn how to do it yourself. Post an excerpt for critique, let Chris or some other kind soul bang it into shape for you, and then work out what they did, why they did it, and do it yourself to the rest of your manuscript.

 

[HareBrain]

I have nothing to say that wasn't already said by Cul when I was dithering about.

 

[Gary Compton]

Anthorn, is it not worth getting John Jarrold to do a full edit. He does everything, grammar, plot issues as well as commenting on your style and story.

I think the going rate is £500 from him. I believe Teresa is doing editing also, PM her.

It's equivalent to having 3-4 pints of lager a week, less, for the whole year. So I think its worth spending.

I've had it done 3 times now. Everytime, he said I'd improved and I learnt alot from his input/comments.

 

[anthorn]

I think I'll try tidying it up myself, then run it through Microsoft word to find the ; and fragments that need , and then get someone to read it.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Thanks, Gary, but I don't do copy editing. That is, I'll point out any recurring mistakes in punctuation that I see, but I won't go through and fix them all. I'll fix a representative number, and then expect my client to get the point and do the rest. I work with plot, characterization, etc.

Anyone who wants a copy editor needs to find someone who has taken classes in that area.

But a writer doesn't have to learn every last rule of punctuation. A surprising number need to go back and learn the ones they supposedly learned in school, when they were about 12 or 13. Failing that, they simply need to get a feeling for what is right and what is wrong. Either will put them on a level with the typical agent or acquiring editor. If the book is accepted, then a copy editor will be hired to look out for all the obscure little rules the writer may have broken.

 

[Culhwch]

I think I'll try tidying it up myself, then run it through Microsoft word to find the ; and fragments that need , and then get someone to read it.

Be wary of Word's grammar check function, anthorn. It can steer you very, very wrong. Even the spell check can be a bit that way.

 

[Ursa major]

I'd like to second that.

I do use the grammar checker, but only because it sometimes finds misspellings that the spell checker hasn't. (Oh, and it's word count is usually accurate - more so than Word Count's - so it's one of the means by which I check my Challenge entries are no more than seventy-five words long.)