Posts Tagged With: writing

It’s my birthday! + The Next Big Thing Award

Posted on December 19, 2012 by Michelle Proulx

First and most importantly, today is my birthday! Woooo! I turn 24 today, which kind of makes me wince, because I assumed I would be doing great things by my near-mid-twenties. That being said, I have a decent job, good friends, and my first book is nearly published, so I guess that’s not too shabby, right? Plus, sushi tonight! Sushi makes everything better.

lolcatbirthday

Right. Now that the main event is over, let’s move on to the other reason for this post: The Next Big Thing Award.

the-next-big-thing

When it rains, it pours, and I have been nominated for this award three times in the past week. So thank you to Mike Akin, The Living Notebook, and Mari Wells for the nominations!

Without further ado, I shall now answer the 10 Next Big Thing questions. Read at your peril.

1)  What is the working title of your novel?

Imminent Danger And How to Fly Straight into It

2)  Where did the idea for the novel come from?

I was taking an Astronomy class in my first year of university, and as I sat listening to my professor regurgitate the contents of our textbook, I thought to myself, “Wouldn’t it be funny if someone who didn’t believe in aliens got abducted by aliens?” Originally the main character was going to be a college Astronomy professor, but then I realized that I would far rather write about someone more my age (plus I have no idea what goes on in college professors’ heads), and thus Imminent Danger was born.

3)  What genre does your novel fall under?

Imminent Danger is YA sci-fi/humour/romance.

4)  Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

I imagine my characters with different faces every day, but here are my current (slightly impossible) picks:

Young Keanu as Varrin

Emma Watson as Eris

5)  What is the one sentence synopsis of your novel?

Abducted by aliens and stranded light-years from home, a teenage girl is rescued by a handsome mercenary who puts her planet, her life, and her heart in the clutches of imminent danger.

6)  Will your novel be self-published or represented by an agency?

Self-published all the way, baby!

7)  How long did it take to write the first draft of your manuscript?

I finished the first half-ish of the book during the 2006 NaNoWriMo, and then wrote the rest of it over the next six months. I then proceeded to revamp and revise it for approximately six years. I’m sensing a “6” theme here …

8)  What other novels would you compare this book to within your genre?

The humour in my novel is similar to The Princess Bride, and the feel of the story is very Star Wars.

9)  Who or what inspired you to write this novel?

As I said, my Astronomy teacher. Because he basically re-hashed everything we’d already read in our textbooks, I had lots of time in his classes to dream up the plot for Imminent Danger.

10)  What else about your novel might pique the reader’s interest?

Other than the fact that it’s awesome? Well, it has dashing space pirates, six-armed lizard men with an obsession for the colour blue, fluffy-haired gurus, laser-repellent monsters, spiffy spaceships, evil laboratories, sentient balls of light, and much more. It’s got romance, action, comedy, tragedy, danger (of the imminent variety), and a multitude of abductions. Oh yes, and did I mention it’s awesome?

Right! Now I’m supposed to nominate people. I hate this part, because there are so many awesome writers out there on WordPress that I don’t want to snub anyone by not nominating them. Ahhh, the pressure! Okay, here’s what we’re going to do. Everyone who gave editing suggestions on my recent post about Imminent Danger’s back cover text get nominated. Ready?

If I missed you, then my eternal apologies. I officially nominate you in my capacity as birthday girl.

Unrelated link of the day:

Fun with words:

http://imgur.com/a/hBZjh

Categories: Blog-related, My Works | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 47 Comments

Quick Editing Tip: An Easy and Effective Way to Proofread

Posted on December 16, 2012 by Michelle Proulx

As I mentioned in my previous post, iUniverse sent me the proofs for Imminent Danger last Thursday. As such, I have spent the entire weekend going through the proofs and making sure there aren’t any typos, odd formatting, random blank pages, etc.

I thought I’d share my proofreading method with you, since it worked out pretty well.

Step #1

Print out your book. Since this is your final proof before the book is printed, make sure you print it in its final format — e.g., two novel-sized pages printed on each 8.5×11 sheet.

The reasoning here, of course, is that if you just print out your book as a normal Word document, it doesn’t have the feel of a real book, plus you won’t be able to check that your novel formatting is correct.

Step #2

Get a red pen and a bunch of sticky notes.

Step #3 (this is the most important one)

Starting on the first page of your book, read backwards up each page, going paragraph by paragraph.

At the proof-reading stage, you’re no longer making big changes to the book. Everything is where it should be. Now you’re just looking for typos. And by reading the paragraphs backward, you’re removing yourself from the story and just concentrating on the text. I actually tried reading the entire book backwards, paragraph by paragraph, but flipping the pages was annoying so I started at the beginning instead.

Step #4

Whenever you find a typo, or just a small something you want to change, correct it with red pen and put a sticky note on that page. Then continue reading.

Step #5 

Once you’re done reading the entire book, go back and look at your suggested changes. You might not agree with some of them once you’ve had a chance to think them through. Remove the sticky note from discarded changes pages so you aren’t confused later on.

Step #6

Open up your manuscript file and make those changes! Do a quick scroll through of the document to make sure you didn’t mess up any formatting by adding/deleting things.

Voila! My foolproof proofreading method.

Unrelated image of the day:

Click here for more guinea pig hybrids: http://imgur.com/a/5bU0g

Categories: Self Publishing, Writing | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 35 Comments

Amateur Writing Tips: Paragraphs

Posted on December 12, 2012 by Michelle Proulx

I’m in a teaching mood today, so I have decided to share with you my thoughts on paragraph writing. And no, this sudden propensity for wisdom-dispensing has nothing to do with the fact that I have a project due and I don’t want to work on it. Stop judging me!

Paragraph Tip #1 — Long paragraph is loooooong

You know what’s super annoying to read? Really long paragraphs. I’ve picked up so many books that have paragraphs last a page or more, and when I see this, I can’t help but think, “Why? Why you do this?”

I’ll prove my point. Read the following paragraph:

They ran towards me, screaming that the building was going to collapse in mere minutes. I didn’t believe them. I knew for a fact that the donut library in the basement was built on extremely strong foundations that would stand up against even the harshest of earthquakes. Still, nothing is ever set in stone — well, except for the foundations of the donut library. Anyway, I decided that I should take the threat seriously, and considered my options. Flailing my arms and panicking seemed like a good choice. Then I remembered the sabre enthusiast club up on the fiftieth floor. They wouldn’t know about the evacuation. Someone had to help them. That someone, I decided, would be me. I raced for the elevator and hit the button. The doors slid open, and I stepped inside. When I reached the fiftieth floor, I emerged from the elevator and shouted for everyone to follow me down the ground floor. But I was ignored. Everyone was too busy swinging their sabres around to hear me. Desperate to get their attention, I seized a discarded sabre from the floor and leaped into the fray. Knocking aside sabres left and right, I bellowed for them to listen to me, to evacuate before they all perished. Finally, they listened. Like a mindless stampede they raced for the elevator, failing to understand that seventy people could not fit into a single elevator. “Don’t be fools!” I shouted, racing to cut them off before they started squishing each other to death. “We have time! Just wait your turn!” The herd calmed, and through my organizational efforts I managed to get them all safely down to the ground floor. As the last of the sabre enthusiasts tromped out the door, I realized that the building wasn’t collapsing. It wasn’t even shaking. All the panic had been for nothing. I shook my head at my own foolishness. Then I went down to the donut library and checked out a sprinkle donut and a chocolate glazed donut. They were delicious.

That was a stupidly long paragraph. If you managed to get all the way through it, then kudos. The only reason I got through it is because I wrote the darn thing.

In conclusion, keep your paragraphs short. Otherwise your readers will fall asleep and drool all over your book, and as everyone knows, drool stains are like crack for bookworms. And no one likes bookworms.

Paragraph Tip #2 — Conversation: you’re doing it wrong

In this tip, we explore the glorious phenomenon that is an entire conversation between two people taking place in a single paragraph. Because I like writing examples, here’s one to illustrate what I’m talking about:

“Yo yo, G-skillet,” said Mary. “What up dawg?” said John. “Not a whole lot, my homey,” said Mary. “I dunno ’bout you, but I got a mad urge to go do assorted activities that people of our demographic enjoy.” “Dude, me too! We’re like, totally hip.” “Yo, fo sho,” said Mary.

My inability to capture the authentic dialogue patterns of today’s urban youth aside, the main problem with that horrendous excuse for writing is the fact that two different people were talking in the same paragraph. Do you know who was saying what? No? Of course not. That’s because you always, always, always start a new paragraph when someone new speaks.

Let’s apply liberal use of the Enter key and see if we can’t fix up that conversation, shall we?

“Yo yo, G-skillet,” said Mary.

“What up dawg?” said John.

“Not a whole lot, my homey,” said Mary. “I dunno ’bout you, but I got a mad urge to go do assorted activities that people of our demographic enjoy.”

“Dude, me too! We’re like, totally hip.”

“Yo, fo sho,” said Mary.

See how much better that is? Now we know that it’s John, and not Mary, who thinks that they’re totally hip. If we do some mental stretching, we might even deduce that Mary is far more self-aware than she appears to be. In fact, Mary is actually a hipster journalist who has infiltrated a street gang in order to uncover their secrets and write a biting exposé on their daily doings.

Isn’t it amazing what we can discover when we break up our dialogue properly?

Paragraph Tip #3 — In Soviet Russia, Topic Stays On You

For those of you unfamiliar with the In Soviet Russia meme, I am somewhat ineptly attempting to explain that every individual paragraph should have one topic. One topic. Not two topics. Not seventeen bajillion topics. One.

To illustrate:

Of all graceful and magnificent creatures on this great green earth, poodles are truly the most extraordinary. One need only catch a glimpse of their lustrous curly locks as they prance through the grasslands to reach that one, sublime truth: that poodles are physical embodiments of joy. The labrador retriever is the most popular dog in the continental United States. With their fancy footwork and stylish haircuts, poodles cut a striking image wherever they go. Little girls squeal at their approach. Grown men pretend nonchalance whilst secretly wishing they could be as graceful as these canine marvels. Poodles are not just our salvation; they are a way of life.

Did you catch the off-topic sentence? That’s right, it was the sentence about the labrador retriever. This paragraph is about the majesty of poodles, dammit! If the labs want to be praised, they can find their own damn paragraph.

What do you think?

Got any more paragraph-writing tips? Disagree with mine? Agree that poodles are the most glorious creatures in the universe? Sound off in the comments!

Related media of the day:

Source: http://allthecreatures.org/dog/crazy-poodle-clips.html

Click here for more awesome poodle haircuts.

Unrelated media of the day:

Censor’s Warning: This video is awesome, but contains cursing and unsavoury language. Watch at your own risk.

Explanation of Humor: Juxtaposition is amusing.

Categories: Writing | Tags: , , , , , , | 31 Comments

Super Awesome News!

Posted on December 10, 2012 by Michelle Proulx

Before we get to the super awesome news, I want you to do two things for me:

  1. Find the latest version of your current WIP.
  2. Email it to yourself.

I ask this because I just read this post, in which my blogger friend explains that she lost her manuscript. Lost, as in, her computer crashed, the files have mysteriously disappeared from her flash drive, and the only hard copy she has is about ten revisions back from where she is now. That SUCKS. Seriously. Drop by her blog and wish her luck, because as you can imagine, she’s not exactly thrilled at the moment.

And now … the SUPER AWESOME NEWS!

Well, I think it’s super awesome — and it’s my blog, my rules, so get on the excitement train or get left behind in the dusty wastelands of … not excitement …

Anyway. Remember how I was all psyched and stuff because Imminent Danger won the Editor’s Choice award? Remember how I mentioned that the next award up for grabs is Rising Star? Well …

I WON IT! WOOOOOO!

But Michelle, you ask, what is Rising Star? To which I reply: beats the potatoes out of me. Let me look it up.

Aha! Click here for details.

Basically, I get a swanky cover design, they give me some sort of marketing direction, I get to stick the Rising Star award sticker on the back of my book, and — here’s the best part — the iUniverse reps will present my books to major retailers. Now, I’m not sure what this entails. I imagine the reps go to book fairs, shove my book into various people’s hands, and say “Look! Book!”. Presumably they will be more eloquent than that (although points to them for rhyming).

So this means they can finally get the book cover design going. I got my friend Paul to do up a cover for me back in May, which I sent to iUniverse. According to my “Publishing Services Associate (PSA)”, they really like the design, but will be basically re-making it with stock photography and something something something I don’t remember.

Anyway, I’m really psyched. So close to publication! Ahhh!

Unrelated videos of the day:

Japan, why you so crazy?

Categories: iUniverse, Self Publishing | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 41 Comments

When is “bad” too bad?

Posted on December 9, 2012 by Michelle Proulx

This post was inspired by a book review I read for City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. For those of you who haven’t read it, Jace is the bad-boy love interest who kicks ass, takes names, and is occasionally prone to fits of extreme melodrama. In the review, the reviewer explained that they could barely get through the book because of how much they hated Jace. They thought he was rude, controlling, and a terrible match for the protagonist. I, on the other hand, think he’s delightfully witty and — while at times in need of a sharp whack to the head — an all-around decent guy.

This brings to mind one of my favourite quotes from my mother: Different people are different. 

It always baffles me that people can hate something I hold so dear. Thus, I posit this question: When is “bad” too bad?

The problem with this question is that everyone has a different definition of where “too bad” falls on the badness spectrum. I, for example, have a very high tolerance for some “bad” acts, and a low tolerance for others. I love reading about bad boys who have horrible, twisted, sordid pasts … so long as they’ve reformed and are trying to make amends. One of my favourite characters of all time is Anakin Skywalker — who, if you recall, did terrible things ranging from killing his own master to slaughtering dozens of Jedi younglings. And possibly causing his wife to kill herself? I never really understood that sub plot. Anyway, I’m totally cool with his various evil actions because I tend to forgive bad boys in books as long as they eventually seek redemption.

Others have a slightly lower tolerance for badness. I have a friend who, whenever a main character does something even remotely unkind, will get frustrated, say “That’s not pleasant”, and search for something else to read or watch.

What do you think? What’s that tipping point for you, where you say, “Okay, this character is now irredeemable to me”?

“BAD” ACTIVITY TIME!

List these characters in order of “badness”: (explanations are welcome and encouraged)

  • Severus Snape (Harry Potter)
  • Anakin Skywalker (Star Wars)
  • Gollum (Lord of the Rings)
  • Christian Grey (50 Shades)
  • Edward Cullen (Twilight)
  • President Snow (Hunger Games)

Unrelated video of the day:

Prepare to have your mind boggled by the insanity.

Unrelated image of the day:

Source: http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/severus-snape/forum/post/68241/title/countdown-6000-fans

Source: http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/severus-snape/forum/post/68241/title/countdown-6000-fans
Categories: Writing | Tags: , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

18 Marketing Ideas for the Self-Published Author

Posted on December 6, 2012 by Michelle Proulx

So yesterday afternoon I submitted my Rising Star Marketing Evaluation to iUniverse. Assuming they like my marketing plan, they’ll approve me for the Rising Star Award, which nets me a variety of benefits.

In the evaluation, they basically ask you how you plan to market your book. Easy enough, right? WRONG! I trawled the internet for hours, coming up with a list of marketing ideas that I’m now going to share with my awesome readers because that’s how much I love you guys.

Thus, my list of marketing ideas, in no particular order:

  1. Create a book trailer
  2. Hold a blog tour
  3. Press release for local newspapers
  4. Enter book into literary contests
  5. Include link to your website on every article you post, every email you send, etc.
  6. Connect with fellow self-published authors and ask for a book review exchange
  7. Donate books to the library, accompanied by a book reading and a press release
  8. Donate books to local middle and high schools, accompanied by a book reading or lecture on writing/self-publishing and a press release
  9. Free book giveaways hosted through blog/Facebook/Twitter
  10. Free bookplates (signed labels that you can paste into a book in lieu of an in-person author signature) for fans who’ve bought the book
  11. Sell themed merchandise (bags, mugs, t-shirts, etc.) on Zazzle.com
  12. Leave bookmarks and posters in key strategic locations – library, cafes, local stores, etc.
  13. Connect with other local self-published authors and set up an author’s panel/publicity event
  14. Set up an online newsletter to keep subscribers informed on upcoming events, special promotions, new releases, etc.
  15. Write guest posts on other blogs to build your following
  16. Create a “freebie” available exclusively on your website – e.g., a short story based on the book
  17. Release excerpts and snippets of upcoming works to build interest on blog/Facebook/Twitter
  18. Record an audio book version of the novel

Got more ideas? Tell me in the comments. We self-published types have to stick together!

Unrelated media of the day:

Source: http://imgur.com/0AJpY

Categories: iUniverse, Self Publishing, Writing | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | 33 Comments

Book Review: Echoes From The Past (Grace Brannigan)

Posted on December 3, 2012 by Michelle Proulx

The Bookechoes from the past

Echoes From The Past

The Genre

Romance

The Author

Grace Brannigan

The Plot

On the verge of a nervous breakdown, Christie reacts by running away, emotionally and physically. Down to her last twenty dollars, she’s determined to fulfill her dead sister’s last wish — to locate their sister Judith, who left home twenty years before. Her quest brings her into the lives of Garrett, Judith’s husband, and the emotionally fragile Hannah, Judith’s daughter. Christie is devastated to learn Judith died two years before. When Christie insists on getting to know her niece, Garrett agrees on the condition she doesn’t reveal her identity. He hires her to work at his horse farm but what he doesn’t count on is the turmoil and hope Christie brings into their lives.

The Review

I love a good romance, and this was definitely a good romance! I wasn’t a huge fan of the setting — the whole Western, horse ranch, cowboy thing has just never intrigued me, for some reason — but I was able to ignore that in favour of the really adorable romance between Christie and Garrett. It was wonderful to watch two emotionally troubled people come together and help each other heal. And I just love that Garrett’s dog is named Bo Peep!

The plot was solid, with good amounts of backstory, intrigue, etc. I could have used a bit more danger, but there were still sufficient life-threatening moments to keep me interested. And I would have liked more twists as well, but then, this is a romance novel, not Game of Thrones! Speaking of the romance, it was very fun to watch unfold, and it progressed at an entirely believable pace. I also really enjoyed Garrett’s interactions with his adopted daughter Hannah, especially how he makes sure to factor her into his potential love life.

If you’re looking for a heartfelt cowboy romance, I’d definitely recommend checking this out!

The Rating

4 out of 5 stars

http://www.gracebrannigan.com/

Unrelated image of the day:

Source: https://i0.wp.com/i.imgur.com/nO9CJ.jpg

Source: http://i.imgur.com/nO9CJ.jpg

Categories: Book Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Returning the favour (ft. Tania L Ramos)

Posted on November 30, 2012 by Michelle Proulx

One of my favourite WordPress Authors, Tania L Ramos (and yes, when I say her name, I do say the entire thing and roll the R), has been sweet enough to plug my as-of-yet unpublished book on her blog! I thought it was only fair to plug her book back on mine.

So first of all, go check out her blog. Secondly, listen to me ramble about her book for a second.

I read Be Still (her book) over the summer, and I really enjoyed it. I had some trouble getting into it at first, because it’s a romantic drama, and my usual genre is, well, hardcore fantasy. But I fell in love with the characters, the ending was heart-warming and fantastic, and I was even able to overlook the fact that there weren’t any dragons. So props to Tania L Ramos for that. (I even roll the R in my head! I need to stop doing that.)

Be Still also holds the distinction of being the first (and thus far, only) book I’ve reviewed where the author actually sent me a physical, signed copy of the book. That was a really cool feeling — that someone is so invested in getting my opinion that they’re willing to send me one of their books that they’ve bought and paid for themselves. It was like Christmas in July. It was awesome.

If you’re interested in reading Be Still in the next little while, I’m given to understand that you might even be able to get it for free! The ebook version, that is, not the print version. Only I am special enough for this honour! Muahahahaha. Anyway, here’s a quote on the subject from Tania L Ramos’s blog:

And to ring in this holiday season, please visit my website www.BeStillNovel.com to receive a free Kindle download of Be Still. Or contact me to receive a signed paperback copy of my book for $10 plus $3.95 shipping, or buy two books and get one free.  Don’t forget, books make great holiday gifts.

And that’s about all the time I have for cross-promotion, as I have a project due today and I’ve already spent the last hour blogging instead of working. Bad Michelle!

Oh yeah, and since I’m talking about other bloggers and how awesome they are, I should mention Andrew Toynbee, who invented an award — The Most Helpful Blogger Award — and nominated me for it. Woo!

Unrelated image of the day:

Source: https://i0.wp.com/i.imgur.com/zPtT2.jpg

Source: http://i.imgur.com/zPtT2.jpg

Unrelated video of the day:

This is a … really weird video. It’s painfully catchy and adorable, and yet at the same time horribly depressing. So … enjoy?

Categories: Blog-related, Self Publishing | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Promoting your book on your blog — how much is too much?

Posted on November 27, 2012 by Michelle Proulx

I’m in a polling mood, so let’s discuss book promotion on blogs, and throw in a couple of polls for my intrepid readers to have fun clicking away at. Am I allowed to vote as well? Seems like a conflict of interests. Pah! Conflicts of interest are for the weak. Onwards!

Promotion Technique #1 — Posting book excerpts

To be honest, I rarely read book excerpts. I will look at the cover and the synopsis, and base my purchasing decision off of that. However, many people, I’m given to understand, like to actually see what’s inside the book, and not just fork over their hard earned money and pray. Hence, book excerpts.

So what are your thoughts on book excerpts? What part of a book do you most want to read before you choose to buy? Is it the first chapter, or perhaps a scene further into the novel? Or do you prefer just reading a selection of random words taken from the book and artfully arranged by the graphic design site Wordle?

Wordle of “Imminent Danger and How to Fly Straight into It”
Source: Wordle.net

Poll time!

 

Promotion Technique #2 — Include a link to the book at the bottom of each post

I’m talking about something like this:

I’ve seen other authors do this, and I don’t have any particular problem with it. They’re always located at the end of blog posts, and they’re usually kept small and tasteful, so you only really notice it if you’re specifically looking for it.

Poll time!

Somewhat related link of the day:

Check out this funny post about editors — Editors Hate Everything. Yes They Do.

Unrelated meme of the day:

(Note: this will not make sense unless you’ve seen/read Fullmetal Alchemist)

http://i.imgur.com/lxEuV.jpg

Unrelated video of the day:

I love Sam Tsui. He’s a youtube singer who’s gotten pretty famous over the years. Check out one of his most recent covers:

Categories: Blog-related, Self Publishing | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 46 Comments

9 Things I Learned From My Copy-Edit

Posted on November 25, 2012 by Michelle Proulx

I finished going over my copy-edit this evening. All the changes are made, the manuscript has been sent back to iUniverse so they can do God knows what with it (hopefully publish it, lol), and I officially have nothing more to do with the book until they send me cover proofs and final print proofs. Woo! Talk about a weight off your chest. Now I can focus on other things, like my job, and not living in a forest of cardboard boxes.

But you don’t care about that. You came here for the list!

9 Things I Learned From My Copy-Edit

1. The first paragraph at the start of a chapter is not indented. The same goes for the first paragraph after a scene break.

2. According to American publishing standard, when indicating possession, this — Chris’ — is not correct. This — Chris’s — is correct.

3. A list of adjectives do not require as many commas as you might think. This — fluffy, white hair — is not correct. This — fluffy white hair — is correct.

4. Once you’ve defined a foreign word in italics, you don’t have to italicize it any more. I’m given to understand that you can still italicize it if you want to, but it’s not necessary.

5. Instead of using italics to put emphasis on a certain word, try to let the sentence structure emphasize for you.

6. Ship names are italicized, but a class/type of ship is not italicized. E.g. The Enterprise v.s. Boeing 747.

7. The following dialogue tags — “she panicked”, “she laughed”, “she sighed”, “she smiled” — are not actually dialogue tags. They are verbs that should not be applied to dialogue.

8. Percentage should be written as XX percent — e.g., 97 percent.

9. The correct phrasing is “Far be it from me to say”, not “Far be it for me to say”.

Also, having finished reviewing the copy-edit, I can now officially pass judgement on my copy-editor. Ready?

Was the copy-edit worth $1900?

No. I definitely did not get $1900 worth of editing done to that manuscript. Not by a long shot. On the plus side, I did learn several things (see the above list), so it certainly wasn’t a complete waste of money.

How was the quality of the copy-editor?

He seemed fairly competent. I caught five mistakes overall — four typos, and one word that was randomly bolded. He had a weird obsession with semicolons that I didn’t agree with, and he also seemed to have a vendetta against commas, so I had to add a handful back in. He also failed to notice that some of the chapter titles were misaligned. To be fair, I didn’t notice that either, but still!

Overall judgement?

Not worth the money, but I did learn many new things, so we’ll call it a draw and move on.

 

Unrelated media of the day:

Categories: iUniverse, Self Publishing, Writing | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 68 Comments

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.