How
many drafts does a manuscript require to make it submission ready? I’ll say,
lots. I’m embarrassed at my eagerness to source for a publisher after two
drafts when I penned my first novel. Standard spelling and grammar check after
its completion, then off it went in search of a home. I was genuinely baffled
by the flood of rejections that came my way. Lesson learned.
No
matter how perfect you think your work is, it never quite is. So I, like many
writers, have devised a system to, at least, attempt to present a clean
manuscript. In what is the first of a series of quick tips, here are some words
that fly under the radar despite the best intentions.
Any time / Anytime
Some time / Sometime
Every day / Everyday
On to / Onto
Weather / Weather
Bust / Burst
March / Match
Bets / Best
Through / though
Filed / Filled
Hang / Hung
Teas / Tears
It’s advisable to
let your work sit for a while before commencing on another edit. It helps open
your eyes to errors overlooked in your last read-through.
Have more words to
add to the list above? Do share!
Great Bite?
Caramel
fudge sundae. It’s the weather, I tell you.
Follow @RaychelLane
