I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I overate, as usual.
Now that I’ve gone through my whole manuscript and read all the markups (a dozen times) from my editor, I thought I’d share what I learned with all of you. I think these are helpful tips we can all use the next time we write.
Let me preface by saying that most of the edits I got were focused on making sure my manuscript aligns with the guidelines of The Chicago Manual of Style and that the spelling choices of certain words match Merriam-Webster’s.
Okay vs. OK:
Per Merriam-Webster’s, use OK.
Toward vs. towards:
Use toward. (Both are acceptable, but toward is preferred in American and Canadian English.)
Numbers:
• As a general rule, all numbers at the beginning of a sentence should be spelled out.
• Spell out whole numbers one through one hundred.
• Spell out numbers in dialogues.
Time:
• When using o’clock, the time should be spelled out (e.g., The meeting starts at five o’clock in the morning).
• To show exact times, use numerals (e.g., The last bus leaves at 11:30 p.m.).
Commas:
In direct address, use commas (e.g., Thank you, Adam.), and after yes and no (e.g., Yes, I will be there.).
Capitalizations:
Per Chicago professional titles are generally only capitalized when used with a name.
Foreign words:
Foreign words and phrases are usually italicized unless used commonly.
Watch out for overused words:
Turns out I used “deep breath” more than a dozen times. Yikes.
Well that’s it. I hope you guys find these tips helpful.
Have a great weekend!
