|
The Editor Resources section aims to provide
editors with articles, links and software that will help them
develop their skills and make the process of editing as simple
as possible. The Authors Haunt staff have scoured the Net
to find the best possible resources, and some of our members
have contributed articles they've written, sharing their
knowledge and experience to benefit all the editors who visit
this page.
The resources on this page have been
divided into four categories, and descriptions have been
provided with every link and article to help you find the
resources you need. Take time to browse this page, as
we're confident there's something in here for everyone.
And if you have an article to contribute, or know of a link or
article that we should include here,
email
or
PM
Rob Hawes.
The following articles have been written
by authors, editors, staff and members here at The Authors
Haunt, and have been added to this list because each one
contains information and/or advice beneficial to editors.
These articles are exclusive to The Authors Haunt and may not be
reproduced on other sites without the express permission of the
author and the Site Administrator. Articles are listed in
alphabetical order by title.
|
Article |
Description |
|
Anymore or
Any More
|
|
A common mistake
authors make is confusing anymore and any more.
Some stick religiously to one, while others seem to
think they're interchangeable. This article
outlines a simple rule to ensure you use the right
one. |
|
|
Editors and
Beta Readers
|
|
Editors and Beta
Readers provide authors with valuable assistance,
but all too often authors, and indeed those doing
the jobs, don't fully understand what is expected of
them. This article examines the role of these
two groups. |
|
|
Getting
Started...Where to Begin? |
|
For a novice editor, getting
started on your first story can be a daunting experience. This
article aims to ease the pressure by providing you with useful
pointers to get you on your way. |
|
|
How Far
Should You Go? |
|
Many editors often find
themselves wondering how much they should do to help their author.
This article examines how much is appropriate and how far you should
go. |
|
|
The Bare
Essentials |
|
A helpful guide to
those most common, but often most complicated
corrections - spelling, grammar
and punctuation. |
|
|
You, Me & I |
|
The
English language is filled with grammatical rules
and tricks that can easily trip the unwitting
author. One such rule relates to the use of
"me" and "I" in a sentence. This article
explains how you can make sure you get it right. |
|
The following are articles published on other sites
which may be beneficial to editors at The Authors Haunt. The articles in this
section are not published on The Authors Haunt site - clicking on the titles will take
you to another site. Please notify the Site Administrator if the
content of the pages linked to are not what you would expect based on the
article description. Articles are organised in alphabetical order by
title.
|
Article |
Description |
|
Dialogue: Punctuation, Capitalization,
Spacing
|
|
Though this article was
written for authors, it is a useful reference guide for checking
punctuation and grammar in dialogue, so editors should find it
useful and interesting. |
|
|
Editing Fiction
|
|
From "Fiction
Factor", this is a useful article listing a number of key
questions an editor (and the author they're editing for) should be
asking themselves as they review a story. |
|
|
Get It Write
|
|
This is actually a collection
of smaller articles - writing tips - with exercises in correct
grammar and punctuation usage. Any self-respecting editor
would ensure their skills are up to par with these tests. |
|
|
Punctuation Made Simple
|
|
Discussing the correct use of
punctuation - particularly the colon, semicolon, comma, dash and
apostrophe - this six-page article is presented in an
easy-to-understand format most authors and editors will appreciate. |
|
|
The Elements of Style
|
|
"The Elements of
Style" is a reference book instead of an article, but it is the
leading authority when it comes to the rules of language usage and
so this online version of the book is sure to be of use to any good
editor. |
|
|
Software |
Description |
|
AbiWord |
|
Not
everyone has Microsoft Word on their computer, and
the software is extremely expensive to buy, so
AbiWord represents a great alternative, containing
most of the features found in Word for the best
price of all - nothing! |
|
|
Open Office |
|
If
you don't have Microsoft Office on your computer, it
can be very expensive to buy. Open Office is
free, open-source, multiplatform and multilingual
office suite that is comparable to Microsoft Office,
but without the hefty price tag. |
|
|
yWriter4 |
|
A
great piece of software that can be extremely
helpful when writing novels, allowing you to break
stories down into chapters and scenes and build
profile information for characters, locations and
events. |
|
The following links have been reviewed by the Site
Administrator and deemed to contain information beneficial to
editors at The
Authors Haunt. Please notify the Site Administrator if the content of the pages
linked to are not what you would expect based on the link description.
Links are organised in alphabetical order by title.
|
Link |
Description |
|
Answers.com |
|
Answers.com is an online
database of information and articles on a wide range of subjects.
With a well-deserved reputation for hosting reliable and accurate
information, it is an essential fact-checking tool for editors. |
|
|
Common Errors in English |
|
A useful archive of common
mistakes made by writers and the correct use of words and phrases.
This site lists the most common mistakes made by writers and provides
an explanation as to why that usage is incorrect. |
|
|
Dictionary.com |
|
An online dictionary with a
range of other valuable features, all of which are essential for
writers and editors, including a free translator, thesaurus,
encyclopedia and much more. |
|
|
Dictionary of Slang |
|
A dictionary of slang terms and
colloquialisms. The dictionary includes slang terms from the UK
and US, as well as a large links section to sites with slang from
other countries and specialist slang dictionaries (e.g. prison slang). |
|
|
Dr Grammar FAQs |
|
The Dr Grammar site is no longer
updated due to the death of its creator, but the FAQs section is still
a useful guide with a list of common mistakes and explanations
regarding the correct use of words and phrases. |
|
|
Edit-Work.com |
|
Edit-Work.com is a Web Writing
Style Guide and as such is primarily aimed at making web content work
as effectively (and correctly) as possible, but as the majority of
editors here will be editing online fiction, this is a useful
resource. |
|
|
Internet Quick Reference |
|
A virtual library of significant
websites created for a wide range of visitors, but for editors this is
an important research tool, allowing you to find useful sites with the
information you need. |
|
|
Langenberg.com |
|
A useful site that uses multiple
sites/resources to help you not only to translate text into your
chosen language, but also to identify languages or even translate
whole webpages. |
|
|
Reference.com |
|
Part of the dictionary.com
family of sites, reference.com is a valuable resource for editors with
an extensive online encyclopedia that's certain to be of use should
you need more information on just about any subject. |
|
|
Thesaurus.com |
|
Part of the dictionary.com
family of sites, thesaurus.com is an extensive online thesaurus with
multiple alternatives for almost any word that's certain to assist you
out whenever you're lost for words. |
|
|
UsingEnglish.com |
|
This link is direct to a section
of the UsingEnglish site, their "Glossary of Grammar Terms",
a fully cross-referenced glossary of linguistic and grammatical terms
with definitions and explanations. |
|
|
Wikipedia |
|
An online encyclopedia with a
massive database of articles. Even though just about anyone can
edit almost any article in the database, the information is extremely
accurate, making this site a valuable research tool for editors. |
|
|