Eavesdrop.

When my creative writing professor first recommended it to our class, I felt as though a huge weight had been lifted from my chest. I had been in the habit of listening in on other people for years, and always felt pretty guilty about it. As he spoke, I suddenly realized that there was nothing to feel guilty about. It wasn’t eavesdropping, after all. It was research!

So, why spy?

Listening in on other people’s conversations can give you inspirations for new stories and new characters, for one thing. More importantly, it gives you a better understanding of natural speech cadences and dialog progression. There is nothing like listening to two people having a real conversation to make you realize three key elements of writing interesting dialog:

• Conversations hardly ever progress logically.
• People say crazy things.
• Everyone has a unique vocabulary and syntax.

Depending on your comfort level with this concept, you can go so far as to sit in a coffee house and transcribe interesting bits of conversation from around you. You can also just “take it in,” and later, in your writing, draw on your memories of different voices and memorable phrases. Creating characters based on real people and writing dialog that real people might actually speak creates more interest in the scene, more believable dialog, more precious, memorable moments, and more interesting writing.

One of the things you will notice immediately in your eavesdropping career is that people rarely speak in “correct” English. One of your challenges as a writer is to discriminate between which elements of “bad” English are confusing, annoying, and should be edited, and which elements are charming and help to build your character. Therefore, when seeking an editor for your work, you will also want to make sure that the editor has the ability and subtlety to let your characters’ individual voices shine. And, might I say, many of WordsRU’s fiction editors are perfectly qualified for just that.

(Sarah, Chief Editor Writer Services Nth America)

If you’re an aspiring writer, chances are you’ve been thinking about it also, and just didn’t realize. It came up for me, as I’ve recently been asked to fill in as a tutor for a university course on publishing. One of the key concepts in the course so far has been the recent change in media distribution. Today, of course, it’s possible to write a book and use online platforms to print and distribute it to any manner of public. That’s disintermediation: you could call it cutting out the middleman (or middlewoman) if you didn’t care about winning at word games.

My parents and my sister have embraced this approach, and now they have created and distributed a number of extraordinary books.. My sister’s story from primary school, How the Seahorse Lost its Rider, now exists as an illustrated children’s book that she can read to her own daughter.

My mum has written beautiful essays about the rare local rainforest, and my dad, a keen photographer, has added his original photos. You can find it at the counter of their nearby botanical gardens. Or you can walk down the street to the local café and find a book of their interviews with colorful local characters.

If you’re really lucky, you’ll be invited for a cup of tea and to peruse the self-indulgent book of our wedding that my wife and I created together and published for an audience of about six people.

At the same time, I find myself working with writers who are using digital platforms as a way to engage with the thousands upon thousands of people around the world who use e-readers or online journals.

This is an exciting time, and I’m thrilled to be a part of it. Nowadays, without needing the go-ahead or financing of large publishing houses, the dream of contributing something beautiful or thoughtful to the world is a possibility.

Now, this wouldn’t be a proper WordsRU blog post if I didn’t put the case forward for using an editing service, and I think it’s a good one….

Most of the literature we’re used to reading (be it classic novels, recent bestsellers, or even local newspapers) will have gone through several people and many revisions. As a writer, no matter how accomplished, you can have blind spots about your own material, or know so much about a topic that you forget to explain certain things. Editors have worked with hundreds of manuscripts and essays, and will know the common pitfalls from simple grammar to complex issues of continuity. They’re also able to play the role of a reader, and can flag questions the readers might have or areas of interest that have not yet been tapped.

My point is that in an era of disintermediation it’s possible to bring so much more into the world—but with great freedom comes great responsibility, as the saying goes. I think we are all responsible for using our words in the best way and to bring about interesting, well written, and engaging writing, whatever our public. Sometimes, our writing will outlast us, and will be a gift for the next generation.

WordsRU is proud to have a team of editors who are passionate about language and the possibilities for communication in all its forms. I feel that this makes us the one intermediary worth turning to as you explore all possibilities of your own expression in the changing era of publishing.

Also, for what it’s worth, intermediary is still a pretty impressive Scrabble word.

Adam Hulbert (Chief Editor, ROW)

Think of it this way: You’ve been looking at this paper for so long that even obvious mistakes might not be so obvious to you anymore. If your Chair and committee members have also been reading your various renditions, they might not be seeing errors in sentence-structure, spelling, and grammar, in addition to citation or university style requirements. A fresh set of eyes—in the form of an editor who is seeing your paper for the first time—will pick up issues that have become invisible to you.

(Jeanmarie - Chief Editor Nth America)

My first takeaway is that it’s time to jump onboard the YA train.

It seems that everywhere you turn, authors are transforming first-novel successes into full-blown, billion dollar series that become movie franchises with video game options. And it is not hard to see why: although few adolescent adults are keen to read adult fiction, a horde of adults eagerly anticipate installments of the latest Young Adult (YA) fiction along with their young counterparts. According to a Bowker Market Research study , over half of all YA sales were courtesy of adults. The market for YA is large and growing larger, as among printed trade books, the gains in 2012 were entirely due to YA sales .

From a business standpoint, a larger market means more opportunity for authors. But even if you’re not in it for the money or the glory, YA fiction can be extremely rewarding—and not just because it is fun to write. In what other genre is there such an opportunity to change lives? 

But how does one go about reaching this volatile and demanding group of readers? Well, here are some tips for how to write a great YA novel.

1. Read     In the spirit of “Write what you know,” you should read YA novels in order to get to know both what is trending and what are the foolproof, timeless elements that YA readers love. To that end, check out NPR’s poll of the best teen novels ever and The Atlantic Wire’s YA/Middle-Grade Book Awards  for a list of great titles. Compare and contrast the best and the worst in order to refine your expectations for yourself as a writer. And if longevity is your goal, particularly pay attention to the titles that are still popular even after a few decades have passed.

2. Create     Although derivative works can make you a tidy sum, we must face facts: the next Harry Potter is not going to be a story about a young boy going to wizard school and, let’s all say it together, now, “No. More. Vampires.” Now that you’ve done the research and you understand what makes a successful YA novel, it is time to create something new—something that no one has seen, but that everyone wants.

3. Get Real     Whether your protagonist is a kid just trying to survive high school or a dog that lives on Nebulon 5, your YA novel must have elements of authenticity in order to create strong bonds that will connect your readers to the story. That means real emotion, real conflict, real relationships, and real people. Young readers know better than anyone how confusing, cruel, and bizarre life can be, and they will reject characters and stories that do not reflect the real human experience.

4. Write Up     Young adults hate to be talked down to and, since over half of the people purchasing your YA novel are likely to be adults, there is no reason to protect your reader from adult themes. A great part of the success of movies such as Shrek and books such as Harry Potter is that they include hidden jokes for the adults that many younger people don’t understand on the same level (and if the younger people do understand, it’s because they are already informed). Furthermore, the experience of being an adolescent adult is characterized by the transition from childhood into dealing with “adult” issues such as sex, death, and personal responsibility. You want to acknowledge and speak to this experience. Walking the line between adult content and age appropriate expression of that content creates a tension and realism that all audiences enjoy.

Now, it is time for you to go forth and write! If you get stuck, don’t forget that there are services available to help you develop an outline for your book or provide developmental feedback on your first draft. To get started, go to: https://www.wordsru.com/detailed-quote.php.

(Sarah, Chief Editor Writer Services Nth America)

WordsRU is not only a proofreading service! We also help writers to develop their narrative, and can even write documents from scratch. We can work with all the stages of a document, from the very beginning to the final step before publication.

Sometimes writers and students are unsure of the best time to submit a document to us, or whether to ask for proofreading or copy writing. So I thought I might take the time now to outline what we can do for you, and to illustrate the types of editing and the difference between editing and copy writing.

Most people are familiar with the idea of editing; you probably are too, because you found our blog. Fewer people, however, realize that there are different types of editing.

The most intensive type of editing is structural editing (also known as substantive editing). This editing addresses any problems with the content, structure, language and style of a document. When we perform this type of edit, we also leave comments for sections that might need further work.

A second type of editing is copy editing. Here your editor concentrates on style and presentation, as well as on removing any embarrassing mistakes or oversights. Sometimes the editor will also leave notes, if sections are a little difficult to follow or need clarification.

A third type of editing is proofreading. The proofreading service is the very final step to make sure that every detail is in order prior to publication.

There are many kinds of editing, but don’t worry! When you upload your document to WordsRU, your Chief Editor will select what is needed to ensure your document is in good shape.

We offer some additional options for authors. For instance, we can prepare a developmental letter that outlines (in 5–10 pages) issues and guidance specific to your manuscript, including characterization, continuity, structure and patterns in grammar and spelling. We can also write cover and query letters, as well as marketing and cover copy.

Which, finally, brings us to copy writing (also known as ghost writing). Here you provide us with an idea (such as a plot line, a website concept or a few points to expand­) and we write it up for you. You even get to take all the credit! This is different from editing, because in copy writing you do not provide a draft—just a few notes giving information or direction.

Copy writing is perfect for business, personal letters or just expressing a story that exists only as an idea. Of course, we cannot copy write essays or academic papers for students, because assessable work needs to be your own. But many students benefit from having their academic work edited—editing is great for anyone who wants his or her document to stand out.

Whether it’s for editing or copy writing, I look forward to hearing from you soon at WordsRU.

(Adam, Chief Editor ROW)

I have been an editor for students for over 16 years. Along the way, I’ve noticed some mistakes that students from every level tend to make. One of the biggest—and easiest to correct—is not reading the directions for the assignment. So many students come to WordsRU for proofreading or editing of a paper, theses, or dissertation because they have received negative feedback from a professor, supervisor, or Chair that their paper has not met the requirements of the assignment. In almost every instance, the problem is that he or she has not followed the directions. Take the time to read—really read!—the assignment requirements or the theses/dissertation guide!

If you have a professor who has not provided guidelines for the assignment or if your school takes a more “free-form” approach to the thesis or dissertation, then follow the basic rules for writing that you learned in your early school years: (a) introduce the topic, (b) discuss the topic, (c) summarize what you discussed.

Having an editor is helpful because you have a second set of eyes reading your paper. Not only will an editor will find errors that make your paper hard to read (such as punctuation, grammar, sentence structure, etc.), but your editor will also point out when your discussion is straying off-point. When you provide the assignment requirements or thesis/dissertation guide, your editor can draw your attention to issues of organization and whether you have addressed the areas crucial to the assignment.

An important final thought on the topic of following directions: Your professors have worked hard to provide you with the components that they want to see. Having an editor to help you with making the paper more readable is beneficial to you because your professor or Chair can then read your paper for content, rather than get annoyed because he or she is getting hung up on ineffective writing and poor organization.

How do you prepare for and write a paper? Do you follow the guidelines like a recipe or are you more free-style, making up your own rules as you go? What works for you? What doesn’t work?

Jeanmarie - Chief Editor Nth America