Writing Tips & Resources

Jargon – How and When to Use it in Writing

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 12 Comments

Day 10: 
Jargon vs Slang copyJargon – What is it and when is it okay to use it in writing?

“Jargon is a literary term defined as a use of specific phrases and words by writers in a particular situation, profession or trade.” It is deliberately developed and used for a particular occupation or businesses. Consider legal or medical terminology.

Even though I retired from nursing twenty years ago, I still use medical jargon. Old habits die-hard. For example, a medication taken as needed is, in medical jargon, referred to as a PRN medication.

Twitter has brought the use of jargon into the mainstream. Here are a few examples:

  • BTW – By The Way
  • IMHO – In My Humble Opinion
  • FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
  • CYA – See You Around (most of us know of another favorite phrase)
  • FYI – For Your Information
  • LOL – Laugh Out Loud

Jargon is not the same thing as slang. What’s the difference?

“Slang, more often spoken than written, is a type of informal category of a certain language developed within a certain community and consists of words or phrases whose literal meanings are different from the actual meanings.” Think about the South. We have quite a few slang words and phrases. I’m sure you’re aware of the Southern slang expression, Y’all.  

When is it appropriate to use jargon in writing? 

Jargon is used in non-fiction, academic papers, professional documents, essays, and fiction. There’s a place for its use, but you most know the audience you’re writing for and provide enough explanation that the reader will understand.

Want to know more about when and how to use Jargon? Check out Write it Sideways article, How to Use (not abuse) Jargon, Slang and Idioms.

What about you? Have you used jargon in any of your writing? A2Z-BADGE 2016-smaller_zpslstazvib

I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story and look for me on Facebook at SheilaMGood,  Pinterest,  Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilagood, and Contently.

How to Write Headlines that Stand Out in Search Engines

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 33 Comments

Day 8: 

Writing the headline for an article or blog post seems easy, but easy doesn’t always get you the response you want.

Headlines play a significant role in how your posts rank in search engines. Some will get more social shares and click-throughs than others. Why?

It’s all in the words you choose. Think keywords, common, uncommon, and power words.

Statistics reveal lists, and how-to headlines get better traction while emotional or positive headlines get shared more often. Having the right combination of words and the right length will make your headline stand out.

The free headline analyzer from Co-schedule will help you learn to write the best and most compelling headlines.

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In addition to the analyzer,  CoSchedule provides word lists that will help drive traffic to your blog. Download your copy here.

Headline words

The headline for this post scored –  70 A+

What do you think? Do you think headlines make a difference? Do you think about your headline?  I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story and look for me on Facebook at SheilaMGood,  Pinterest,  Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilamgood, and Contently.

Formatting Your Manuscript

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 30 Comments

Day 6:   

Properly formatting your manuscript is essential to a writer’s success. The first rule is always to check the guidelines outlined by the agent or publisher before you submit. Below are basic formatting tips. But, be mindful, the agent or publisher may have different requirements. Adapt per their preferences.

Traditional Print Formatting Tips:

  1. Title Page: Include your name, contact information in the upper left corner. Upper right corner – the estimated word count. Space down to center your title, double space and enter by, double space and add your name. Space three lines and begin your manuscript.
  2. Font: Courier 12 or Courier New 12 – this is the font most often preferred by editors; however, some editors are now accepting newer fonts – Arial or Times New Roman. Check the guidelines.
  3. Spacing: Double-space your manuscript – provides room for the editor to make notes and is easier on the eyes.
  4. Character spacing:  is a single space.
  5. Margins: 1 inch on all sides – allows room for the editor to make notes.
  6. Headers:  Include your name, title of the novel or keyword (all caps) and the page number.
  7. Chapters: Start each chapter on a new page, a third of the way down. Capitalize Chapter number and titles.
  8. Scene Breaks: indicate a break using the # sign in the center of the line.
  9. Word Count: Estimate word count by using 250 X the number of pages.
  10. Justification: Left justify.
  11. End: Designate with the # symbol in the center of the line or write, The End.
  12. Secure: the pages of your manuscript with a clip or rubber band.

No-No’s in Formatting:

  1. Do not use fanciful or colored fonts.
  2. Don’t number the title page. Start with the first page of the story.
  3. Do not place a copyright symbol © on your manuscript; it makes you look like an amateur. If your manuscript is accepted, the publisher will file a copyright in your name.
  4. Do not send a manuscript printed on both sides.
  5. Do not use word processors to determine word count; they’re not always accurate.
  6. Do not bind or staple your manuscript.

For more resources of formatting check out these links:

I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story and look for me on Facebook at SheilaMGood,  Pinterest,  Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilagood, and Contently.

Editing Made Easy – 7 Free Tools for the Writer

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 19 Comments

Day 5: 

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One of the most annoying, time-consuming and necessary aspects of writing is editing.

For me, after writing a piece, I find it difficult to spot all the things I might need to revise or eliminate.

Because I can’t afford to hire an editor for every short story or chapter I write, I use editing tools available to me via software downloads.

Each tool has pros and cons, and it’s worth repeating, no software can take the place of a good pair of editing eyes, but it’s a start and a good resource to have at your fingertips.

My top 7 Free Editing Tools

  1. Hemingway App – assesses the number of adverbs, complex words, passive voice, and readability.
  2. ProWritingAid – provides analysis, identifies overused words, sentence length, redundancies, clichés, plagiarism, consistency, and writing style.
  3. EditMinion – one of my favorite, uncomplicated tools. It checks for weak and overused words, passive voice, adverbs/prepositions, homonyms, and more.
  4. Word & Phrase Frequency Counter: This tool does exactly what it says, counts the number of time you use a word or phrase.
  5. Readability Score – indicates reading ease, grade level, text statistics, and keyword density.
  6. Cliché Finder – afraid you might have used a cliché or two? Identify them with this handy tool.
  7. The Writer’s Diet – Is your writing flabby or lean? This simple, automated feedback tool provides a quick look at some of the sentence-level grammatical issues which weigh writing down.

My top 3 Paid Editing Tools 

  1. Grammarly – Enhances clarity and meaning, identifies most writing errors, vocabulary enhancer, contextual spelling checker, and offers a Safari extension. A little pricey for the premium plan @ $139.95/yr. – a monthly and quarterly plan is also available ranging from 29.95/mo. – $59.95/quarterly.
  2. Ginger – Basic- $ 61.20/yr. – Offers a browser extension, unlimited grammar checker, translations, and definitions. An upgrade to $111/yr. will give you sentence rephrasing, analysis of mistakes, text reader and more. The software is available on a month-to-month basis ranging from $8.30 -$14.60/month.
  3. AutoCrit – An online manuscript editing tool specifically for fiction writers. Ranging from $60 – $144/yr. This tool provides analysis in 25 areas in your work, highlights key elements, fiction style errors, repetition, pacing, word choice, and a comparison of your manuscript to published fiction.

There you have it, my favorite editing tools. Although it will never replace a good set of eyes, any one of these will make the process of editing easier, faster, and smoother.

I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story. You can find me on Facebook at SheilaMGood,  Pinterest,  Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilagood, and Contently.