Self editing will make you the darling of editors

By Pamela Moeng

One of the first books I bought as a fledging writer was a book on self editing - it was invaluable for a writer who lacked confidence.

That was more than 30 years ago and I still bolster my confidence with a bookshelf lined with Swan's grammar book, Harraps English punctuation and the Oxford English Dictionary, among others.

Self editing will make you the darling of editors. The fewer red marks - either handwritten on hard copy or changes tracked on soft copy - an editor has to make the better.

How do you self edit? Ideally, draft your document then let it breathe in cyberspace or your desk drawer, if you still write in longhand.

A week later or a few days later if you are on deadline, read it again. You'll be surprised at the clumsy turns of phrase, the delinquent punctuation, and the errant spellings that will leap off the page. Fix them and then give your writing to another pair of eyes to read.

Don't be surprised at the blood on your precious draft when it returns from whence it came. Despite your best efforts, you will have missed some mistakes.

Finally, send it off to the editor for a final spit and polish - brace yourself, more corrections will be made!

Below are some tips to reduce the red on your manuscripts:

• The Law of Consistency or use language and layout consistently, i.e. write dates in the same way every time; use either US or British spellings and not both in one document; decide on headings and sub-headings and stick with them; limit the use of stylistic conventions; commas do count so use punctuation correctly; and, above all, make sure your use of grammar is beyond reproach.
• No matter how careful you are, you will miss something. So never underestimate the value a good editor adds to your writing!

Article on Marketingweb

My article on Advertising to Children is up Marketingweb. Didn't know that it was published until I did a Google search. Check it out. Spending the rest of the day editng a manuscript and doing some long-procrastinated admin work, then I'm going to do some Spring planting.

A friend of mine bought me Clare Reid's Reel Gardening vegetable and herb seeds from Builder's Warehouse as a birthday present and they really make gardening easy. The seeds are grouped accoridng to companion gardening guidelines and they encased in paper which dissolves as organic ferliser. So all I have to do is make a furrow in the ground, place a strip of paper in the ground, compact the soil around the paper and then water it. The length between the seeds and the depth of the seed into the ground is pre-determined, so you don't have to worry about those issues.  Looks like this Spring and summer I'm going to have lots of veges to eat and share:-)


What are your plans for August?

Sharpening Pencils

Spent most of the evening yesterday sending thank you messages to people who wished me a happy birthday. I know it takes time to respond to every message, but some of them want to hook up for coffee, and it's a lovely way to initiate contact with people I haven't spoken to, or seen in a long time.

Had a long interview this morning. A friend of mine used me as a personal reference for a government job and the people involved were very thorough. Made me think about how well I know my friend, and I was relieved to realise that I know lots of details I didn't even think about.

I'm reading Lori Widmer's The Worthy Writer's Guide to Building a Better Business. If you are a freelance writer or want to be one, then get this book. It's worth way more then the $11.95 you'll pay for it. I've been in this business for a while and I'm still learning a lot from the book.

Need to stop sharpening my pencils and actually write. Yes, I'm having one of those mornings when the office is quiet, the computer is on, there's nothing pressing that I need to do and yet, somehow, my brain won't cooperate and let the words come.

Finding A Home For Your Work

Power was off from 10am this morning, so I couldn't follow my normal morning routine. But I was fortunate to have a potential tenant come over to see the cottage that used to be my office. I hadn't even advertised but apparently she rented the next street over and the owners are selling, so she has to move. She took the cottage. Which is nice, cos it turns out she's a freelance journo, and we had loads to talk about.

I placed Pam's article about her stay in New York during her recent trip to the USA with The Independent Online. I'll give you guys a heads up when the article is published. Pam also wrote articles about her visit in Boston and stay in London, which I've sent to some editors. It would be great if someone bought the whole series, but it was not possible to do the deal with IOL.

I also got article accepted by Marketingweb ( my first time writing for them). I initially wrote an article for a regular client of mine, but it was rejected not due to the quality, but some other issues. So I decided to look for another home for it. What I learnt: sometimes "No" means "Not for us," not "this is not a good story." So when your work is rejected, but you firmly believe that it's a quality piece, don't despair, keep looking until you find the right home for it.

Embrace Your Opportunities

By Pamela Moeng

Opportunity knocks but once, some say. I disagree. The same opportunity may not knock in the very same way again, but variations of the same possibility will continue knocking until your potential is realised or your dream comes true. This is especially true for writers.

Job changes or you move cities? It's an opportunity to meet new people, forge new connections and experience new things to write about! Husband leaves, boyfriend dumps you? More opportunity to write, even if it's that thriller you've fantasised about where woman scorned gets her man - where it hurts most! New baby means time to read while breastfeeding or bottle feeding to see how others do it better or worse than you. Wild toddler in the house and a stay-at-home mom? Nap time is an opportunity to write. Broken leg and stuck in bed while it mends? Write!

The more you write and put it out there, the more opportunities will come your way to continue doing just that - write!

Years ago I spent hours dreaming about the possibility of writing and then one day I got off my butt and actually asked a real person for the opportunity to write. The 'yes' I got gave me the confidence to keep looking for opportunities and the more I wrote the less I had to look - the opportunities were now looking for me.

So my advice to the dreamers is write and keep your ears tuned to the sound of opportunity knocking. But if you miss it the first time, don't believe the nay-sayers who tell you it won't come again. Keep listening and don't expect opportunity to arrive with a brass band and a parade - stay tuned to the quiet possibilities. They are all around you.

So here’s the update of how I’ve really been

I thought I was going to drown. I was excited about my new publishing assignment, but the work seemed massive and the deadlines really tight. I was briefed near the end of June and went home wondering how I was going to manage the project and my existing workload.


It wasn’t easy, and it wouldn’t have been possible if it were not for the contributions of a number of people, whom I owe a big thanks.

Writing Advice From Veteran Playwrights

Today is another big deadline day submitting the first chapters from the writers to the publisher. So I'm posting another previously published post, where I share advice that I got from playwrights Maishe Maponya and Paul Slabolepzy when I took a playwriting course some years back. The advice applies to all writers regardless of media.


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At The Supermarket

On this day in 2008, I was frantically looking for a poem entitled, "At The Supermarket"  by H. ORAM, and published by METHWEN CHILDRENS BOOKS. Baby was supposed to perform it at the annual Eisteadford, and for some reason that I can't now remember, she didn't have a copy of it.

I think the parents among you will appreciate the poem:

I wish they wouldn't do it

(Is what she says first)
Drumming her fingers on the packet of
Healthy Life Cereal
As we stand in the queue
Waiting to go through


It's putting temptation right in our path
(Is what she says second)
As the lady at the till can't find the price
of green bananas
And we're stuck in the queue
Waiting to go through

I've a good mind to speak to the manager
(Is what she says third)
As Em lies on the floor kicking and crying
Me want Me Want
To the tut tuts of the queue
Waiting to go through

Oh all right then, just today
(Is what she says last)
And as we help ourselves to the Chews-Me Bars
I can't help thinking what a very good thing
They put the sweets by the queue
Where sooner or later Mum'll give in.

A Harsh Reminder That I Should Never Take You For Granted

This is a post about why I decided to unsubscribe from one of my favourite writing sites after 6 years of loyal membership.

I hope you do find the info I've been sharing here on the blog, and fon't feel like I'm giving you a cut and paste job to fill space when I can't blog.

And I will keep checking your comments on the blog and responding.

Back From The US

By Pamela Moeng

My two weeks away (in June) are fast fading memories as I eye the pile of work on my plate - all of it urgent. On the upside, sleepless nights and nonstop work over the next few weeks will surely whittle off the weight I gained on holiday. Always a silver lining, not so?


Visiting family was the main objective of my winter holiday but in the process I managed to spend time in one of Pennsylvania's numerous state parks, a winery and a trip down memory lane on the campus of the Pennsylvania State University.

My partner and I also took a Greyhound to visit Boston in Massachusetts, cradle of the American Revolution, the campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, shopped in Manhattan and rode the Amtrak train from Boston back to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and then from Lewistown, Pennsylvania to Penn Station in New York City before boarding a Virgin Atlantic flight to London, where we toured the cities of Westminster and London for a day.

Finally we spent nearly 11 hours on board another Virgin Atlantic flight from London's Heathrow Airport to O.R. Tambo in Johannesburg. Along the way we had adventures small and large - more on those soon.

Now it's back to children, geriatric dog, the day job and a frenetic period of activity on the writing and editing front with DSM. The latter thrills me and my typing fingers and editing pen itch to get started.

I've missed you all because my grand plan to stay in touch fell apart in the absence of an international adapter that fit my netbook plug and the lack of BB access while I was away. Note to self - buy an adaptor NOW, before my next trip abroad!

I read in the Times that the Short Story South celebrations went well. So very sorry to have missed that. Even more sorry to leave summer behind in the USA and UK to rejoin winter in SA - what a shock to the system that is!

I love short story writing and I hope the optimists among us are right and the genre is enjoying a new burst of popularity. How many optimists are readers of Storypot? What are your thoughts on the short story as a genre, is it perfect for our byte-size attention spans or are novels still tops?