Farther or further? Change one letter and puzzlement ensues.

I’m often confused by FARTHER and FURTHER, so I went to my fave online resource – Merriam-Webster – as a starting point. 

A quick and succinct explanation

“Farther is for physical distance and further is for figurative distance.”

You can see their full explanation here – Merriam-Webster Further or Farther  

To further (haha, see what I did there?) complicate this issue, both FARTHER and FURTHER can be an adverb, adjective, or a verb, and at times can be interchangeable.  

But, I’m gonna keep it simple. I hope. 

Examples – farther – distance 

Forrest Gump ran farther than any American.  

You can stretch your arms and legs farther than the pip squeak next to you. 

You will fly farther than D. B. Cooper who just jumped off the plane with a satchel full of money. 

Examples – further – figurative 

Here I am, standing in front of Congress. I have just provided three specific instances of sedition by a certain member of Congress. But I have one more point to make. I would say, “Further, Ms. Lime-Green demonstrates…” 

You could not be further from the truth. 

She would do anything to further her agenda. 

Kudos to Grammarly

For another fabulous and reliable source, consult Grammarly Farther or Further.

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*Note – This blog article was edited and proofread by Shawn MacKenzie. Any boo-boos that remain are mine. 

Proofreading Four Pack, Part III

With self-publishing comes great responsibility. Whether you self-publish or go the way of an agent/publisher, you want to be sure your manuscript makes it to readers as cleanly as possible and makes sense from Chapter 1 through to The End.

Or perhaps you have an important corporate letter or a letter to the editor you want to send off? Maybe you are writing a school bulletin, family newsletter, or a web page for your new business?

Here’s a handy DIY – the third part in a four pack of proofreading and copy-editing tip lists.

Hiring a proofreader/copy editor  

Planning – Start looking for a proofreader the minute you start your book or soon thereafter.  Don’t decide you need a proofreader on Monday and hire one on Tuesday. Shop around. Ask other successful writers for recommendations.

Ask for Specifics – Ask the proofreader to outline exactlywhat they consider “proofreading” and “copy editing.” These differ significantly throughout the industry.

Put away the hatchet, please – When I proofread and edit for a client, I prefer to suggestchanges; I do not make edits for the writer. You should direct how the edits come to you or be amenable and agree to how the editing process works. 

Research online – Look at the proofreader’s website, Linked In, Facebook, Twitter, and blog. Are they positive? Do they share tips and links? Are their online pages clean?

Stylebook – Ask them what style book(s) and references they use. If they hem and haw or say, “Oh, I don’t need those things,” run away.

Testimonials – Get testimonials or references and then look at the publications of the testimonials. Contact the people who have provided these testimonials.

Turn-around – Look at the turn-around time – if a proofreader says she’ll have your 100,000-word work of art back to you in two days, that’s just not gonna happen.

Contract – Sign a contract. I would caution that if the proofreader doesn’t use contracts, again, run away. Be sure you can accept the contract payment terms, turn-around time, cancellation terms, additional cost for phone consultations, etc.

NDA – Ask the proofreader to sign an NDA – non-disclosure agreement. You don’t want your hard work to end up in someone else’s book or in the proofreader’s e-book.

Have you worked with a professional proofreader or copy editor? What did you like and what did you NOT like about the experience? 

Proofreading Four Pack, Part II

With self-publishing comes great responsibility. Whether you self-publish or go the way of an agent/publisher, you want to be sure your manuscript makes it to readers as cleanly as possible and makes sense from Chapter 1 through to The End.

Or perhaps you have an important corporate letter or a letter to the editor you want to send? Maybe you are writing a school bulletin, family newsletter, or a web page for your new business?

Here’s a handy DIY – the second part in a four pack of proofreading and copy-editing tip lists.

Proofreading Four Pack, Part II – Copy Editing

“Copy editing” can range from consistency, subject-verb agreement, verb tenses, and word choice or denotation; more in-depth editing might include substantive paragraph and chapter re-writes through developmental rewriting (overhaul).

Consistency throughout a manuscript can be a bit of a problem for some writers. It’s not the story’s structure – it’s keeping it all cohesive with consistent language, proper names, and characters’ personalities.

Consistency – Check for inconsistencies in where your characters live, where they work, their likes and dislikes, their phobias (don’t say your character is afraid of snakes and then have her holding a python in Chapter 10), favorite foods/allergies (someone is allergic to shellfish and later eats a lobster), and so on.

Names, Proper Nouns – Did you call your main character’s boyfriend Allan in the first chapter and Alan in all the other chapters?

Electronic Age – The jury seems to be in a deadlock over new language and emerging language terms that describe the electronic age and new gadgets. Whether you agree with the AP Stylebook or not, if you are going to use words like e-mail or email, web-site or website, on-line or online – each of these words needs to be consistent throughout your manuscript.

Who’s talking? – If your English Teacher character is talking prim and proper English in Chapter 3, make sure she’s talking the same way in Chapter 49.

Know your props – If you have your police officer with a Glock in Chapter 4, he should still have a Glock in the final chapter.

Where are you? – I have often drawn my own maps on a large sheet of paper to maintain perspective. Or use Google maps. If you write Route 83 and Burdick Expressway intersect in Minot, ND, they’d better intersect. If the Sandia Mountains are east of downtown Albuquerque in Chapter 4, don’t put them west in Chapter 18.

Excessive or Lack of Punctuation – If a sentence has more than a few commas, it’s difficult to read. Same goes for lack of punctuation. Review long sentences or sentences containing commas, colons, semi-colons, or dashes.

What’s your copy-editing bug-a-boo? What consistency problems are your sticking points? Check back for Proofreading and Copy Editing, Parts III and IV.

Proofreading Four Pack – Part I

With self-publishing comes great responsibility. Whether you self-publish or go the way of an agent/publisher, you want to be sure your manuscript makes it to readers as cleanly as possible and makes sense from Chapter 1 through to The End.

Or perhaps you have an important corporate letter or a letter to the editor you want to send off? Maybe you are writing a school bulletin, family newsletter, or a web page for your new business?

Here’s a handy DIY – the first part in a four pack of proofreading and copy-editing tip lists.

Part I – Doing Your Own Proofreading

Adjust your mind set from “writer” to “proofreader.” Forget that you are looking at your baby, your pet, your sweat-stained manuscript. Once you are ready to proofread and copy edit, it’s a whole ‘nother animal. It’s a project. You are looking for things that are wrong.

Spell check – Do not – DO NOT – depend on your computer’s spell checker.

Read out loud – Read the piece out loud. This will help you hear where there are stops and starts, what’s awkward. You can also utilize the “Read Aloud” feature of Word to read it to you. It’s a little mechanical, but you might discover a few problems. Take it a step further – read your MS or short story into a tape recorder and then listen to it while looking at a printed copy. This can be cumbersome for a full-sized manuscript, so read on …

Print it – Sounds silly, but it makes a difference. You’ve been looking at the project on the screen for a year or two or more – you need a new perspective – you need to see it on paper. Red pen at the ready!

Dictionary and Style Guides – Use the dictionary and style guides like The Associated Press Stylebook or The Chicago Manual of Style, and desk references for grammar and punctuation – like Diane Hacker’s Rules for Writers.

First Reader – Ask someone to look at your MS with a critical eye. My go-to first reader is Shawn MacKenzie. 

Mom or BFF – Don’t ask mom or the BFF to proofread – unless mom was a proofreader for Merriam-Webster (my mom was!). Your peeps will probably tell you, “It’s wonderful!” or “Fabulous!” Not that you shouldn’t trust them, but you shouldn’t trust them with proofreading your manuscript.

Sounds like – Look at words like there and their, you’re and your, and its and it’s. Also consider trip-up words like rain, rein, and reign, bear and bare, ate and eight, altar and alter. When I’m in a hurry, I often use one wrong word for what would be the right word. Search for your trouble words throughout your manuscript or other important document. 

Take a break – Put the manuscript aside for a few weeks or a month or two. Then go back to it with fresh eyes. If you are in a hurry with a letter to the editor, try to leave it for at least a couple of hours.

Please stay tuned for more Proofreading Four Pack, Parts II through IV.

What’s your proofreading bug-a-boo? What trips you up the most?