Yesterday my 12-year-old granddaughter and I were behind a van with this slogan painted on the back window: “Customer Service at It’s Best.” Being the good grandmother that I am 
, I pointed out the mistake and proceeded to explain why the slogan was incorrect. She didn’t want to hear my wise counsel…until I said that little apostrophe could be the difference between getting a job and not getting one, whether you want to be a writer, a teacher, or a CEO.
She didn’t believe me, but it’s true…especially in writing.
If you’ve been reading this blog any length of time, you’ve heard me say that editors are becoming more and more discriminating. When I first started writing, instructors told us we had a chapter to get the editors’ attention. Then it became five pages. Then one page. Then one paragraph.
Now, many editors say we have one sentence. Ugh.
Of course, it’s different with every editor, but the bottom line is, we have a very short amount of time to hook an editor. (For great info on hooking an editor, check out a previous blogpost, Hook ‘Em!). I was teaching at a writing conference a few years ago where an editor said, “When I read your manuscript, I’m not looking for a reason to publish it. I’m looking for a reason to reject it.”
Another editor said, “I’ll read the first sentence. If there aren’t any errors and if it’s interesting, I’ll go to the second sentence. If I don’t see a problem, I’ll go to the third. And on and on. The key is, don’t make any mistakes.”
No mistakes? None? Now THAT’S a big order!
No mistakes might be a big order, but that must be the goal. Correct word choice and spelling is a good place to start. Here are some of the frequent word choice/spelling mistakes that can doom your submission to the rejection pile.
Your/You’re
a. I love your shirt. (Possessive pronoun)
b. You’re going to wear that shirt? (Contraction-must be able to substitute “you are”)
Its/It’s
a. The cat jumped out of its skin. (Possessive pronoun)
b. It’s too bad the cat used his last life. (Contraction-must be able to substitute “it is”)
Their/There/They’re/There’re
a. I wish their list had my name on it. (Possessive pronoun)
b. Did you see that skunk over there? (Adverb)
c. They’re too young to be my children. (Contraction-must be able to substitute “they are”)
d. There’re too many confusing words here. (I know you don’t see this one often, but it’s a contraction-must be able to substitute “there are”)
Whose/Who’s
a. Do you know whose house this is? (Possessive pronoun)
b. Who’s going to take this box of books to the post office? (Contraction-must be able to substitute “who is”)
I admit, I’ve made–and continue to make–my share of mistakes. But we all must recognize that each time we let one slip through, we’re decreasing our chances of seeing our efforts in print. So let’s do everything we can to make our work as good as it can be. It doesn’t mean we’ll be perfect. After all, that won’t happen until we see Glory, but it does mean we must not be slack. We must do everything we can to present the best work we can.
It could be the difference in getting an acceptance…or getting a rejection.
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Announcing a Total of FOUR Cec Murphey Scholarships for the NCompass Writing Retreat and the Christian Communicators Conference!
That’s right–the encourager of all encouragers, Cec Murphey, has graciously donated TWO scholarships for each of our conferences, NCompass Writing Retreat and Christian Communicators Conference.
Edie, Carolyn, and I are so thankful to have this incredible blessing to pass on to you from the Cecil Murphey Scholarship Fund. Please visit Cec’s website to see what an amazing author and friend he is.
And if you’re serious about writing, you don’t want to miss Cec’s instructional blog, Writer to Writer. After all, it makes good sense to listen to a man who has written over 100 books!
Ladies, if you feel called to be a Christian speaker, be sure to check out the Christian Communicators Conference information packet. You can download the Cecil Murphey Scholarship Application for the Christian Communicators Conference here.
And if you need time to focus on your writing project, you’ll want to check out the annual NCompass Writing Retreat. This is our 9th year and for the first time we have room to invite men! The scholarship application for the writing retreat will be posted in a few more days, so be on the lookout for it.
Whether you’re a speaker or a writer or both, we have a conference designed just for you! Space is limited at each conference, so don’t delay!
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Let’s Celebrate the June Kudos! 
I’m so glad y’all are looking out for me. I forgot to ask for kudos last week, but many of you sent them anyway. Thanks for looking out for me!
These Christian Writer’s Den friends must not be making the mistakes we talked about because THEY’RE finding success!
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Jeanne Doyon (CT): Jeanne’s blogs, Getaway with God and Preparing Your Getaway were sought out by the women’s editor at Crosswalk.com. She asked if she could combine them for an article for women. You can read the result, Plan a Getaway with God, here.
- Jamie Britt (NC): Jamie has started a new blog, Encouraging Women. Be sure to check out Encouraging Women here!
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Cynthia Lovely (NY): Cynthia will have an article featured in the July/August issue of Tea Time magazine.
- Judy Parker (AK): Judy has an article in the June issue of Journey and she also just signed a contract with Focus on the Family’s Thriving Family
for her idea for their June Family Faith Activity (preschool)to be posted on their website.
Congratulations to all these successful writers! I’m so proud of all of you!
And readers, I want to hear from you anytime you have good news to share. And since I tend to forget to ask for them the week before, please contact me any time you have kudos to celebrate and I’ll hold it until Kudos week.
Here’s the format in order to be included:
- Your name
- Your state
- Link to your blog or website, if applicable
- Your good news
- Link to your good news, if applicable
- Lo res jpg of your cover or logo, if applicable
Can’t wait to hear from you!
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Don’t Forget to Return Next Week for a New Batch of Writing Opportunities!
That’s right–next week is writing opps week. You won’t want to miss it!
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Parting Words from The Word…
We owe God our best, whether it’s in loving, in serving, or in writing. Let’s strive for excellence as we write for Him.
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men. Colossians 3:23
I pray God’s blessing on the work of your hands and your hearts,
Vonda
