Editing, Proofreading & Resume Services
March 24, 2009
from the desk of
Shelly Rosenberg
http://www.shellyrosenberg.com/
shelly@shellyrosenberg.com

Worldwide Project Report

I have mounted a world map on the wall in my office and have used “map pins” to mark the locations where my clients live. It is amazing to me that I have worked with clients from 51 countries in the world. Regarding clients in the United States, I have worked with clients from 39 states plus the District of Columbia. I believe that the client the farthest distance from my office, here in Springfield Tennessee, is living in Queensland, Australia. This is an interesting project and I will continue to track client locations and mark my map accordingly.

I also have a page on my website that shows which countries and US states are home to my clients. The page is http://www.shellyrosenberg.com/countries.htm Please help me to add pins in different countries.

The only states in the US that are not yet represented are Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah and Vermont.

Contact me at Shelly@ShellyRosenberg.com with your editing, proofreading and resume needs. If you have requests or suggestions for future articles send them to me.

Shelly

Editing, Proofreading & Resume Services

March 17, 2009

from the desk of

Shelly Rosenberg

www.shellyrosenberg.com

shelly@shellyrosenberg.com

Point of View for Novel Authors

Is this the year you are going to be published? Yes, it is. You need to get that manuscript into the best possible shape you can before submitting it to an agent. Besides writing clearly and with correct grammar, it is important to understand and use “point of view” appropriately.

Point of View
Simply stated, the point of view refers to how the person is telling the story. If your book is told in the first person singular, your story might say, “I first walked over to the chair in the kitchen and sat down.” If you are writing in the third person, this statement would be written, “He first walked over to the chair in the kitchen and sat down.” You need to make the choice when you begin the manuscript of what voice or point of view you will be using.

Changing Point of View in a Novel
It is a wise idea to keep your entire book in one point of view, especially if you are a new author with little experience. Changing the point of view in a book, or especially in a chapter, can be confusing to the reader and create an unpleasant reading experience. However, there are authors who can effectively change point of view and do it in a way that is clear and effective. My recommendation is to use a single point of view in a chapter. If in the next chapter, you wish to use a new point of view, make it precisely clear from your text and dialogue.

Exercise on Point of View
You can experiment with point of view by writing two or three versions of your work each in a different point of view. Think of it this way: How is the story told? Whose viewpoint is being expressed? Write from that person’s mind and experiences. Then, in your next version of your chapter, have someone else tell the story. There are advantages to each point of view. Your creativity and purpose can help craft an interesting novel if you can understand this concept thoroughly and choose the best one for your adventure.

Most Commonly Used Points of View
The most commonly used points of view are the first person singular, the third person singular and the omniscient. The first person point of view, as stated above, is the I AM point of view. If using this one, as a writer you can tell the story as if you are the central character and the story is unfolding from your viewpoint. Remember, in this case, you can only know what you see, know, hear and experience. You cannot tell us what another person is thinking; you cannot tell us what another person is doing unless you are right there and can see for yourself.

The third person point of view is the one that uses HE SHE or IT. This is quite common and probably easier to use than the first person.

The omniscient is the ALL SEEING and ALL KNOWING point of view. When using this point of view, the teller of the story knows everything each person is doing, saying and even thinking. This was the universal point of view used in the nineteenth century and is still extremely popular today but it is no longer the only point of view to use.

References
There are some good books that give detailed explanations of point of view and techniques for understanding and using them. I highly recommend some reading and studying in this area.

“My goal is to enhance your text in a way that makes it clear and error free so that it is ready to be read by your professor, your readership, your clients, your future employer, your current employer, your agent or your publisher.” Shelly Rosenberg

Editing, Proofreading & Resume Services
March 2009 – Newsletter
from the desk of
Shelly Rosenberg
www.shellyrosenberg.com

Hello and best wishes to you! In this issue of my newsletter I will be sharing the following information that should be of interest to you.

· Common Grammatical or Spelling Errors
· Caution – Easy Mistakes Often Made
· Update Your Resume Now

Common Grammatical or Spelling Errors

I keep finding this error in documents from clients. It is one of the most common errors that I have found, particularly on resumes. It is the incorrect use of the verb to lead. I am not sure if people make the error as a spelling or grammatical error since the sounds of the words can be the same or different in different situations. Here is how to use this commonly used word:

Present Tense
I lead
you lead
he or she leads
we lead
you (plural) lead
they lead

Past Tense
I led
you led
he or she led
we led
you led
they led

The item in pencils is lead. This is pronounced the same as the past tense of the verb – led but is spelled lead.

Another common error that I have found in papers is the confusion between the words lose and loose.

Lose is the opposite of find.
Loose is the opposite of tight.


Caution – Easy Mistakes Often Made

Several of you have handheld devices also known as smart phones. I have the Palm Treo. We love these and don’t know what we did before we had one. It is really convenient to be able to get your emails while you are away from your desk, out to lunch, at a lecture, at a ballgame, out to dinner, etc. Right? And it is so convenient to send a quick email (or text) reply when you are away from your desk. Right? And how about that feature that completes the word you were keying in? That’s great too. Right? But here is the problem and the caution. Make sure you carefully read the word that it finished for you. I can hear you laughing to yourself now. If you sent that email with the wrong word to a friend or in a casual email, that is probably not a problem. We can all have a good laugh at the error. But, if that email is being sent to a prospective employer, or to an important business contact about a significant account or to a professor regarding an important scholastic issue, that mistake is not so funny. I have received (and probably sent) several of those emails with embarrassingly erroneous words. So, again, a word of caution…

Update Your Resume Now

In this volatile market, few people’s jobs are safe. Most people need to be planning for the possibility of a layoff or job cut. Even if you feel that your job is secure, it is a good idea to take out that resume and update it. It is always more difficult to attack this task when you are out of a job. So, take an hour and review your current resume. List any new accomplishments and record them. Take a look at the layout of your resume. Does it need a new look? Remember, if you are applying for a job, there are now twice the number of people applying for each position and half the number of job openings available. You want your resume to shine. Make sure it does.
Contact me if you need assistance in updating your resume or creating a completely new one.

Shelly Rosenberg

“My goal is to enhance your text in a way that makes it clear and error free so that it is ready to be read by your professor, your readership, your clients, your future employer, your current employer, your agent or your publisher.”