July 2010 Newsletter

Editing, Proofreading & Resume
July 2010 Newsletter
from the desk of
Shelly Rosenberg
www.shellyrosenberg.com

Summer Greetings

The worldwide job situation seems to be improving with more jobs being posted and offered. More people are interviewing for jobs and being hired. Best wishes to those of you who have started on new adventures.

Writing a novel is a creative endeavor but some attention should be paid to making sure the information in your story is credible.

In this issue of my newsletter, I will be discussing the following topics:

· Organizing Your Job Search
· The Writer’s Guide to Validating Information for Novels

Organizing Your Job Search

For those of you who are beginning or continuing your job search, I will present a system to help you organize the information you need to use and have available during this process.

Create a folder on your computer for each job posting to which you are responding. Name the folder using the company name and the job title. In this folder put the following documents:

· Resume – You should have one or more resumes prepared to send to potential employers. If you have multiple resumes, they should differ in their focus. For example, when you review a job posting, you might see that this job calls for some of your skills but on your resume, those skills are listed toward the bottom of your bulleted list of skills or accomplishments. When sending your resume to this company, modify it to list those skills and accomplishments toward the top of the list. Make sure to keep a copy of that modified resume in this folder for this job posting.

· Cover letter(s) – You should have a separate cover letter for each job for which you apply. Use the job posting and the requirements as guides to helping you construct your cover letter. If the job posting states that a specific skill is needed, show in your cover letter how your accomplishments have demonstrated your ability to satisfy the requirement. Keep a copy of the specific cover letter that you sent to this company.

· Company Information – It is imperative to study the company that has posted the position available. The Internet is a wonderful place to do this research. Keep detailed notes about the company in a separate document.

· Job Posting – Keep a copy of the job posting.

· Timeline – Keep a timeline document and edit it for every event regarding this job.
o Note the date on which you found the job posting
o Where you found the posting
o Any notes about the opportunity
o When you sent your resume to the company
o When you contacted the company in a follow-up email or phone call
o When the interview took place
o With whom you spoke for the phone interview or in-person interview
o Where the interview took place

· Interview Review Notes – for both telephone and in-person interviews
o Record the interviewer’s name (interviewers’ names) and contact information
o Record notes about the questions asked and your responses
o Record what you wore to the interview
o Record the date and place of the interview
o Any other impressions you have about the interview

· Thank you note sent – Keep a copy of the thank you note(s) you sent following your interview.

· Other Correspondence – Keep a copy of any other correspondence regarding this specific job posting or interview.

Create a Master Document on your computer for this job search project. This document should have three columns.
· Column One - note the Company and job title (the same as the folder created above)
· Column Two – note the status of this opportunity (for example - sent resume on xx/xx/xx)
· Column Three – your next action regarding this opportunity

Review the Master Document daily and update any information as soon as it occurs. This will keep you organized and prepared for each step in this arduous process.

Validating Information for Novels

As an author, especially of a novel or other work of fiction, you can be creative and customize your story in any way you like. But, it is important to keep certain facts and figures as real and valid as possible.

Though your reader knows this is a work of fiction and not reality, while reading the book, he or she wants to get involved and “into” the book. Any discrepancies or inaccuracies might cause some readers to be turned off or disappointed.

Remember, you as the author can include or eliminate any details that you wish. So, whatever you include, make sure it is accurate.

Let me explain with some examples:
· Dates and times – If you state that something occurred on Thursday, the 20th of July, 2004, make sure that the 20th of July in 2004 was indeed on a Thursday. (For those of you who checked this out you found that the 20th of July 2004 was a Tuesday.)
· Timelines – If you are relating a story that spans several years, be sure to keep track of ages of people and amount of time that has elapsed. If you mention that someone is nineteen at one point in the story and then another scene takes place five years later, be sure that if you refer to the character’s age at this later date that he or she is now twenty-four.
· Technical information – If you have a pilot flying a plane and you are describing a flying incident make sure that your technical information about the controls or flight patterns is correct.
o For aviation technical information, have a pilot review your novel or at least the chapters in the book that refer to flying.
o Have a doctor review any medical information.
o Have a chemist review any information regarding chemicals and chemical reactions.
o I think you get the idea…

This extra work and validation process will make a big difference between a novel and a really good novel that is successful.

“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

Shelly@ShellyRosenberg.com