Hock's Editing Services

Availability for June, July, and August

noreply@blogger.com (Neal Hock) — Mon, 21 May 2012 14:50:00 +0000

As of May 21, 2012, here is my availability for the next few months:

June: One full-length-novel slot available.
July: Two full-length-novel slots available.
August: Multiple dates are still available.

I may be able to take on a few novellas and short stories in June and July. Contact me via e-mail to discuss your project.

Availability for March, April, May, and June

noreply@blogger.com (Neal Hock) — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 16:29:00 +0000

It's been a while since I gave an update about my schedule, so I figure I'm overdue for one. As of this moment, here's what my availability looks like:

March: I'm booked and I can't take on any more projects.

April: I can possibly take on a couple of smaller projects, such as novellas or novelettes.

May: I have a limited number of spaces available in the second half of the month.

June: I still have slots available throughout the month.

I hope to spend time in the upcoming month updating the site's pages. If you are interested in having me guest-blog about a specific topic starting in April, please feel free to contact me via e-mail.

Scheduling Update

noreply@blogger.com (Neal Hock) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 02:56:00 +0000

Here's a quick update of my availability as of right now. I'm completely booked for the month of February. My March schedule is almost full, and I have a very limited number of slots remaining. As for April, I still have a number of slots available at this time, but due to a number of inquiries, my availability may change from day to day.

If you're interested in my services, please check with me in advance to make sure we can get a slot scheduled for you. Thank you for your interest!

Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (Neal Hock) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:22:00 +0000

Happy belated New Year to everyone out there! I hope each of you had a pleasant and peaceful holiday season. I just want to post a quick update about my schedule and availability. I'm booked up for January and for most of February. My first available slot for any of my services is at the end of February. So if you're planning a book for the springtime, please contact me in advance to reserve a slot in my queue.

Thank you for a successful 2011, and I'm looking forward to an even more successful 2012!

Happy Holidays!

noreply@blogger.com (Neal Hock) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 03:40:00 +0000

I intended to resume posting tips this week, but things have not worked out the way I planned. So, in light of the holidays and my current workload, I'm going to postpone posting regular tips until after the holidays. I can always be reached by e-mail if you have any inquiries. I have a very limited number of slots available in December, and January is filling up quickly.

From my family to yours: Happy holidays!

A Brief Update

noreply@blogger.com (Neal Hock) — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 16:44:00 +0000

I know it's been a while since I've posted any new writing tips, and I hope to restart that tradition soon. I've been working on a number of projects this past month, so that hasn't left much extra time for my blog here.

On a related note, if you are looking for proofreading, copyediting, or concept editing, I have a very limited number of slots available between now and the end of the year. If you're interested in my services, please contact me to check my availability for the rest of the year.

Guest Post at Author Jeff Bennington's Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Neal Hock) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 00:40:00 +0000

I should have posted this yesterday, but somehow I didn't get around to it. Author Jeff Bennington was kind enough to offer me the use of his blog for a day. Stop by and check out my guest post, "Is It Worth the Risk?" In my post I take a look at Amazon reportedly pulling books due to quality issues and the implications of those actions for self-published authors.

On Vacation

noreply@blogger.com (Neal Hock) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 02:51:00 +0000

I'm taking the next two weeks off from giving grammar and style tips. Look for them to return Monday, October 24.

***Updated 10-17-11***

Author Jarrett Rush Interviews Me

noreply@blogger.com (Neal Hock) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 14:36:00 +0000

I'm not going to post a writing tip today. Instead, I ask that you stop by author Jarrett Rush's blog to read an interview he conducted with me. Please feel free to come by and say hi! Here's the link: http://jarrettwrites.blogspot.com/2011/10/get-to-know-neal-hock.html.

Style for Miscellaneous Titles

noreply@blogger.com (Neal Hock) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 15:03:00 +0000

In runnig text, titles of blogs, books, periodicals, movies, albums, and television series are all set in italics. Titles of individual blog posts, articles, television shows, songs, and short stories are set in roman type and enclosed in quotation marks. Television network names are set in roman type without quotation marks. General titles of websites are set in roman type without quotation marks; individual pages or sections of websites are set in roman type and enclosed in quotation marks.

Animal Planet is one of my favorite TV stations.
One of my all-time favorite books is Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.
My wife’s favorite television show is Modern Family.
Bookhound’s Den is my book-review blog.
“The Tell-Tale Heart” is my favorite Poe story.

'Til or Till?

noreply@blogger.com (Neal Hock) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 15:44:00 +0000

The form ’til is commonly used in casual writing, but if you’re writing for publication, the preferred word is till, the perfectly acceptable preposition and conjunction. It’s rather peculiar that ’til has become common in casual writing. Some people may believe that it’s a contraction of until, but that simply doesn’t stand up when you look at age of the words. Till is older than until, so there has never been a reason to contract until, since till was already available. If you’re writing to self-publish or to submit to publishers, you should cast aside the form ’til and use the perfectly established forms of till and until.

She won’t be home till four o’clock.
Wait until he finishes using the hammer.
I stood there till my legs couldn’t take any more.
Until you listen, you’ll never understand.
I’m going to party till the cows come home.

Peak, Peek, and Pique

noreply@blogger.com (Neal Hock) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 14:59:00 +0000

These three homophones are easy to confuse, and frequently peak is mistakenly substituted for peek and pique. Pay special attention when you use these words to make sure you choose the correct spelling. Also note that each of these words has multiple forms (all of them have noun and verb forms). Peak is the highest point or to reach the maximum. Peek is a secretive or brief look. Pique is resentment, pride, a type of fabric, or to arouse interest.

The climbers reached the peak of the mountain.
I peeked into the bag when she wasn’t looking.
Your provocative statements have piqued my interest.
His popularity peaked in the ’80s.
With my curiosity piqued, I peeked into the cave that was near the peak of the hill.

You Could Care Less?

noreply@blogger.com (Neal Hock) — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 15:58:00 +0000

If you care about something, then you could care less. However, if you want to emphasize the point that you don’t care about something, then the appropriate form to use is couldn’t care less. Using could care less when you mean you don’t care at all ruins your point. Could care less implies that you care some and you are able to care less than you do. Couldn’t care less means you don’t care at all. Thus, you are not able to care less.

I couldn’t care less what he does with the money.
She told Alice that she couldn’t care less.
Bob was about to retire; he couldn’t care less.
Suzy couldn’t care less about the color of the walls.
I thought Fred cared, but he told me he couldn’t care less.

Handling Percentages

noreply@blogger.com (Neal Hock) — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 04:01:00 +0000

In nontechnical writing, percentages are usually expressed as numerals followed by the word percent. In technical writing, the % symbol is used instead of percent, with no space between the numeral and symbol. Please note that if a sentence begins with a percentage, normal number rules apply and the percentage is spelled out (see the first example below). Also, a hyphen is not used when the percentage is acting as a modifier (see the second example below). A nontechnical context is assumed for each of the following examples.

Seventy-five percent of men agreed with the statement.
The factory was operating at 50 percent capacity.
He has completed 33 percent of the project.
She garnered 55.4 percent of the popular vote.
I answered 100 percent of the questions correctly.

The En Dash with Compound Adjectives

noreply@blogger.com (Neal Hock) — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 04:01:00 +0000

One use of the en dash (–), which is distinct from the em dash (—) and hyphen (-), is to join the elements of a compound adjective when one of its parts is an open compound or when both of its parts are hyphenated compounds. This use of the en dash can be handy, but The Chicago Manual of Style recommends it to be used “sparingly.” If a better solution is available, it should be employed instead (“A low-tech, low-end solution” is probably the better choice in the third example below).

The pre–Civil War period was a time of political turmoil.
I love reading the work of Stephen King–influenced authors.
A low-tech–low-end solution was the only choice.
Is she a Bram Stoker Award–winning author?
He loves Garth Brooks–style ballads.

It's versus Its

noreply@blogger.com (Neal Hock) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 04:01:00 +0000

It’s is the contraction for it is and it has; its is the possessive form of it. While we’ve all probably seen these prescriptions since we were children, confusion of the two forms is still fairly common. It's in a writer's best interest to take an extra moment to make sure the correct form is used.

It’s [it has] been a long day.
The cat licked its paws.
It’s [it is] sitting on the kitchen table.
The house is starting to show its age.
Its fur is long and full of knots; it’s [it is] a pain to groom.

Discreet and Discrete

noreply@blogger.com (Neal Hock) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 22:49:00 +0000

Two commonly confused words that I come across when proofreading or copyediting are discreet and discrete. While these homophones share a common origin and the spellings differ only in the order of the final two letters, there is a distinct difference between the meanings of the words. Discreet means “prudent, modest, or unobtrusive” and predominately refers to behavior. Discrete means “distinct, unconnected, or finite” and emphasizes the distinctness of something.

Robert was discreet about his problems.
There are four discrete walls in the room.
I discreetly handed him the money.
Break up the project into discrete parts.
All of Tim’s business dealings were discreet.

Plurals of Acronyms and Initialisms

noreply@blogger.com (Neal Hock) — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 14:37:00 +0000

The plural of an acronym or initialism (an abbreviation formed by using the initial letters of multiword terms and sounded out letter by letter, such as FBI or CEO) is usually formed by adding -s. No apostrophe is needed. Some style guides permit plurals to be formed by adding -’s, but there are good reasons not to use an apostrophe when forming the plural of an acronym or initialism. First, an acronym or initialism may have a possessive form (CEO’s office, FBI’s manpower), so it’s important to distinguish between the forms. Second, the mistake of forming plurals of nouns by adding -’s is rampant (the Smith’s when it should be the Smiths), and there is no good reason to reinforce this mistake.

There are still two cases when adding -’s to an acronym or initialism is preferred: if periods are used with capital letters (M.B.A.’s) or if lowercase letters are used (jpeg’s). The reason -’s is still used in these cases is to avoid possible confusion of the -s being a part of the acronym or initialism.

CDs
DVDs
pdf’s
SOSs
SUVs

Commas with Direct Address

noreply@blogger.com (Neal Hock) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 14:26:00 +0000

Commas are used to set off names used in direct address. In fiction, this happens predominantly during dialogue between characters.

Bobby, will you pick up some bread from the store?
Thank you for bringing the coffee, Suzie.
Listen up, esteemed colleagues, because this is important.
John, you know that I love you.
Thank you, friends.

Apostrophe of Omission

noreply@blogger.com (Neal Hock) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 14:55:00 +0000

A principal function of the apostrophe (’) is to denote the omission of letters or numbers in contractions. Make sure that the apostrophe is in the appropriate location, and consult the dictionary when necessary. Merriam-Webster’s lists many contractions and their variants. When an apostrophe begins a word—like ’em or ’twas—make sure that you’re using an apostrophe, not a left single quotation mark (‘).

A few examples:

rock ’n’ roll (rock and roll)
weren’t (were not)
don’t (do not)
’97 (1997 or 1897 or 1797 . . .)
he’s (he is)

An Everyday Problem

noreply@blogger.com (Neal Hock) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 04:01:00 +0000

One of the most common mistakes I see is the misuse of everyday for every day. The former form is an adjective, meaning “commonplace” or “ordinary,” and the latter form is an adverb or a noun, meaning “each day.” Here are a few examples:

“Every day [each day] is special.”

“Bob disliked the grind of everyday [commonplace] life.”

“Johnny gives money to Billy every day [each day].”

“Sally performs everyday [commonplace] tasks every day [each day].”

Resources for Writers

noreply@blogger.com (Neal Hock) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 14:10:00 +0000

There are numerous resources available for writers, editors, and everyday people who write. While many of these resources will provide you with reliable guidance, there are certain ones that are considered “standards” in the publishing industry. The following resources are the ones I use most frequently during my editing process, and they would be helpful additions to any writer’s library.

· A good dictionary. There are a number of good dictionaries available at this time. The dictionary I normally use is Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. Merriam-Webster’s is a trustworthy resource that is well respected in the publishing industry. Other dictionaries that are dependable include The American Heritage College Dictionary, New Oxford American Dictionary, and Random House Webster’s Dictionary. Since the English language is constantly changing, make sure you have the most recent edition of your dictionary of choice.

· A good thesaurus. As with dictionaries, there are a number of good thesauruses available. Roget’s International Thesaurus is widely considered the industry standard. Others include Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Thesaurus and The American Heritage College Thesaurus.

· The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White. This diminutive book could be considered a writer’s bible. I would classify this book as a must-have for anyone who writes. Besides a quality dictionary and dependable thesaurus, The Elements of Style is the most useful resource a writer can own. You’ll gain a solid understanding of grammar and style issues if you regularly consult this guide.

· The Chicago Manual of Style. Nearly every book dealing with grammar or writing style acknowledges that The Chicago Manual of Style is the authoritative reference for the publishing industry. The CMS is a bit pricey, however, and if you use an editor, you probably don’t need to own a copy. But if you want to know the nitty-gritty details about almost every issue related to writing, this book is an invaluable resource.

· Garner’s Modern American Usage. This guide is a treasure trove of information for those who want to gain a deeper understanding of modern American usage. Bryan A. Garner was a contributor to the most recent edition of The Chicago Manual of Style, and his prescriptions for modern usage are valuable to any writer.

These recommendations are not exhaustive, but if you’re serious about your writing, these resources would serve you well. All of them are well respected in the publishing industry. Whether you’re self-publishing, trying to land a deal with a traditional publisher, or just wanting to add to your writing toolbox, these references are valuable tools to have at your disposal.

Interview with Author Jared Sandman

noreply@blogger.com (Neal Hock) — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 14:16:00 +0000

Please take a moment to read the interview I did (I'm the interviewee) with author Jared Sandman for his Blogbuster Tour. Click here.

Regular Grammar and Style Tips Starting Next Week

noreply@blogger.com (Neal Hock) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 18:11:00 +0000

Starting next week, I’m going to use the blog portion of this site to post tips about tricky topics that I’ve come across in my proofreading and editing. I’ll cover a wide range of issues, from the correct usage of lay and lie to the correct forms of idioms such as “couldn’t care less.” I’ll also touch on things such as style issues that seem to be bugaboos for a number of authors. Ideally, I plan to give tidbits of advice three days each week—Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. These won’t be long essays (although I can’t promise there won’t be one occasionally), but mostly quick pieces of advice that I hope you’ll find helpful in your writing endeavors.

I already have a decent list of topics that I plan to discuss, but I want to make sure that what I post here is relevant and helpful. So that’s where you come in. What topics would you like to see covered? Whether you’re a professional writer or not, please take a moment to leave any feedback you may have in the comments section below. It would be tremendously helpful to know the questions you have so I can I tailor this site to better serve your needs.

Look for these new posts starting next Wednesday!

"About HES" Page Updated

noreply@blogger.com (Neal Hock) — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 18:11:00 +0000

I've updated the "About HES" page, so please take a look at it when you get a chance.