I often come across something that is eternally annoying to me...the apostrophe used to make a word plural. This is NEVER a good idea. To make most English words plural, just add an 's' and be done with it. Some examples: flowers, oceans, cameras, books, words...get the picture? 

If a word ends in 'y' change it to 'ie' before adding the 's'. Like these words: company/companies, fly/flies, kitty/kitties, spy/spies, reality/realities, family/families, party/parties...simple, really. 

One exception to the rule is in the case of proper or family names. If I want to see the whole Murphy family, I would say, "I'm going to see the Murphys today." You never want to change the spelling of someone's name. 

Use the apostrophe to denote possession (Margie's blog) or a contraction (can't be beat!). This will make your apostrophe and your friendly copy editor very happy! 

I hope you are enjoying your summer! Please let me know if you need help with a project, as I am scheduling for the fall now. If you have a rush job, I can fit you in this summer, too!

Looking for more inspiration? Here are 24 Quotes from great writers to help you along!

I'm not trying to be conceited. You need an editor, a copy editor, at the very least, a proofreader. All writers do. I recently read a great article by Dick Margulis. Rather than reiterating his points, I'll just link you here. Dick has been editing for many years, and he really knows what he is talking about. READ HIS ARTICLE AND THEN TELL ME YOU DON'T NEED AN EDITOR!
I've heard it so many times before!

Just because you are self-publishing your book does not mean that it is a good idea to self-edit it. In fact, I would argue that self-editing is ill-advised at best, and a really bad idea at worst. When you have spent months, nay, years, writing, you can read your story in your sleep. Your brain will see your manuscript as complete and perfect every time. But your brain is wrong! That's where I come in and fix all the little things that your brain skims over...Punctuation? Check. Spelling? Check. Subject-verb agreement? Check. Comma splices? Check. Incomplete clauses? Check. Dangling modifiers? Check. Shall I continue?

The best reason I can give you for hiring a second (or third, or fifth) pair of eyes to go through your manuscript is money. It is so much easier to sell books when your readers are not completely distracted by typos and other errors. Everyone can see them, not just grammar queens like me. Would you rather give away 500 free books, just to get reviews that say, "Nice story, but you need an editor," or would you rather sell 500 more books because the freebies introduced a professional writer with an intriguing story to tell? The difference between a professional writer and just a writer is an editor. I'm here when you are ready! (Now I'll let my proofreader look this over before posting.)

I'd like to take a moment to wish all my clients -- past, present, and future -- a very happy and prosperous 2015. I thank you all so much for your business and your confidence in me. It really means a lot. I hope to hear from all of you and some new clients, too, very soon!

Before an author hires an editor, whether developmental or a copy editor, there are a few basic rules she should know. This is an interesting article by Brian Klems about working with your freelance editor. 10 Things Your Freelance Editor Might Not Tell You -- But Should.

I found this great article and had to share! Self-Publishing:Overcoming Fear

I have been a member of the EFA for over a year now, and I love being a part of this group. Just once I need to tell you a little about the Editorial Freelancers Association. This non-profit group helps authors find the right editors for their work. But they do so much more for their members.
There is a terrific discussion list where members can post job opportunities, questions, even rant about grammar. I know that doesn't sound like much fun, but for an editor -- sheer bliss! I even got to go to New York to the Writers' Digest Conference because of the EFA. Their courses aid in my professional development and help me to understand the ever-changing world of editing, but more on that later.

If you are writing, you need an editor. I will just keep telling you this, so please listen. If you don't want to use my services, at least go to the EFA website (link above) and find someone who fits your needs. We all need work, especially at this time of year, and the best way to get it is through networking and personal connections. The EFA helps freelancers find work and connect with each other for professional development throughout the year.

A key element of my work is reading. Whether I choose fiction, journalism, poetry, or something else, I find it is best if I read a lot every day.

Teaching yourself to write can be extremely difficult, however, the first step to good writing is good reading. Learn from what you read and try to read daily. Through the experience of reading both good and not-so-good pieces (Gone with the Wind or the National Enquirer?) you will understand more than just the content. You will learn by example the rules of good grammar, usage, and punctuation.

Right now, I am reading George R.R. Martin's Clash of Kings, the second book in the Game of Thrones series. Although this book is almost a thousand pages long, I am thoroughly enjoying it, both for the story and the exceptional example of writing it represents. I firmly believe that by getting into the habit of reading every day, as well as encouraging our children to do the same, our writing skills will be greatly improved.

This summer, for the first time in my career, I disappointed a client. In my haste to return a "perfect" manuscript for a tight deadline, I missed things that would normally have been caught in the first reading. Don't get me wrong, the deadline was of my own making. I felt very confident that I could meet her needs in a short amount of time. Most of this was because I know her work well, and know what to expect. Now I worry if she will come back with the next book!

Determined to use this as a learning experience, I have decided to "up my game." Part of my strategy involves going back to the old school way of editing on paper. Paper? Yup. Instead of being confident that I can do a thorough edit (or copy edit) on a computer screen, I have been printing the books and going through them line by line on paper. What a difference it has made! I can say my accuracy has improved immensely, and my authors are very pleased. Sure, it takes a little bit longer, but if the results are better, isn't it worth it?

Lesson learned, let's back to work!