Editing Anything – DIY Tips – Part One

typed paper with red marking and a red pen - for Editing Anything

Start with the Big Stuff! Do your best to distance yourself from the content and to read the manuscript as if you were a stranger reading the material for the first time. Try not to judge it, but to see if it flows smoothly, makes logical transitions, and uses words that will be understood easily by your target audience.
You can make notes, if you need to, but don’t change anything the first time you do a read-through. Otherwise, you could change something in an early section that renders a later section incorrect, and illogical, making an outcome unlikely, irrelevant, or out of character. Continue Reading →

Content Creation

Image of a keyboard and quote, "A professional writer is an amateur who didn't quit." #vss365

While I can teach content creation classes to groups or individuals and for personal or business purposes, this blog is not a class. Instead, it will give you an idea of the broad services that I provide following a free initial consultation to determine needs. Continue Reading →

How to Choose Your Voice (Style) for Any Writing Project

Voice refers to the style, tone, format, and language used in writing projects. What are some options and which should you choose? Continue Reading →

Basic Differences: Critiquing, Copy Editing, Proofreading

This is the “home page” for other pages which describe some of my editing, writing, and reviewing (critiquing) services in detail. Please see the sub-menus for the ones which interest you. Continue Reading →

Write by the Rails – Invitations to Participate: Poems | Short Snippets

Write by the Rails campaign uses poems, quotes, and short (Tweet-size) writings to promote the work of writers in Prince William County, Virginia. Here are some examples in case you want to participate. Continue Reading →

Speeches and PowerPoint Presentations

Nancy giving a PowerPoint training speech in a venue

Question: what do I love to do?     Answer: create persuasive speeches and training or classroom presentations! Question: what is the difference between any other speechwriter and me?     Answer: if Continue Reading →

Homeless People – Unforgettable Characters in a Shelter

feet + hands of homeless man picking up coins #vss365 #prompt #empower

How many of you read Reader’s Digest – that section where people write about their “most unforgettable character?”  I should write one of those articles, ‘cuz I met some truly unforgettable characters while living in the shelter! Let’s meet a few here! Continue Reading →

Choosing Your Voice for a Writing Project

You will save yourself a lot of time, trouble, and wasted paper, if you choose a voice or voices for your project in advance, rather than “winging it. You also are more likely to save time and money with an editor and to appeal more engagingly with your audience….Sometimes, the voice helps the character live and grow inside of your consciousness to the point that it is as if that character were writing the story, not just you! See sample styles in this article.
Continue Reading →

Basic Computer Use – I Teach Beginners

There still are many people who have been too afraid of computers to try using them. They miss out on being able to “talk” and share photos or videos with distant friends and family. Folks may want to write their memoirs for their descendants. Some may need to contest a bill or invite people to an event. Budding entrepreneurs might even want to start a business!  It seems like it is time to teach them about Basic Computer Use. I can do that. Continue Reading →

Did Nancy Get Lost? Update!

How many of you have wondered, “Did Nancy Get Lost?”  Update! Thanks for you concern.  The update answer is, “No.” On the other hand, I FELT lost, when my computers Continue Reading →