WRITERS:  (Scroll down for list of writer helps.)

BEFORE YOU INQUIRE ABOUT COPY EDITING & WRITING CONSULT SERVICES:

Please see the Bay Area Editors Forum site for their Definitions of Editorial Services, a concise guide to different types of editors.  Also study their excellent Stages of Publishing guide.  Rinda's copy editing falls into the "baseline" copy editing category.  This is also called "light" copy editing, but  the term "light" does not mean "quick" or "easy!"  It simply designates precisely what Rinda will be doing for your manuscript when she copy edits. For more indepth editing, you might prefer a manuscript consult from Rinda (see below):

Even if you are not a professional copy editor, you should own a reputable style guide.  It will make your own copy editing and proofing endeavors much, much easier!  For a complete guide to copy editing, Rinda recommends the Chicago Manual of Style, the copy editing "Bible" of the publishing world.  

At her own desk, she prefers The Gregg Reference Manual. This, in her opinion, is easier to use with its spiral binding, although it conforms in all essentials to the "Chicago."  Please let Rinda know if you have any style manual preferences before she edits your work.

Scroll down to the bottom of the page for more writer's helps.  Special "stuff" for young writers hides in Meyowfers Lair!  See the FAQ and NewThings pages for more personal information about Rinda.

IF YOU WANT RINDA TO COPY EDIT YOUR MANUSCRIPT OR TO PROOFREAD YOUR BOOK GALLEYS: (The information below is for writers who wish to use Rinda's copy editing and/or proofreading services.  Publishers:  Please see the main page of RindaCareWords.) Try before you buy:  For first-time clients, Rinda will copy edit the first five pages of your manuscript for FREE!  Rinda loves to try before she buys. She thinks that her writing clients also ought to be able to see, before they buy, exactly what quality of work they will be getting when Rinda copy-edits their words.  For picture book writers with a short manuscript, this is an especially good offer! Rinda will copy edit manuscripts, line by line, of whatever length.  Use standard manuscript format for your work.  You may send a manuscript by e-mail or you may "burn" it  on a disc in a rich text file or in an MS Word document file and then send the disc by snail-mail.  Rinda does not take hand-written copy or manuscripts typed on a typewriter. You may dictate your writing to Rinda, also; please inquire about special fees for that service at rindamybyers@hotmail.com Manuscripts sent to Rinda must have one-inch page margins except for the right-hand margin, which may be set at one-half inch. You must use a readable font, such as Courier, in a 12-point size. Your text must not be justified; it must have a ragged right edge!   Rinda copy edits your manuscript in MS Word, using its marvelous "Track Changes" tool. What you receive back from her will be two copies of your manuscript in an e-mail attachment or burned on disc. One copy will show all of Rinda's changes in red inside your original manuscript.  The second copy will be the clean copy--the final, polished, copy edited work! You will be able to see each change that Rinda has made. Your work will be returned to you in the file format in which you sent it unless otherwise requested. If you send your work to Rinda on disc, put it in a mailing jacket and send it by snail-mail (she will give you her snail-mail address by e-mail).  Please enclose sufficient return postage.  If you do not include sufficient return postage with your work, you will be charged an additional $15 to pay for Rinda's time and the return postage. If you want Rinda to proofread book galleys (which are printed on paper), her fee for this service must be individually negotiated as the amount of text on each page will differ greatly by genre. IF YOU WANT A WRITING CONSULT FROM RINDA: For  writing consults, you may choose from three options: 1.  Diagnosis of  Writing Problems: In this consult, Rinda copy edits your manuscript, but she does more--she diagnoses your copy editing problems for you!  People who want to do more efficient copy editing on their own or who want to improve their writing styles will find this option to be very useful.  You will receive a diagnosis sheet with your copy-edited manuscript.  That sheet will list your prominent writing problems with a short example of each taken from your work along with the solution to each problem.   Here are some common copy editing problems that Rinda might diagnose in your manuscript:  Dangling prepositions, verbs that do not agree, excessive use of useless adverbs, excessively complex and/or illogical sentences, consistent misspellings, and consistently misused punctuation, etc.  Rinda has found that a copy editing diagnosis sheet like this is much more helpful to writers than vaguely stating to them that they have this and that writing problem. When you see specific examples from your own writing and specific solutions for those examples, side-by-side, your copy editing problems are going to disappear! 2.  Analysis of Manuscript Content:   In this option,  Rinda will NOT copy edit your writing. She will, instead, analyze the content of your writing for coherency, clarity, and suitability for an intended audience.  In fiction, this means that Rinda will be studying things like the plot, theme, settings, and characters, and suitability of intended audience for your work.  In nonfiction, this means that Rinda will be studying how well researched your work is, how clearly and logically it is written, and how suitable it is for intended audiences.   You will receive suggestions for helpful improvements as well as questions pinpointing problem areas and a written summary of Rinda's overall opinion on your work, but Rinda, in this consult, will NOT, again, change or rewrite or copy edit your work for you.  You, not Rinda, must decide, based on this consult, whether or not you will make any permanent changes in your work.  If your work is for children or young adults, Rinda will also include suggestions for three possible publishers of  your work as a courtesy.   3.  Formation of a Manuscript Submission Packet:   In this option, Rinda will help you to write and to format a submission package for your manuscript.  Depending on your particular needs, this package could include a good cover or query letter specifically oriented to your intended publisher, a clear, logical, synopsis or outline, as well as preparation of any necessary additional materials.  This consult will also include standard copy editing and formatting of your manuscript.  You should only have to have one of these consults in order to learn everything you need to know to prepare your own submission packets in the future! Writing consults must be individually arranged with Rinda, as fees will vary depending on manuscript lengths and genres. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Rinda's copy-editing services will be most cost-effective to you on your best writing, revised and ready for submission to the best of your ability.  She can also serve as a second opinion on the task of proofreading book galleys before your book is published.  Her services can be a real time saver for you! Most writers are not trained, experienced copy editors.  Many authors like to use the help of professionals such as Rinda to get their writing into good shape in a timely way.  Also, even with the best efforts by publishers, errors in published books often occur.  In getting a manuscript ready for submission and publication, an extra trained eye, such as Rinda's, can be very helpful in making your work the best that it can possibly be. Remember. Your name, not an editor's, will be prominently displayed on your published book!   Rinda does not work as an official acquisitions editor or a developmental editor (also called a content or structural editor) for any publishing house. This means that she will not pressure you in any way to make any permanent changes in your manuscript.  You MUST make all such decisions about your own work.  Rinda also strongly advises that all permanent changes in your work are best done only under the guidance of an acquiring editor (and/or his/her assistant editors) who has already bought or who clearly intends to buy your manuscript!     HELPS FOR WRITERS:  You are free to copy-and-paste RindaRealm link lists into a RTF document or MS Word document for your own use as writing resources.  You may not use Rinda's carefully researched link lists on a commercial website (do your own work for that, please).  Her lists can, however, be freely reproduced on educational and nonprofit sites.   DICTIONARIES/THESAURI:  Prowl through What Is RindaRealm? for word and wordplay links such as dictionaries and thesauri, etc. POETRY HELPS:  Visit the RoseArbor and a rhyme dictionary in What Is RindaRealm? RESEARCH: Do this in Search with search and megasearch engines right on the page!  Also contains essential research portal links. WRITER'S BLOCK:   Twenty Years and Twenty Minutes: Tina Blue's rambling but insightful article on possible causes and cures for writer's block. Imagination Prompter:  Fun!  Lots and lots of prompts. The Brains Behind Writer's Block:  Fascinating article on  Dr. Alice Flaherty's (a neurologist) research into  "inspired hypergraphia!" WRITING CRITIQUE GROUPS: Crisis in the Critique Group:  Sensitive, intelligent, two-part discussion of pros and cons.  By Elizabeth Lyon. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly:  By Holly Lisle.  Detailed and great fun to read from somebody who's been there.  Includes the imaginative and useful "Schrodinger's Petshop Rules of Critiquing." WRITING STYLE: Your questions about punctuation and grammar can be answered by the following:   The Chicago Manual of Style:  Used by many publishing houses.  The Gregg Reference Manual:  Business oriented but conforms to the "Chicago" in all essentials.  You can obtain useful worksheets for this manual. The Elements of Style:  William Strunk, Jr., authored the original version of this slim classic in 1918.  It is free online.  (Note that White's revised version is still under copyright.)  Nice to peruse for an overview of essentials. Dr. Charles Darling's grammar site:  If style manuals seem a bit overwhelming to you, try this non-scary site with its easy-to-use search interface and well-written, short articles on common copy editing problems.  Also includes quizzes, FAQ's, and fun stuff like grammar goofs.  Useful, rich resource for all writers. The Hit Parade of Errors in Style, Grammar, and Punctuation:  If style manuals and grammar websites STILL make you nervous, here's the quick-and-dirty way to help yourself avoid the most glaring copy editing errors!  This list has only thirteen items, but it is a nice treatment option for the truly grammarphobic.  From the University of Toronto. Ask Oxford:  STILL a die-hard grammarphobic?  You can ask grammar and style questions here for free and get a personal answer from an expert!  Clean, simple-to-use interface. OWL:  The Online Writing Lab at Purdue.  You can also ask your copy editing questions here for free here and get an answer from an OWL e-mail tutor.  FREE APA and MLA style guides. FREE writing handouts.  Tons of other free writing resources. Site is in the process of being redesigned.  Start here. Ten Mistakes Writers Can't See:  From "Holt Uncensored." Unfortunately obscure on explaining the old "show, don't tell" writing cliche, a pet peeve of Rinda's, but everything else said here is excellent advice.  Also entertaining! Cliche Finder:  Over 3,000 cliches indexed.  A handy way to find out what NOT to use in your writing. Cliches are also categorized here. WORKING WITH EDITORS: Do Writers Really Need To Have Their Work Edited? by Tracy Habenicht.   How Computers Cause Bad Writing:  A thoughtful discussion about reading, writing, and editing on the computer, by Gerald Grow, Ph.D., professor of journalism. Editor Etiquette:  By Holly Lisle.  An intelligent, enjoyable read.  Goes into all the nitty-gritty stuff that newer writers always want to know.  Slow-loading graphics but a rich site and well worth the slight wait.  See her sidebar (at left) for many other truly informative articles about the writing life with writing FAQ's. ******** FUN STUFF FOR WRITERS: Graphics Organizers:  A portal site for these.  Discover how EASY these can make your writing tasks! Website Building:  Yes, website building is FUN!  This list contains links to freeware and other online resources that you can use to build your own free or low-cost website.  RindaRealm was built by Rinda, a computer tekki dum-dum, with these highly-recommended tools! Wordplay Portal Site:  A huge list of wordplay sites. Writopia Progress Meter: This automatically and visually counts your pages for you as you write! See Rinda's own special page of hand-picked wordplay links here. BOOKS FOR WRITERS:  These fall into Rinda's elite, enjoyable-to-, read-and-reread, beloved favorites category: If You Want to Write, by Brenda Ueland. It's a Bunny-Eat-Bunny World, by Olga Litowinsky. Writing the Natural Way, by Gabriele Rico. Obtain these books and other excellent books about writing here: