It’s Getting Better Every Day

I Need Help With Grammar!

 

It’s Getting Better Every Day

Long ago, when I wrote my début novel, I found my primary aim was getting the story down in a readable form. Next, I went through the obligatory process of reading and editing it several times. Of course, my editing standard reflected my knowledge of English grammar. I thought I remembered enough about my grammar school lessons to pull off a reasonable manuscript. I was wrong!  The whole process took more than a year. Then there was a thirty year gap when I never touched it. My edit last year was to bring it up to date, mainly because we have moved on technologically over that thirty year gap.

Believing it was the best I could do—well, it was true at the time—I self-published my eBook on Kindle last year. Since then, I have lent, given away or sold more than 1,000 copies. Although it has only attracted four reviews on Amazon, and one review plus three ratings on Goodreads, I wasn’t too disappointed. These are all bone fide reviewers. I’ve never showed it to any of my family or friends, nor have I yet sent a freebie in exchange for a review. They were all positive reviews. Only one reviewer had a criticism, helpfully pointing out a continuity error. I promptly corrected this. Even this reviewer had lots of positive things to say. She gave four stars and declared she’d knocked off one star for the error; she would have given it five otherwise.

I now have a blogging page, and I try to include reblogs of helpful editing tips. After reading other authors’ advice pages and professional editing posts, I became acutely aware I was lacking in some of the skills needed for editing. Dutifully, I set about re-educating myself on English grammar via the internet. Further down the learning curve, I discovered a good deal of my new knowledge is American English. Damn!  I had to forget what I’d recently learned and start over again. Now, I make sure I only follow advice from British English professionals.

Recently, a friendly editor sent me an email confirming what I was already thinking: my book still has a few minor punctuation mistakes, and needs another edit. Thanking the editor for her generosity in sending this constructive criticism privately, via email, and not on a public review for all to see, I resolved to remedy this. I would investigate grammar more enthusiastically, and when I know more about the technicalities of writing, I will use an editor, and then re-publish my book. Obviously, I do want “Tissue of Lies” to reach its full potential.

However, I won’t take the current version off the market until the new one is ready. My reasoning for this statement is two-fold. Firstly, just as there are differences in the edited quality of available books, there are also  differences between readers. Not everyone who regularly reads books, recognises every single omitted, or misplaced, punctuation mark. Secondly, I have had some lovely comments about it, and therefore, still believe it’s a perfectly acceptable book to some readers. My existing publication would be for those who believe a captivating story far outweighs a few grammatical errors.

Readers like my five-star reviewer who said, “Fantastic book, very gripping and original, really enjoyed it. It’s a shame it isn’t out in paperback as I’d like to buy it for my mum to read…” Also see the four-star reviews at the end of this post.

Bearing in mind the minor flaws in the current version of “Tissue of Lies,” I’ve decided to indefinitely cut the price of this version to 99 pence or $1.61. However, when the revised version is ready, it will replace the current issue, and the price will increase. So, if you are the type of reader who can forgive a few editing mistakes from a new writer, then I’d recommend you get your copy now. It’s my belief, when the revised edition comes out, you can download it free if you’ve already bought that title from Amazon. Please correct me if I’m wrong on that.

Four Star Reviews for “Tissue of Lies”; see them on Amazon.

“A thriller of a story enclosed in many tangled lies. The author slowly weaves the lies, entangles her main characters within their threads, and reveals the consequences and outcomes with a few twists to her plot. I have already encouraged two more purchases to friends that l know will fully enjoy this story, and would recommend this to anyone who has a fascination with the weight a lie could carry. An enjoyable read.”

“This is a really great story, with many twists and turns, the characters are good and the story flows along nicely, my only gripe knocking off a star for this reason is that towards the end the character Jeanette, all of a sudden became Jean, and it became frustrating… I do not want to seem picky, and would not put anyone off reading the book because of this as it is a good read, it just needs a further proof read.” I have corrected this particular error in the current version available now.

“An enjoyable read with the main characters twisted and tangled within layers of lies. Just as you would lift a paper tissue from its box another appears and so too a fresh lie covers an old one.”

2017 Update – Completed the final editing of Tissue of Lies and changed the book cover. All of the above have been rectified. It has been a long journey but an educational one. I’m sure my readers will enjoy this final version.

 

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