#editortips for 07.18.12

@smoulderingsea: You don't need to specify someone nodded their head. You don't nod with anything else. Nodding your butt is called twerking. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: Having a publisher doesn't guarantee they'll take everything you write. You still need to produce quality work that sells. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: I love ellipses for hesitation or dubious pauses, but there's such a thing as too...damned...much, Mr....Shatner. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: Don't CC your query email to multiple emails at the same publisher or agency. You're just spamming people. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: I don't care how long your publishing history is. If you send an unprofessional, badly-written query, it reflects poorly on you. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: It's not "could of/would of." It's "could have/would have." People probably misuse this from hearing could've/would've. #editortips**

@smoulderingsea: The phrase is "case in point," not "case and point." You're giving an example, not giving instructions. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: It's "try to," not "try and." You're attempting to do something, not trying and then doing something else. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: Most people use the phrase "begs the question" incorrectly. It doesn't mean what it sounds like and usually isn't appropriate. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: Most of the time, affect is a verb and effect is a noun. Affecting things caused an effect. He effected a change. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: Don't beat yourself up when writing is difficult. That doesn't mean you're bad at it. Writing is work. You're doing your job. #editortips

@BuddhistonaBus added, "That used to be my biggest pet hate, but has been surpassed by "he drunk his wine"/"I've drank so much coffee"."

About #editortips:
#editortips is a daily rash of tweets from an only partially crazy editor, chock full of random chocolatey morsels about writing, editing, and querying vaguely disguised as helpful pointers and/or really bad humor. I tweet as @smoulderingsea, and try to post with some consistency every weekday at 6PM CST. Weekends optional, depending on if I’m spending yet another Saturday night editing because my social life consists of Netflix and plotting to shave my head so the zombies won't have handles to nom my headmeats. (You guys do realize I'm not really this nuts and this is all tongue-in-cheek, right?)