Codewords Served Batman: They Can Serve Self-Publishers, Too

% of readers think this story is Fact. Add your two cents.

 

Code Words Served Batman: 
They Can Serve Self-Editors, Too 

By Carolyn Howard-Johnson

This article is excerpted from the winningest book in my HowToDoItFrugally Series of Books for Writers. It’s from one of my daring departures, a little one-page essay on editing or…mmm…maybe a two-page diatribe like this one on an aspect of editing no one ever bothers to tell you. My publisher and I came up with the rather sedate title of “The Frugal Editor’s Extra, all twenty of them numbered sequentially. (This one is number six.) They get placed sporadically at the end of selected chapters. Come have some fun with me. 

 

Using codes isn’t—strictly speaking—one of Word’s fancy schmancy editing tools. It is a handy tactic when you prefer not to tackle any of Word’s techy offerings. Codes let Word’s search power work for me when…well, here’s a deep dark secret: Sometimes my memory fails. If you occasionally have the same trouble, you won’t need to spend time researching the computer skills you once knew but have changed since the last time you used them or by asking all the knowledgeable people in your life about a word too arcane for a search engine to find with the synonyms and keywords you can recall. It works because our brains have a way of eventually remembering what we thought we forgot. Here’s how to use codes to designate an elusive word or concept:

·      Use a code name. Anything will do. Author JayCe Crawford couldn’t think of the name for an old-time restaurant called DuPar’s Deli in Glendale, California, a Los Angeles area community. She used Jerry’s as a temporary substitute every time she wanted to refer to the restaurant by name. When she finally remembered, she used the Find Function to replace Jerry’s with Dupar’s. One of the advantages to this method is that if you never recall the name and can’t find it in research, the name you’ve used as code might do just as well.

·      Instead of a code word, you might use a series of XXXs. I prefer this method because it’s easy to see three capital Xs, even without any help from the computer’s find function. It’s also easy to run a Find on three Xs. Your computer won’t waste much if any time landing on possible fixes…even some you don’t need.

·      Of course, the easiest method is to ask your husband…or the girl sitting next to you at Starbucks. One question can save you a whole lot of time. Another advantage: A new friend might turn out to be a fellow writer or avid reader. I’ve found lots of new friends with similar interests this way. Ice cream counters. Even the prescription lines at Rite-Aid.

 Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the multi award-winning author of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. She is also a marketing consultant, editor, and author of the multi award-winning #HowToDoItFrugally Series (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BTXQL27T/ ) of books for writers including “The Frugal Book Promoter” (https://bit.ly/FrugalBookPromoIII), and “The Frugal Editor” both offered in their third editions by Modern History Press. Others in that series are “How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically,” and two booklets, both in their second editions also from Modern History Press. The booklets, “Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers” (https://bit.ly/LastMinuteEditsII) and “Great First Impression Book Proposals” (https://bit.ly/BookProposalsII) are career boosters in mini doses and both make ideal thank you gifts for authors. The one on writing book proposals is also available as an Audio Book. “The Frugal Editor “(https://tinyurl.com/TheFrugalEditor), was recently released in its third edition. It is the winningest book in this series for writers.  

Carolyn also has three frugal books for retailers including one she encourages authors to read because it helps them understand what is needed to convince retailers to host their workshops, presentations, and signings. It is “A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques” (https://bit.ly/RetailersGuide). In addition to this blog, Carolyn helps writers extend the exposure of their favorite reviews at https://TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com. 

She also blogs all things editing–grammar, formatting and more–at “The Frugal, Smart, and Tuned-In Editor” (https://TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com). 

Learn more and follow this Amazon Author Page to get news on her new releases directly from Amazon at https://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfile.

Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the multi award-winning author of the HowToDoItFrugally series of books for authors and retailers. She was named Woman of the Year in Arts and Entertainment by members of the California Legislature and was an instructor for UCLA Extension’s renowned Writers’ Program for nearly a decade. Learn more about her writer’s services at https://CarolynHoward-Johnson.com.