Arlene Gale, The Book Writing Business Coach

01/09/2022

11/05/2021

Grammar Gripes - Issue #4 – To S or not to S?

Forward vs forwards:
In American English the proper word use is “forward,” with no S at the end. Bonus: In a sentence the word “forward” works as an adverb, adjective, verb, and noun.

Other similar word use cases to correct without using the S in writing, and correcting verbal word use will set up good writing habits, too:
Toward - not towards
Afterword - not afterwords
Downward – not downwords
Upward – not upwards
Backward – not backwards

Now you know!

Please feel free to share and invite others who are interested in writing and business tips.

For more writing tips and book writing info., go to BookWritingBusiness.com and send me a message on the contact page to talk about your book writing and business development needs.

10/12/2021

"If walls could talk . . . ."
"I'd love to be a fly on those walls."

When I walk past old buildings I think things like this, especially when there is no historical marker and no one seems to know a factual story.

The time of year makes the story change in my mind (October so Halloween). The time of day impacts the story in my imagination, too (day time instead of night time).

As a writer, my creative side and love of both fiction and nonfiction, I can't help but "go there!"

How about you?

09/24/2021

Grammar Gripes – Issue 3: People are who, not that

When referring to a person use the word who, not that. When referring to an object it is referred to as that.

Examples:
Bob is the person who sent me the book. (The word “who” refers to the person Bob, not the book.)

The book that Bob sent me was interesting. (The word “that” refers to the book, the object.)

Those are the people who started the fight that caused the trouble.

Patty was the one who refered me to this makeup artist.

I liked the lip gloss that Susan used on me for the photo shoot.

07/30/2021

Excited to be the keynote speaker for this fabulous fundraising event on Aug 12. If you're in Parker, Tarrant or any of the surrounding counties this is an event not to miss and it supports a great group of women! Tickets still available! See you there!!!!

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05/03/2021

Grammar Gripes – Issue 2: Roll versus Role

I see these words used interchangeably and incorrectly so much that I have to double check myself sometimes. Most often it is the blog, newsletter, or social media writer who isn’t using the correct word. That’s bad, but it’s worse when the wrong words are used in a published book that the author wrote to help build credibility and reach more potential clients.

It becomes more and more obvious when the author doesn’t know the proper word use and the two words are used

interchangeable throughout a single text. My philosophy about these words and others, as well as punctuation: If you’re going to be wrong at least be consistently wrong. Jumping back and forth and back again only draws more attention to the mistake. (I know this is kind of a cynical outlook.)

Roll and role are called homophones. These two words sound alike, but have different meanings.

Roll = There are several proper uses. Roll is a list of names in a group. A roll call is taken at a meeting to count attendance or take a vote. Roll means spinning, moving, or wrapping something or someone. Roll is a small single serving piece of bread. Roll can refer to a noise that is soft, then loud, and then soft again, like rolling thunder.

Role = There is one primary use: The function filled on a professional board or in any job. The part played in a movie or an argument. For example, job descriptions spell out the roles each person plays in the organization from president to secretary.

To end today’s Grammar Gripe:

At the end of a movie they roll the credits to show who played which role.

When you’re on a roll remember that we each have an important role to play in keeping proper word use and grammar correct.

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04/26/2021

Welcome to Issue 1: BWB Grammar Gripe!

Let’s set the foundation and expectations of Grammar Gripes by answering some questions: What are Grammar Gripes? Where did the desire to share these gripes come from? Why does grammar matter?

This should be self-explanatory, but just in case here are some answers: As the Book Writing Business (BWB) coach I write and edit text every single day. Most of the writing is for business development and marketing purposes, but attention to grammar (and spelling) is a 24/7 thing, at least for me it is. Even when I’m “off the clock,” it is annoying to try to relax with family or friends only to have a menu typo jump off the page to mock me.

I’m guilty of slamming on the brakes and circling back in shock to make sure I didn’t mistakenly see typos on a billboard. Billboards cost tens of thousands of dollars a month, and pass through many hands before the final product is published, but no one caught the misspelled word. The same is true of magazine and newsletter articles.

My final grammar gripe for today is about reading posts in social media business pages or groups, business newsletters, paid sponsored advertisements, and websites, for example, with typos and misspelled words. I’m not inhumane and unfeeling. I know in a hurried world that typos happen. I’ve even done a few myself. Typos and grammar mistakes can’t become a constant thing in your writing, making these mistakes become the rule rather than the exception. And readers do notice! When we get in such a hurry that we don’t stop to proofread our stuff before we hit the send button, it is a potentially costly action.

Think about it. The written words you put “out there” are a reflection of who you are and what quality business you run. Consistent grammar mistakes and misspelled words are seen as unprofessional, damaging, and discrediting when viewed by potential clients.

That’s my Grammar Gripe today. Here’s a simple solution. Slow down! There is no earth shattering information that can’t wait for a few minutes or even a day before being released into the world. Write something, proof it, let it sit for a while, and then proof it again. Writing may benefit from being reviewed by fresh eyes, too.

Please feel free to share this post.

04/05/2021

I had an online conversation recently with someone looking for some book release insight. Actually, it was about giving away their first full book for free. This person was planning to take out paid advertising to give away free books. After getting more details and multiple post exchanges I thought I’d share this because so many writers struggle with the “business of book writing.”

The most obvious and troubling issue to me, but maybe not everyone sees this: Don’t pay to give something away for free. Also, don’t wait until the book is ready to published to start thinking about marketing and sales (yes, these are two very different things!). This seems like starting at step 6 in the process. I’m not sure if it was an intentional attempt at a short cut or accidental because they are new to the business and looking to jump start success quickly.

Next point. If you are any kind of professional you don’t give your hard work away for free! It is very troubling that many writers think the only way to become a known author is to give their creative works away for free. Stop it! If you don’t value yourself and your work then why would any potential readers. There’s too much to this topic to cover it all here, but one key point: If you give away a chapter for free from a website, you can build a fan base mailing list to connect and build relationships with. This is very different for many reasons than putting a book on amazon for free where you never know who got it (if anyone) and have no way to communicate with these people in the future either.

The comment was made, “I feel like a decent runner who is trying to run a race with my shoelaces tied together.”

Stop running for a moment! Untie your shoes. Sure, it will slow you down a little bit in the moment, but you will make up the time. This one seemingly small action may be the difference between finishing the race – or not. Don’t rush and push through the hard way just to get to the finish line. Like running a race, writing, publishing, and selling a book requires a person to: Plan. Organize. Create short-term and long-term goals. Pace yourself.

Please feel free to share and invite your connections to like this page for more professional Writing Wisdom to come. https://www.facebook.com/BookWritingBusiness

01/26/2021

The special guest this week on Mindset Meets Mastery is . . .
Me . . . Arlene Gale. Let’s talk about changing our mindsets about dreaming big, making resolutions, setting goals, breaking bad habits and creating new ones. And as if all of this enough let’s also talk about how to apply all of this expertise and insight into writing your book and/or building additional streams of income with your book.

Listen live on one of the 140 stations worldwide or live stream on Tuesday, January 26, on BBS Syndicated Radio at 5:00 PM CT. https://bit.ly/2Mm1VRl