Avoid these common dialogue mistakes.

A lot of writing books warn against using too many dialogue tags (“he said,” “she asked,” and all the various synonyms), as that can come across as lazy or contrived writing. It is seen by some to be the mark of an amateur writer.

Character descriptions can be tricky. You want to give readers some clues about what characters look like without going overboard.

I know I said I was done posting changes. But I just discovered this one and couldn’t help but post it.

A good fiction writer uses settings to create visual images that not only show where the action takes place but also reveal something about the characters and the story. So choose your location for each scene very carefully. The right setting can add depth to characters, set a particular mood, and even serve as an […]

The en dash (see CMS-15 #6.83; CMS-16, #6.78–81; CWMS p. 168) is used for connecting inclusive numbers, including dates, time, or reference numbers. For example: 1981–1982      pages 31–33    Daniel 13:3–15  

Okay, enough CMOS changes. (You can follow The Chicago Manual of Style on Facebook if you want more tips.) Let’s get back to editing tips. This one’s on EM DASHES.

Now that I’ve given you my top 10 changes from The Chicago Manual of Style, I thought I’d throw in one from The Associated Press Stylebook. (In general, CMS is used by US book publishers and popular-style magazines. AP is used for newspapers and journalist-style articles.)