The Editor: Common Mistakes and Where To Find Them

By Katherine Johnson

Photo by Nic McPhee

Editor-in-Chief, Rooster & Pig Publishing

As an editor, I’ve noticed many common mistakes in manuscripts. Most of them are easily fixed with a close review. Spell check is great, but a majority of the mistakes aren’t going to be flagged by spell check because, in essence, they are spelled correctly. Below are some of the more prevalent errors.

1) Then/Than

Then refers to a measure of time. Something happened. Something else happened after it. Example: Rick got in the car. Then he buckled his seat belt.

He got in first. Then he buckled up after getting inside.

Than refers to a comparison. Something is compared to something else, usually in a matter of preference.

Example: I’d rather read a book than watch television.

I’m comparing my desire for reading over the desire to watch TV.

2) Punctuation outside of dialogue quotations

Most publishers use the Chicago Manual of Style (not all, but most). When writing dialogue, there will always be some sort of punctuation within the quotes. Sometimes this is a comma, and other times, it’s a question mark or period. (Or, in very rare cases, an exclamation point, but try to avoid them. Use action words to convey surprise, shock, and other similar emotions.)

Example: Rick said, “I’m going to the store.”

Example: “I’m going to the store,” Rick said.

3) Commas and proper names

When a name is used, sometimes a comma is needed. Always use a comma when the addressing a person by name. However, using the name but not directly addressing the person doesn’t require a comma.

Example: “Liz, come here.”

Example: “I told Liz to come here.”

Example: “Come over, Liz,” Rick said.

Example: “I told Liz to come over,” Rick said.

4) Pronouns

I write same-gender romance, so I completely understand the craziness in dealing with pronouns—especially when writing in third person pov (point-of-view). That said, it’s generally a good habit to stick to one referenced person when using pronouns of the same gender. If you have two men in a 3rd pov story and both men are referenced by pronouns in the same paragraph, it can become very confusing to determine who is who. Rule of thumb: one pronoun-referenced person PER paragraph. All other people of the same gender should be first names.

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Have you made any of these errors in your own writing? What trouble spots do you look for before you send a story out for submission?