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Home :: SCP Style Sheet

SCP Style Sheet

Style Sheet

This may change and additions may be made as questions arise. Until a new Style Sheet is issued, this is the one we will use. Please note that this is an internal, in-house, document and is not to be shared with anyone outside of Secret Cravings Publishing.

Editorial changes/comments are to be made using Track Changes/Comment boxes. This makes it easy for the author to see where the changes must be made. Don’t be shy to make positive comments too.

The author will work directly with the editor. When everyone is satisfied that the work is ready, the editor will send the final manuscript to the Editorial Director at SCP for proofreading, converting and download formatting.

FORMATTING:

Cleanup:

Find and replace all double spaces after a period with a single space. Go to EDIT, click on FIND, and click on REPLACE. In the find what section, hit the space bar twice. In the replace with section, hit the space bar once. Hit replace all. You may need to continue to hit the replace all button numerous times until the pop-up box comes up showing “zero”.

Find and replace the space that is sometimes added after the period ending a paragraph but before hitting enter. Go to EDIT, click on FIND, and click on REPLACE. In the find what section, type ^p (hit the space bar 1 time before the “^p” but not after). In the replace with section, ^p (do Not hit the space bar before or after). Hit replace all. You may need to continue to hit the replace all button numerous times until the pop-up box comes up showing “zero”.

Find and replace the space that is sometimes added before typing the next paragraph. Go to EDIT, click on FIND, and click on REPLACE. In the find what section, type ^p (hit the space bar 1 time after the “p”). In the replace with section, ^p (do Not hit the space bar before or after). Hit replace all. You may need to continue to hit the replace all button numerous times until the pop-up box comes up showing “zero”.

Find and replace any forced line space. Go to EDIT, click on FIND, and click on REPLACE. In the find what section, ^l (do Not hit space bar before or after). In the replace with section, ^p (do Not hit space bar before or after). Hit replace all. You may need to continue to hit the replace all button numerous times until the pop-up box comes up showing “zero”.

Remove any set tabs. In the find what section, ^t (do Not hit space bar before or after). In the replace with section, enter nothing at all (do Not hit space bar at all, leave empty). Hit replace all. You may need to continue to hit the replace all button numerous times until the pop-up box comes up showing “zero.”

Font: 12 – Times New Roman

Align: Justified

Indent: 0.3

Spacing: 1.5 (with no additional spaces between paragraphs)

Margins: 1 inch all around

Header/Footer: NONE

Example of a paragraph formatting box:

First Page: Author Information as follows:

Title (of manuscript)

Name (of author)

Address

Telephone Number

Email Address

Scene Breaks: * * * * (at True Center – see below for explanation) Single line spacing before and after the scene break.

Short passing of time break: * * * * (but would rather you do a smooth transition into the time change instead of an abrupt switch.)

True Center: Highlight item to be centered, go to FORMAT, hit PARAGRAPH, and under “Indentation” section – open the drop down box and select NONE. Your highlighted text will move to the far left margin. Leave your text highlighted and hit the CENTER button. This will adjust your highlighted text to the exact (or true) center of your page, between the left and right margins. Otherwise, your text will be centered between your left indent mark (0.3) and the right margin.

True Left Margin: Same as True Center above, minus hitting the “center” button.

Chapter Headers: Font 18, Bold, Centered (True Center).

There should be three line spaces before the Chapter Header and before the beginning paragraph.

Chapters are to start on a fresh page, regardless of how many sentences are on the previous page.

Following the page break, there should be three single line spaces before the chapter header for the next chapter.

Chapter lengths: Chapters should be at least ten to fifteen pages. If they are any shorter than that, you will have to combine chapters or lengthen them during edits. If the book is to go to print the short four to five page chapters will be two to three pages once it’s formatted for print.

Letters, Diary or Journal Entries, Newspapers, Notes, Emails, etc.:

Hit enter once before and once after the reference.

These are aligned differently; go to Format (on toolbar), Paragraph, (under General section / alignment) drop box, Justified. Then under Indentation section; left = .5, right = .5, special = hanging.

These should all be italicized.

The End: 12 Font, Bold, Centered (True Center), All Caps.

Miscellaneous:

Nothing bolded in body of manuscript (only Chapter Headers and THE END)

Nothing underlined. Replace any underscores with italics but use sparingly.

Double check that Word is using the correct dictionary, ie: US, Australian, UK, etc.

Make sure that Track Changes is turned on.

No all caps, unless stating an actual sign seen by character or quoting newspapers/flyers etc., (She searched for the big, red sign, ‘AL’s AUTO.’)

NUMBERS:

Spell out in Word in the following instances:

Weight (one hundred twenty pounds)

Money (five dollars and thirty-four cents)

Numbers in dialogue (The score was ten to one)

Whole numbers and any number beginning a sentence

Age (three years old, forty-two years old – Not 3 years old)

Height (five feet eight inches tall – Not 5’ 8” or 5 feet 8 inches)

Simple fractions are to be spelled out (two-thirds, one-quarter – Not ¼)

Years, if they begin a sentence (“Two thousand eleven was an amazing year for me.)

Temperature (The temperature dropped ten degrees… or … it’s thirty degrees outside – Not 30 degrees or 30°)

Time of day if it’s spoken (I saw him at two-fifteen and again at seven o’clock p.m.). However, if the narrative tells us that the character is looking at a clock, use digits to literally show what the character saw/what the clock read (She glanced at her bedside clock, and the red numbers glared 4:35 – be sure Not to use a.m. or p.m., as the clock would not reflect that and the manuscript should already have let the reader know if it was a.m. or p.m.)

NOTE: *Use a hyphen to connect any word ending in “y” to another word (forty-five).

Do not use commas between other separate words that are a part of one number (One hundred thousand eight hundred seventy-three, Not one hundred thousand, eight hundred, and seventy-three)

Digits are used in the following instances:

Dates (May 25, 2011)

Decades (the 1960s or the ‘60s)

Years (2011) unless they begin a sentence

Whole numbers plus fractions (8-1/2 inches)

Odd forms of measurement (.003 mm or .6 inches)

Acts, scenes, bills (as in plays and politics) are digits

Addresses (Mrs. John Doe; 505 N. Wellington; Albuquerque, NM)

Numbers referencing percentages (but the word percent is spelled out – no symbol)

DATELINES: A dateline is a line of text, usually at the beginning of a chapter but sometimes in the middle of the chapter, that denotes setting and/or date (Malta, Montana, 1923). These should be at True Left Margin and in italics.

PUNCTUATION: All punctuation goes inside the quotation marks.

General: Do not use double punctuation (!? or !!). Use one or the other.

Do not overuse exclamation points. Use only when someone is shouting, angry, or excited, and that really shouldn’t happen that often. Raising of a voice does not require an exclamation point where shouting/screaming would.

Capitalization:

Always Capitalize:

Song/Book Titles

Months (May, November)

Days of the week (Monday)

Holidays (Christmas, Easter)

Clubs (Girl Scouts of America)

Historical periods of time (Ice Age)

Proper nouns (Golden Gate Bridge)

Trademarks (Nabisco, Dodge, Covergirl)

Historical events (Battle of Little Big Horn)

Words derived from a proper noun (Marxism)

Earth, Heaven, or Hell, if implying or referring to the place.

Organizations (Second Harvest Food Bank of the Inland Northwest)

Title of publications (Declaration of Independence, Bible, Wall Street Journal, etc.)

References to God (Oh my God! Good Lord, are you serious? Do you want to meet your Maker?)

Compass directions if using as a proper noun (We drove through the Pacific Northwest… or I live in North Austin)

Titles when preceding a name (President Andrew, Captain Jones) or when directly addressed (Hello, Captain Kirk or Yes, Captain). Otherwise, use lowercase (ie: I told the president I voted)

Proper names of people, things, companies (Microsoft), religions (Christianity), languages (English/Spanish), places (Disneyland, Fort Knox), specific buildings (Seattle Space Needle), rivers (Nile), mountains (Cascade), and other geographic locations (Europe, Asia, Texas)

Relationship words (Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, etc.) if not preceded by a pronoun and/or used in direct addressing, the word is considered a proper name and therefore, capitalized The basic rule is... If you can insert their given name, Joan or David, for example, into the sentence, you capitalize it, because you would capitalize their given name if it were used. If you cannot use (properly) their given name in the sentence, you do not capitalize mom or dad. For example: "My mom and my dad grounded me for a week because I was bad." In this instance you would not capitalize mom and dad because inserting their given names, Joan and David, would not be correct. For example: "My Joan and my David grounded me for a week because I was bad," is not a correct sentence and thus when using mom and dad in that instance you would not capitalize them.

Do NOT Capitalize:

Seasons

Musical instruments

Name of careers (My mom is a lawyer, doctor, accountant)

A, as, and, the, of, by, in titles unless the first word of the title

Dances (tango, waltz) unless preceded by proper adjective (Mexican hat dance)

School subjects, unless a language (English) or including a number (Science 101)

Plants (pine tree, pansies) unless preceded by proper adjective (Kentucky blue grass)

Compass directions when referencing direction (Go north on Maple Street… or I live north of the city)

Terms of endearment, unless at the beginning of a sentence (Sweetie, I told you I would take care of that)

Animals (cat, dog, horse) unless preceded by proper adjective (Siamese cat, Appaloosa horse, German shepherd)

Generic references to God(s) (She’s considered a goddess amongst the earth people… or The god of the sea is Poseidon)

Games (checkers, blackjack) unless trademarked/commercial (Monopoly, Pictionary) or preceded by proper adjective (Chinese checkers)

Relationship words (Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, etc.): if the relationship title is preceded by a pronoun it is Not capitalized (I don’t know how my mom would like that)

Respect references/labels, unless at the beginning of a sentence (sir, mister, ma’am, miss, etc. (ie: yes, sir, I will do that right away… I’m sorry, miss, what did you say your name was?)

Colon: Colons are to be avoided and can be replaced by periods or em dashes

Comma: Commas are used mainly to provide pauses in thought and to make long sentences understandable.

Use comma:

Before a dialogue tag (“It’s cold outside,” she said)

To separate every word, clause, or phrase in a series (Her toes are painted blue, pink, and yellow)

When leading into a direct quote (The Krem 2 news headline was, The accident was caused by a deer in the road.)

Before and after a name if that person is being directly addressed (Hey, Jason, how was your day?)

Commas and participial phrases:

We find participial phrases in three positions.

Participial phrases can come before a main clause (initial position), after a noun phrase they are modifying (middle position), or after a main clause (final position).

What kind of punctuation do we need to use when participial phrases occur in different positions?

· When the participial phrase comes before a main clause, it is followed by a comma.

· When the participial phrase follows a main clause, a comma must come before the participial phrase.

· When the participial phrase occurs in mid-sentence position, we use two commas. One comma comes before the participial phrase and the other comes after it.

Do Not use a comma:

Before the word too at the end of a sentence.

With action tags/any tag that cannot convey speech (laughed, choked, sighed, hiccupped, etc.) a period should separate speech from action tags.

Do not use before and after a name if that person is being talked about, unless the name is being used as additional detail/information (My daughter, Tina, loves those cars.)

Avoid Comma Splices:

A comma splice is when a comma is placed where a period, semicolon, or coordinating conjunction and comma is needed.

Example of a comma splice:

I will by an apple, I want an orange.

There are two independent clauses or sentences in this run on sentence. I will buy an apple could be a sentence. And, I think I want an orange could be a sentence.

A sentence needs a subject and verb. Also, it should be a complete thought. In the first sentence, I is the subject, will buy is the verb (will is the helping verb and buy is the main verb), and the sentence is a complete thought. After the comma, I is the subject, want is the verb, and the sentence is a complete thought.

How to fix a comma splice:

You have three options to fix this comma splice.

· Use a period: I will buy an apple. I want an orange.

· Use a semicolon: I will buy an apple; I want an orange. (Remember to use semicolons sparingly in your manuscripts.)

· Use a coordinating conjunction and a comma: I will buy an apple, but I want an orange.

Coordinating conjunctions include for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so.

There is more on coordinating conjunctions later in the guide.

Ellipses: Used to express halting speech (Put…me…down…now!), to indicate broken speech (But…but…why would you do that?), and in trailing off speech or thought (Hold on, weren’t you on your way to…where was that place?)

Rules:

There are no spaces before or after ellipses.

Always complete the last word before an ellipse.

Ellipses appear mostly in dialogue and seldom in narrative.

Following ellipses with a question mark or exclamation point is acceptable.

There is no comma after ellipses, not even before a tag line (“But…” she said)

Ellipses are three dots/periods together, never four, not even if at the end of a sentence.

Ctrl, alt, . will give you a proper ellipsis.

Ellipses are commonly overused and tend to break up a story when abused. Try to use these sparingly, when necessary to get a point/feeling across.

Em Dash: Used to replace commas, semicolons, colons, and parentheses to indicate added emphasis, an interruption, cut off dialogue, or abrupt change of thought (You are the friend—the only friend—who offered to help me. What the hell is—)

Rules:

Complete the last word before the em dash

No additional punctuation

These are two dashes/hyphens with no spaces before or after

Hyphen: (aka en dash)

Used to indicate stuttered speech (Th-the c-car sp-sp-spun out of c-c-control); referencing periods of time (January-June, noon-two o’clock p.m.); linking prefixes (pre-war) and connecting words/numbers (see cheat sheet attached for examples).

Hyphens do not have a space before or after them.

Initials: When using initials for titles, departments, agencies, ranks, etc., you should spell out the actual title in the first reference, then use initials thereafter (Traci works for the Central Intelligence Agency –next reference to her employer- “Nice to meet you. I’m Agent Hall with the CIA”)

No periods separate initials in this case.

Italics:

Use:

Sounds (swoosh, bang, pang, kaboom, etc.)

Telepathic communication and with no quotation marks

Foreign words, unless commonly used enough to appear in the dictionary (déjà vu, tortilla, cappuccino, etc.)

Emphasized words and with no quotation marks. However, if the emphasized word is in thought and already italicized then the italics should be removed from that word.

All direct/inner thought, flashbacks, and dreams with No quotation marks or tags (he/she thought, wondered, etc.) The reader understands that it’s a character’s thought and tags are unnecessary. Thoughts are always first-person, present tense.

Parentheses: Unless non-fiction, do not use parentheses. They are easily replaced by em

dashes.

Possessives: For possession with singular names, use ’s (Tim’s)

For family names, use s’ (the Smiths’ farm or the Phillips’ house)

Quotations:

Rules:

Single quotation marks for quotes within dialogue

All punctuation goes inside of the quotation marks

Double quotation marks for opening and closing of dialogue.

Punctuation goes after single quote but before double quotes (“He said to me ‘I don’t want to have a birthday party’.”

If at the beginning of a sentence, double quotes and single quote marks go together (“‘Don’t cry,’ were his exact words to me.”)

Running dialogue (goes two or more paragraphs) requires opening quotation marks in first paragraph, no closing quotation marks, and opening and closing quotation marks for second/final paragraph.

Semicolon: Semicolons should be used to separate items in a very long and complex series. Otherwise, semicolons and colons are not used much in fiction nowadays and should be replaced with em dashes, commas, or periods whenever possible.

Trademarks:

Rules:

Always italicize

Always capitalize

Be sure to state credit: She danced around the living room while singing Sara Evan’s, A Little Bit Stronger.

Make sure to use correctly. You cannot convert them to a verb or alter their spelling in any way.

You can reference a Trademark; brand, song/book title, etc., but you may not quote song lyrics without written consent or the song has no copyright. The same rule applies to poetry.

If you do use a Trademark name, you must leave an acknowledgment. Here is one to use:

The author acknowledges the trademark status and the following trademark owners mentioned in this work of fiction.

(list trademarks)

Sentence Structure: Try to keep sentence length to 3 lines when able and paragraph length to 10 lines or less, if possible.

GRAMMAR:

Active/Passive Voice:

These show whether the subject acts (active voice) or is acted on (passive voice); whether the subject performs the act or receives the action (Passive – The tree branch was broken by the storm. Active – The storm broke the tree branch).

Active voice is normally the best choice. Sentences in the active voice are stronger and more to the point. There are, however, situations when you will want to use the passive voice as in instances when you don’t know who performed the action, or when you want to emphasize the action or the object, but you don’t care who did it.

Conjunctions: Conjunctions are words that connect and establish specific logical relationships between sentences or sentence elements. There are four types of conjunctions: Coordinate; correlative; subordinate; and adverbial.

Coordinate conjunctions include: and, but, for, so, or, nor, and yet. Each of these establishes a specific relationship between the words it joins:

Two words: pie or cake

Two phrases: in the car or on the bike

Two independent clauses: You must study, or you won’t learn grammar.

Note: Then and Now are not coordinate conjunctions so punctuation does not apply.

Correlative conjunctions include: both/and, not only/but also, either/or, neither/nor, and whether/or and are always used in pairs to connect words, phrases, or clauses of equal grammatical value. Correct use of these conjunctions is critical in achieving parallelism in sentence structure. Make sure that the grammatical structure following the second half of the pair is the same as that following the first half.

You must decide either to fly or to drive.

Contrary to my plans, I spent much of my vacation both correcting papers and contacting students.

I hope not only that you will attend the play, but also that you will stay for the cast party afterwards.

Subordinating conjunctions come at the beginning of a Subordinate (or Dependent) clause and establishes the relationship between the dependent clause and the rest of the sentence. They also turn the clause into something that depends on the rest of the sentence for its meaning.

Subordinate conjunction: unless

Subordinate clause: unless you are allergic.

Independent clause: I will bring my cat.

Example: I will bring my cat unless you are allergic.

Subordinating conjunctions join an independent clause (contains both a subject and a verb and can act as a complete sentence) and a dependent clause (also contains a subject and a verb, but is not a complete sentence). Basically, dependent clauses cannot stand alone; they need to be joined to an independent clause. Subordinating conjunctions do just that. The word subordinate (adjective) means something of lesser or unequal value, which also gives you a clue about its position in a sentence in relation to an independent clause.

They went running (independent clause), although it was very hot (dependent clause).

We decided to take a couple of French classes this summer (independent clause), since we could not go away on vacation (dependent clause).

Monica went to law school in New York, while her brother went to law school in California.

Subordinating conjunctions always come at the beginning of a dependent clause. It’s important to note, however, that dependent clauses can sometimes (not always) come before an independent clause. We could write the above sentences this way:

Although it was very hot, they went running.

Since we could not go away on vacation (dependent clause), we decided to take a couple of French classes this summer (independent clause).

While her brother went to law school in California, Monica went to law school in California.

While coordinating conjunctions join parts of sentence that are similar, subordinating conjunctions often show a contrasting or unequal relationship.

Notice that some of the subordinating conjunctions in the table below — after, before, since — are also prepositions, but as subordinators they are being used to introduce a clause and to subordinate the following clause to the independent element in the sentence.

Common Subordinating Conjunctions

after if though

although if only till

as in order that unless

as if now that until

as long as once when

as though rather than whenever

because since where

before so that whereas

even if than wherever

even though that while

Adverbial conjunctions indicate a relationship between sentences and independent clauses. When a conjunctive adverb appears at the beginning or in the middle of an independent clause, it is usually set off by commas. When a conjunctive adverb introduces a second clause within a sentence, a semicolon precedes it and a comma follows it.

Carrot cake is very tasty. Moreover, the carrots make it a "healthy" choice for dessert.

I realize you were busy. It is unfortunate, however, that you missed that phone call.

The hurricane has lessened in intensity; nevertheless, we are evacuating in an hour.

Here is a chart of the transitional devices (also called conjunctive adverbs or adverbial conjunctions) accompanied with a simplified definition of function (note that some devices appear with more than one definition):

again, also, and, and then, besides, equally important,

Addition finally, first, further, furthermore, in addition, in the

first place, last, moreover, next, second, still, too

comparison also, in the same way, likewise, similarly

concession granted, naturally, of course

although, and yet, at the same time, but at the same

time, despite that, even so, even though, for all that,

contrast however, in contrast, in spite of, instead, nevertheless,

notwithstanding, on the contrary, on the other hand,

otherwise, regardless, still, though, yet

emphasis certainly, indeed, in fact, of course

after all, as an illustration, even, for example, for

example or instance, in conclusion, indeed, in fact, in other words,

illustration in short, it is true, of course, namely, specifically, that is,

to illustrate, thus, truly

all in all, altogether, as has been said, finally, in brief, in

summary conclusion, in other words, in particular, in short, in simpler

terms, in summary, on the whole, that is, therefore, to put it

differently, to summarize

after a while, afterward, again, also, and then, as long as,

at last, at length, at that time, before, besides, earlier, eventually,

time sequence finally, formerly, further, furthermore, in addition, in the first

place, in the past, last, lately, meanwhile, moreover, next, now,

presently, second, shortly, simultaneously, since, so far, soon, still, subsequently, then, thereafter, too, until, until now, when

Parenthetical Clauses add to the information in the rest of the sentence, remaining in close logical and syntactic relation, and must be bracketed by commas. Information more remote in relation to the sentence are set off by em dashes or parentheses.

The Hooligan Report was, to say the least, a bombshell.

Wilcox, it was believed, turned the entire affair over to his partner.

Bardston—he is to be remembered for his outspokenness in the Wainscot affair—asked for permission to address the assembly.

Who vs. Whom

Use the he/him method to decide which word is correct.
he/she = who
him/her = whom

Examples:

Who/Whom wrote the letter?
She wrote the book. Therefore, who is correct.

For who/whom should I vote?
Should I vote for her? Therefore, whom is correct.

We all know who/whom wrote that story.
This sentence contains two clauses: We all know and who/whom wrote that story. We are interested in the second clause because it contains the who/whom. He wrote that story. Therefore, who is correct.

We want to know on who/whom the police were called.
This sentence contains two clauses: We want to know and the police were called on who/whom. Again, we are interested in the second clause because it contains the who/whom. The police were called on him. Therefore, whom is correct.

Who vs. That vs. Which

Rule 1

Who refers to people. That and which refer to groups or things.

Examples:
Jane is the one who rescued the cat.
Luke is on the team that won first place.
She belongs to an organization that specializes in saving endangered species.

Rule 2

That introduces essential clauses while which introduces nonessential clauses.

Examples:
I do not trust products that claim "all natural ingredients" because this phrase can mean almost anything.
We would not know which products were being discussed without the that clause.
The product claiming "all natural ingredients," which appeared in the Sunday newspaper, is on sale.
The product is already identified. Therefore, which begins a nonessential clause.

NOTE: Essential clauses do not have commas surrounding them while nonessential clauses are surrounded by commas.

Rule 3

If this, that, these, or those has already introduced an essential clause, you may use which to introduce the next clause, whether it is essential or nonessential.

Examples:
That is a decision which you must live with for the rest of your life.
Those ideas, which we've discussed thoroughly enough, do not need to be addressed again.

NOTE: Often, you can streamline your sentence by leaving out which.

Example:
That is a decision which you must live with for the rest of your life.

Better:
That is a decision you must live with for the rest of your life.

http://www.grammarbook.com for more grammar rules.

http://www.kentlaw.edu/academics/lrw/grinker/LwtaThat_Versus_Which.htm

CONTENT:

POV/Head-Hopping:

Head-hopping is moving from one character’s viewpoint to another’s while in the same scene. If you are in “his” point of view, you cannot have him hearing her thoughts, only his own. He cannot know what “she” thinks, does, and sees, unless he witnesses it, or she tells him about it. His POV can only reveal what he can: see with his eyes, sense with his various senses, read, or already knows.

Only the POV character can tell their thoughts, feelings, knowledge, etc.

Constantly shifting POVs can irritate the reader if you only do it for a span of a sentence or paragraph. If you must shift POVs, create a scene break, and continue with that character’s POV for a while. Scene breaks need to be limited. Jumping between characters too much can keep your reader from “bonding” with a character. One POV per scene is good. Keeping one POV for at least 750-1500 words would be best, if you can’t keep them by chapters.

Remember, the person with the POV can only assume, but can’t know for sure, unless your character is a mind-reader.

Head-hopping jerks a reader from one character’s POV to another and disrupts the flow of your story. It pulls the reader from the story, and they don’t like that.

Usually, everything in a particular scene is observed through the eyes of only one character.

Dialogue Tags:

If the dialogue already shows/conveys screaming (“You idiot!”) then it is not necessary to add a tag line of she screamed.

Whenever possible, substitute characterization, emotion, story progression, or body language/attribute/action tags in place of dialogue tags.

Try avoiding as many dialogue tags as possible. If there are two people in a scene, and if it’s clear who is speaking, most dialogue tags are not necessary and should be left out.

Acceptable dialogue tags:

accused

acknowledged

admitted

agreed

answered

argued

asked

barked

begged

bellowed

blustered

bragged

called

complained

confessed

cried

demanded

denied

growled

hinted

hissed

howled

inquired

interrupted

lied

mumbled

murmured

muttered

nagged

pleaded

promised

purred

questioned

replied

requested

retorted

roared

said

sang

screamed

screeched

shouted

snarled

sobbed

threatened

told

wailed

warned

whimpered

whined

whispered

yelled

Unacceptable dialogue tags: yawned, smiled, nodded, laughed, grinned, sighed, or any other physical movement.

Action tag example:

“You idiot!” She slammed the door behind her.

Mark untied the restraints from her wrists. “I’ll hunt that bastard down if it’s the last thing I do.”

Cursing in your story:

Curse words should be kept to internal thought and dialogue where it will have more punch.

MISCELLANEOUS REMINDERS:

*Make sure sentences are clear, make sense (eyes don’t roam the streets or fall to a woman’s cleavage, gazes do. Otherwise, you are saying your characters eyes have jumped out of their sockets and are roaming the streets aimlessly or rolling around in a woman’s cleavage)

*Watch POV, only one per scene. If there is a short line or two of text in the wrong POV, it can easily be fixed by adding words like: as, seemingly, appeared, looked, apparent, apparently, obviously, obvious, etc. (He was surprised – He looked surprised, James felt sick – It was obvious to Tom that James felt sick). But if the text in the wrong POV is a paragraph or more long, highlight for the author to look at and fix accordingly. Povs in a story should be kept to 3 or 4 separate characters, too many can confuse the reader as to who the story is about and what the actual story is.

*Pay attention to dialogue and that each speaker’s dialogue is separate in paragraphs. Two characters should never speak in the same paragraph.

*Use active/present tense words instead of passive/past tense words (more ‘ing words than ‘ed words)

*Make passive voice an active wherever you can. Try to eliminate as many was, has been, had been, will be, being, began to, felt as if, etc. as possible.

*Take out chit-chat, wording that doesn’t really move the story along or grow your characters.

*No underlines, bolding, or all caps. Use italics for emphasis.

*If unsure of a word, spelling, sentence structure, etc., use the internet, research the information. Do not rely solely on Word’s spelling and grammar check. Grammarbook.com; Wikipedia.com; Merriam-webster.com; thesaurus.com; dictionary.com, etc. are great sites to use.

*If author is from another country, make sure spelling is American spelling, but do not change the author’s style or flavor otherwise.

*Make notes. Make sure manuscript is consistent throughout. (Jane becomes Jan and her green eyes are now brown by the end of the story. Also, if Mary tosses her hat on the ground and a paragraph later, she adjusts it on her head without stating that she ever picked it up, this needs corrected.)

*Keep a list of Trademarks referenced in manuscript.

*Watch for excessive/overuse/repetition of anything, including em dashes, ellipses, stuttering, tags, words/phrases/descriptions, talking in circles, etc.

*Watch for constant repetition of characters’ names, particularly during dialogue. When speaking to each other, we rarely call each other by name, especially more than once or twice. If there are only two people in a scene—one male and one female—he/him and she/her are sufficient, less distracting, and won’t slow down the reader.

*Sentence fragments should only be used for effect and in dialogue or direct thoughts.

*Point out plot weaknesses, farfetched/outrageous/unbelievable scenes/scenarios, incorrect facts/references, scenes and paragraphs that come across as mundane/boring, etc.

*Correct incorrect facts/references. This is fiction; however, you are trying to be as realistic as possible. You cannot have your character living in a 3 story home, on the beach, in south Florida and hiding in a basement from a hurricane. South Florida doesn’t have basements in 3 story homes built on the beach. South Florida is at (and in some cases, below) sea level, therefore, beach homes there cannot be built with basements, according to state code.

*Just so feathers aren’t being ruffled anywhere, fanfic references are to be avoided from now on. Even though it isn’t copyrighted material, some might still get miffed if their material is used. We’d like to avoid that issue.

*Using senses to describe an action scene, including love scenes, strengthens the story. Look at the scene and if it sounds weak, suggest sensory narration.

*Make sure that certain goals, motivation, and conflict/tension are present in every story and resolved in it’s entirety by the end of the story. The exception to this is when you are writing a series, and even then, it’s iffy.

*Characters should have a clearly defined role with motivation and purpose to move the story forward.

*Let author know if a sex scene needs more passion and/or sounds too clinical.

*Suggest revisions to character if they do not come off well. (No shrewish behavior from the heroine, unless it’s very clear she’s going to change by the end of the story.)

*Remember, this book is not your book or necessarily how you would write it. Allow the author’s voice to come through, loud and clear, while making it the best read you can.

WORDING:

Weak/Over-used Words: generally considered passive, weak, or over-used and should be taken out or replaced with other words whenever possible.

a bit a little a lot about actually

almost already appear as approximately

basically been began begin begun

being caused close to completely could

essentially even eventually exactly extremely

fairly finally get got had

half has have here highly

in into just just then kind of

knew knowing large like momentarily

mostly must nearly notice now

only out practically pretty quite

rather really seem(s) seen simply

slightly small so somehow something

sometime somewhat sort of start such

suddenly that then there therefore

thing to to be truly unbeknownst

utterly very was watch were

within would all names

Filler Words: similar to weak/over-used words. Eliminate and/or minimize as many filler words as possible. These are like empty calories.

that really while all had

his to from so little

which but and he by

into well then about was

the she for of just

as very were her they

in out up down it

Stall Phrases: Avoid stall phrases that slow down the action for no good reason.

attempted to going to reached for

seemed to started to thinking about

tried to wanted to

Be cautious of phrases starting with:

about to began to begin to begun to

could start to would

*In most cases, it’s better to have your character “do” instead of the above.

Commonly Misused Words and Phrases:

Accept: willingly receive something (accept a present)

Except: exclude something (I’ll take all of those books except the one with the red cover)

Advice: opinion, recommendation, suggestion

Advise: to Give advice, instruct, counsel, warn, notify.

Allude: refer to something indirectly or by suggestion. Hint, imply, insinuate, refer to.

Elude: escape, evade, avoid, shake off a pursuer.

Ambiguous: vague, unclear, hesitant.

Ambivalent: torn between opposing feelings, beliefs, views, motivations

Apart: separate, in two or more pieces (she pulled apart her sandwich to pick off the onions)

A part: an object or piece thereof (he ate a part of his orange)

Affect: is to influence someone

Effect: is a consequence

*The way you affect someone can have an effect on them.

Alright: considered non-standard – it should be all right.

Assure: to make secure, remove doubt, guarantee, promise, to give confidence.

Ensure: make certain/sure of a future event of condition (alternate spelling of insure)

Insure: provide compensation if a specified risk occurs

Capitol: a building, usually one that houses the legislative branch of a government,

and often one located in a capital city.

Capital: finances (capital gains), punctuation (begin a sentence with a capital letter, a

city where the capitol is located (capital city), and punishable by death (capital punishment.

Compare to: noticing similarities only

Compare with: noticing similarities and differences, both

Complement: (now rare) is something (or someone) that completes; the consummation;

fulfillment; totality; the full amount or number which completes something.

Compliment: praise, congratulations, encouragement, stating something nice.

Could of/Should of/Would of: do not use. The proper usage is could have, could’ve, should have, should’ve, would have, would’ve.

Cum: male semen, the substance

Come: move, arrive, appear, an action (he was about to come)

Desert: a hot, dry patch of sand.

Dessert: a sweet, fatty treat you have at the end of a meal

Disc: magnetic media device, music cd, dvd.

Disk: flat, round/circular object: frisbee, ufo, dinner plate.

*technically, both of these spellings are alternate spellings for each other and both refer to flat, round, circular objects. However, over the years, we use the “c” spelling for media devices and the “k” spelling for flat, round, circular objects that are Not media related.

Discrete: separate (move people into two discrete groups)

Discreet: secretive (very discreet when talking about her affair)

Disinterested: lacking interest, having no stake or interest in the outcome, free of bias, impartial

Uninterested: not concerned, unmotivated by personal interest

Emigrate: To leave the country in which one lives, especially one'snative country, in order to

reside elsewhere

Immigrate: To move into another country to stay there permanently

Elicit: to draw forth. to generate, obtain, or provoke as a response or answer.

Illicit: unlawful, criminal, illegal, prohibited, illegitimate.

Further: To support progress or growth of something; greater degree

Farther: physical distance

Empathy: the intellectual identification of the thoughts, feelings or state of another person;

capacity to understand another person’s point of view.

Sympathy: A feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffereing or distress of another; compassion. The

ability to share the feelings of another.

Fewer: refers to something that can be counted one-by-one

Less: a smaller amount of something

*you can have fewer candy bars, but like the dark chocolate one less than the milk chocolate.

Flair: a natural or innate talent or aptitude; a knack, distinctive style or elegance; panache

Flare: A burst (of fire or anger) or a widening of an object with an otherwise roughly constant

width, e.g. on the lower legs of trousers and jeans popular in the 70’s.

Forego: abandon, leave, precede, go before

Forgo: let pass, do without, refrain, abstain

i.e. is used to explain or clarify a statement by either (exhaustively) listing options or by

rephrasing the previous statement. Often confused with e.g.

e.g. Literally, “for example”. Used to introduce an example or list of examples to illustrate what

is being discussed.

Inflammable: (comparative more inflammable, superlative most inflammable) Capable of

burning; easily set on fire. Commonly confused with non-flammable

It’s: It is

Its: Belonging to it. (the heart has its reasons, and the mind has its)

Imply: hint at, suggest, allude to.

Infer: draw a conclusion based on clues, deduce, assume, conclude.

Inquire: to ask, investigate

Enquire: (alternate spelling of Inquire)

Lose: lose a game, didn’t win

Loose: relax, free from, slacken, release tension

May: possibility, wish, could, present of “might”

Might: strength, force (pushed with all her might); possibly (past of May)

Moral: ethic, virtue, something you want to teach your children

Morale: The capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others.

Stationary: fixed, immobile, changeless, not moving

Stationery: writing materials

Then: subsequently, next in order, soon afterward

Than: more, introduces a comparison (It took longer than that to finish)

There: a place, in relation to, in existence, (he sat over there / there are two apples in the basket /

Is there an answer to your question?)

Their: ownership, belonging to (They made up their own minds)

They’re: they are

To: directions, ratios, time; preceding (He went to the park / the score was ten to one)

Too: also, in addition, excessive, degree, more than enough, very

Two: the number 2

Lie: to be placed in horizontal position, place or situate, to give (false information), tell an

untruth

Lay: to put something down in a position of rest, leave something somewhere, to have sex with,

deposit an egg

Set: put down (set table with dishes or set down your glass), adjust (set the site on his gun),

prepare (set everything up for class), a collection of various objects (set of tools), scenery

for a film or play,

Sit: sit in a chair

Whose: The possessive form of who. Belonging to (whose wallet is this? This is the man whose

dog caused the accident. We saw several houses whose roofs are falling off)

Who’s: Who is.

Whoever vs Whomever:

Him + he = whoever

Him + him – whomever

Give it to __________________ asks for it first

Give it to him. He asked for it first

Therefore, Give it to whoever asks for it

We will hire ________________ you recommend.

We will hire him. You recommend him.

Therefore, We will hire whomever you recommend.

I, you, he, she, it, and they can all be used to replace who or whoever. These are subjective pronouns. They perform the action of the verb.

Me, us, you, him, her, and it can all be used to replace whom/whomever. These are objective pronouns because they are the object of the sentence; they receive the action of the verb.

Your: belonging to you, conveys familiarity and mutual knowledge (not your average show / that

is your book)

You’re: You are

Preferences of spelling/usage:

afterward Not afterwards

all right Not alright

backward Not backwards

blonde feminine use and general (her kids were all blonde)

blond masculine use

burned Not burnt

cell phone Not cellphone

check Not cheque

color Not colour

email Not e-mail

forward Not forwards

goodbye Not Good-bye

Internet Not internet or innernet

leaned Not leant

learned Not learnt

makeup Not make up or make-up (when referring to cosmetics)

maneuver Not manoeuvre

MP3 Not mp3

okay Not ok or OK

online Not on-line

recognize Not recognise

smelled Not smelt

stepbrother/sister Not step-brother or step-sister

T-shirt Not tee-shirt, tshirt or t-shirt

toward Not towards

U.S. or United States Not US

website Not web-site or web site

Hyphenated compounds (when used as adjectives, adverbs, or nouns):

Able-bodied

A-frame

Absent-minded

Ad-lib

After-hour

All-nighter

Check-in

Clean-cut

Close-up

Day-by-day

Day-to-day

Empty-handed

Fact-finding

Fair-haired

Fair-weathered

Far-flung

Far-off

Far-fetched

Far-off

Far-ranging

Father-in-law

Frame-up

Free-for-all

G-string

Get-together

Half-mast

Half-staff

Hand-picked

Hanky-panky

Hard-on

Hi-fi

High-tech

Ho-hum

Hush-hush

In-depth

In-law

Knee-high

Know-how

Life-size

Life-sized

Life-support

Like-minded

Lust-filled

Mean-spirited

Mind-blowing

Mind-boggling

Mind-altering

Mind-bending

Mind-numbing

Mother-in-law

Narrow-minded

Nitty-gritty

On-site

On-the-job

One-sided

One-liner

One-night-stand

Over-the-counter

Over-the-hill

Over-the-top

Paper-thin

Passer-by

Pooh-pooh

Pre-owned

Re-elect

Red-haired

Red-hot

Roly-poly

School-aged

Second-rate

Self-service

Shrink-wrap

Sign-in

Shit-eating

Soft-spoken

Soft-boiled

Soft-serve

Soft-shell

Straight-laced

Strong-arm

Strong-willed

T-shirt

Three-legged

Time-consuming

Two-by-four

Two-cycle

Two-dimensional

Two-faced

U-boat

U-turn

V-neck

Voice-over

Walk-through

Warm-up

Weak-kneed

Well-being

Well-known

Well-to-do

Wheeler-dealer

Word-of-mouth

Worn-out

Write-out

Year-end

Spaced compound words:

African American

Cash flow

Course work

Every time

Fact sheet

Grass roots

Ground water

Help desk

Life span

Mind frame

Pro forma

Pro rata

School day

School year

Time saver

Touch point

Vice president

Voice mail

Waiting room

Word processing

Work release

1621, Robert Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy:

perform all those works of mercy, which Clemens Alexandrinus calls amoris et amicitiæ impletionem et extentionem, the extent and complement of love [...].

Solid compounds (whether used as adjectives, adverbs, or nouns):

Aftereffect

Aboveboard

Afterbirth

Aftereffect

Afterglow

Afterlife

Aftermath

Afternoon

Afterthought

Aircraft

Airfield

Airlift

Airline

Airmen

Airport

Airship

Airtime

Alongside

Also

Another

Anyhow

Anymore

Anyplace

Anything

Anytime

Anywhere

Armchair

Around

Ashtray

Awestruck

Babysitter

Backache

Backbone

Backdoor

Backdrop

Backfire

Background

Backhand

Backlash

Backlog

Backpack

Backside

Backslap

Backslide

Backspace

Backspin

Backstage

Backstroke

Backtrack

Backup

Backward

Backyard

Ballpark

Ballroom

Bankbook

Bankcard

Bankroll

Barefoot

Baseball

Basketball

Bathrobe

Bathtub

Battleship

Beachcomber

Became

Because

Become

Bedclothes

Bedrock

Bedroll

Bedroom

Beeline

Beforehand

Bellbottom

Bellboy

Bellhop

Below

Birthday

Blackball

Blackberries

Blackboard

Blackjack

Blackmail

Blackout

Blacksmith

Blacktop

Blowgun

Blowout

Bluebell

Blueberry

Bluebird

Bluefish

Bluegrass

Blueprint

Boardwalk

Bodyguard

Bookcase

Bookend

Bookkeeper

Booklet

Bookmark

Bookmobile

Bookshelf

Bookstore

Bookworm

Bowleg

Bowlegs

Bowtie

Brainwash

Breakdown

Breathtaking

Briefcase

Burnout

Butterball

Buttercup

Butterfingers

Butterflies

Butterfly

Buttermilk

Butternut

Butterscotch

Bypass

Campfire

Campground

Cancan

Candlestick

Cannot

Cardboard

Carefree

Caregiver

Caretaker

Cargo

Carload

Carpet

Carpetbagger

Carpool

Carport

Carryall

Carryover

Cartwheel

Cattail

Catwalk

Caveman

Checkout

Cheeseburger

Cheesecake

Childproof

Chopstick

Churchgoer

Citywide

Classmate

Cleanup

Clockwise

Coffeemaker

Comeback

Commonplace

Commonwealth

Cooperative

Copyedit

Cornmeal

Countryside

Courthouse

Courtyard

Cowboy

Crewcut

Crossbow

Crossbreed

Crosscut

Crossover

Crosswalk

Crowbar

Cupboard

Cutlet

Dairymaid

Daisywheel

Daredevil

Database

Daybed

Daybreak

Daydream

Daylight

Daylong

Daytime

Deadline

Dishcloth

Dishpan

Dishwasher

Dishwater

Dogwood

Doorbell

Doormat

Doorstep

Doorstop

Doorway

Downright

Dragonfly

Drawbridge

Driveway

Droplet

Earache

Eardrop

Eardrum

Earrings

Earthbound

Earthquake

Earthworm

Easygoing

Egghead

Eggshell

Elsewhere

Evergreen

Everybody

Everyday

Everything

Extracurricular

Eyeball

Eyeballs

Eyeglasses

Eyelash

Eyelid

Eyesight

Eyewitness

Falloff

Fatherhood

Fingerprint

Fingertip

Firearm

Fireball

Firebomb

Firecracker

Firefighter

Fireflies

Firehouse

Fireplace

Fireproof

Fireworks

Fishbowl

Fisherman

Fishhook

Fishnet

Fishtail

Football

Foothill

Footlocker

Footnote

Footprint

Footprints

Footrest

Forbearer

forbid

Forecast

Foreclose

Foreclosure

Forefather

Forefinger

Foregone

Foreground

Forehand

Forehead

Foreknowledge

Foreman

Foremost

Foresee

Foreshadow

Foresight

Foreskin

Forethought

Forever

Forewarn

Forget

Forgive

Forklift

Format

Fortnight

Fourfold

Freelance

Friendship

Gearshift

Gentleman

Glassmaking

Goldfish

Goodbye

Goodnight

Grandchild

Grandchildren

Granddaughter

Grandfather

Grandmother

Grandparent

Grandson

Grandstand

Grasshopper

Grassland

Graveyard

Greenhouse

Groundnut

Groundwater

Gumball

Hailstorm

Haircut

Halfway

Hallway

Hamburger

Hammerhead

Handbag

Handcuff

Handgun

Handmade

Handout

Headache

Headdress

Headlight

Headline

Headmaster

Headmistress

Headquarters

Heartbeat

Heartbroken

Hereafter

Hereby

Herein

Hereupon

Herself

Highball

Highchair

Highland

Highway

Himself

Holdup

Homeowner

Hometown

Homework

Honeycomb

Honeydew

Honeymoon

Honeysuckle

Hookup

Hookworm

Horseback

Horsefly

Horseman

Horseplay

Horsepower

Horseradish

Houseboat

Housebroke

Household

Housekeeper

Housetop

However

Inside

Intake

Itself

Jackpot

Jailbait

Jawbone

Jellybean

Jellyfish

Jetliner

Keyboard

Keyhole

Keynote

Keypad

Keypunch

Keystone

Keystroke

Kickoff

Kneecap

Kneejerk

Ladybug

Landlord

Leadership

Leaflet

Lengthwise

Levelheaded

Lifeblood

Lifeboat

Lifeguard

Lifelike

Lifeline

Lifelong

Lifesaver

Lifetime

Lighthouse

Limelight

Limestone

Longhand

Longhouse

Loudspeaker

Lowercase

Lukewarm

Mainland

Mainline

Marketplace

Masterpiece

Matchbox

Matchstick

Meantime

Meatball

Moonbeam

Moonlight

Moonscape

Moonshine

Moonstruck

Moonwalk

Moreover

Mothball

Motherfucker

Motherhood

Motorcycle

Mouthwatering

Myself

Nationwide

Nearby

Necktie

Nevermore

Nevertheless

Newborn

Newsbreak

Newscaster

Newsletter

Newsman

Newspaper

Newsreel

Newsroom

Newsstand

Newsworthy

Nightfall

Nightlight

Nightstand

Nobody

Noisemaker

Nonetheless

Nonprofit

Northeast

Notebook

Noteworthy

Nowhere

Nursemaid

Nutcracker

Offhand

Oneself

Ongoing

Online

Otherwise

Outdoor

Outfield

Outfit

Outgrow

Outlaw

Outlet

Outnumber

Outpatient

Outside

Overabundance

Overboard

Overcoat

Overdose

Overdue

Overexposure

Overflow

Overshoe

Pacemaker

Painkiller

Pancake

Partnership

Passbook

Passkey

Passover

Passport

Payback

Paycheck

Peacemaker

Peephole

Penknife

Peppermint

Percent

Photocopy

Pinhole

Pinstripe

Pinup

Pinwheel

Playback

Playboy

Playground

Playhouse

Playroom

Playthings

Ponytail

Popcorn

Postcard

Postman

Postscript

Pothole

Preempt

Printout

Proofread

Racquetball

Railroad

Railway

Rainbow

Raincheck

Raincoat

Raindrop

Raindrops

Rainstorm

Rattlesnake

Rattletrap

Razorback

Redheaded

Repairman

Ringworm

Riverbanks

Rollout

Rubber band

Runoff

Sailboat

Sandbags

Sandcastle

Sandlot

Sandpaper

Sandstone

Saucepan

Scapegoat

Scarecrow

Schoolbook

Schoolboy

School bus

Schoolgirl

Schoolhouse

Schoolmate

Schoolroom

Schoolwork

Schoolyard

Seafood

Seashore

Seaweed

Setback

Setup

Sharpshooter

Shipwreck

Shithead

Shitload

Shoelace

Shoemaker

Shoestring

Shortbread

Showoff

Showplace

Showroom

Sideburns

Sidekick

Sideshow

Sidewalk

Silversmith

Sisterhood

Skateboard

Skylark

Skylight

Skyscraper

Slapstick

Slumlord

Snakeskin

Snowball

Snowbird

Snowboard

Snowdrift

Snowshoe

Snow shovel

Snowstorm

Softball

Software

Someday

Somehow

Someone

Someplace

Something

Sometimes

Somewhere

Soundproof

Southeast

Southwest

Soybean

Spaceship

Spearmint

Speedboat

Spokesperson

Spreadsheet

Springtime

Stagehand

Staircase

Standby

Standoff

Standout

Starfish

Starlight

Statewide

Steamboat

Steamship

Stepson

Stockholder

Stockroom

Stomachache

Stonewall

Stoplight

Stopwatch

Storerooms

Storyteller

Strawberry

Stronghold

Subway

Summertime

Sunbathe

Sunday

Sundial

Sundown

Sunfish

Sunflower

Sunglasses

Sunlight

Sunlit

Sunray

Sunroof

Sunroom

Sunset

Sunshine

Sunup

Supergiant homemade

Superhero

Superhuman

Superimpose

Superman

Supermarket

Supernatural

Superstar

Superstructure

Supertanker

Superwoman

Surfboard

Sweetheart

Sweetmeat

Tablecloth

Tablespoon

Tabletop

Tableware

Tadpole

Tagalong

Tailbone

Tailgate

Taillight

Tailspin

Takeoff

Tapeworm

Target

Taskmaster

Taste bud

Taxpayer

Teacup

Teammate

Teamwork

Teapot

Teaspoon

Teenager

Telltale

Textbook

Themselves

Therefore

Thereof

Throwback

Thunderbolt

Thunderstorm

Tightrope

Timekeeper

Timepiece

Timesaving

Timeshare

Timetable

Today

Together

Tombstone

Toolbox

Toothbrush

Toothpaste

Toothpick

Tossup

Touchdown

Township

Turnabout

Turnaround

Turnbuckle

Turncoat

Turnkey

Turntable

Typewriter

Underachieve

Underage

Underarm

Underbelly

Underclothes

Undercover

Undercurrent

Undercut

Underdog

Underestimate

Underground

Understand

Upbringing

Upcoming

Update

Upend

Upgrade

Upheaval

Upheld

Uphill

Upkeep

Upland

Uplink

Upon

Uppercase

Upperclassman

Uppercut

Upright

Uprising

Uproar

Uproot

Upscale

Upset

Upshot

Upside

Upstage

Upstairs

Upstanding

Upstart

Upstate

Upstream

Upstroke

Uptight

Uptown

Upturn

Upward

Upwind

Waistline

Walkways

Walleyed

Wallpaper

Wardrobe

Wardroom

Warfare

Warlike

Warpath

Warship

Washboard

Washcloth

Washrag

Washroom

Washtub

Wastebasket

Wasteland

Watchband

Watchdog

Watchmaker

Watchman

Watchtower

Watercolor

Water cooler

Watercraft

Waterfall

Waterfront

Waterline

Waterlog

Watermark

Watermelon

Waterproof

Waterside

Waterspout

Watertight

Waterway

Waterworks

Wavelength

Waybill

Wayside

Wayward

Weatherman

Weatherproof

Webpage

Website

Weekday

Weekend

Weeklong

Weeknight

Whatnot

Whatsoever

Wheelbarrow

Wheelbase

Wheelchair

Whitefish

Whiteout

Whitewall

Whitewash

Widespread

Wintertime

Wipeout

Without

Woodcutter

Woodland

Woodpile

Woodshed

Wood ship

Woodwork

Woodworm

Workbench

Workday

Workflow

Workforce

Workload

Workout

Workroom

Worksheet

Workstation

Workweek

Wrongdoing

Yearlong

Yourself

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