It seems like we are absolutely inundated these days with articles and posts containing all types of “critically important “do’s and don’ts that supposedly make or break the careers of new authors.

Here’s the reality check: SOME things matter one time and one time only, and that’s when the editor reads the manuscript. I’m not trying to say anything negative about editors; they are doing their job. Nevertheless, there are certain things that ONLY matter to editors, such as “smiling words,” split infinitives, and opening a chapter with weather. I don’t know any reader, including the one writing this post, who EVER cared about those things.

Proper punctuation, grammar, spelling etc., are certainly important because if those things are flawed, it makes the writer look amateurish and unprofessional. Beyond that, no author should drive himself or herself crazy with picky nonsense because they are convinced that editors, or worse yet “expert reviewers,” will find fault with their work.

All novels need proofreading and editing, but at the end of the day, you’re not selling your book to the editor, you’re not selling it to the proofreader, you’re not selling it to the “expert reviewer,” you are selling it to the READER. And readers don’t give two hoots about the Oxford comma.

Readers only care about the darn story and whether or not it is any good. Put your effort into spinning great tale and when it comes to deciding if you should use a period or a colon, flip a coin, pour another glass of iced tea, and keep going. Write On!