It’s one of the hardest parts of being a writer, don’t you think? Editing your own work, running over the same pages over and over again…and still, if you’re human, it’s inevitable that you’ll miss a quotation mark here, an extra space there, or worse, a typo.

You know that reading your own words is the most difficult scenario for proofing, don’t you? Your big, beautiful brain is so good at translating what you physically “see” on the page into what your mind “knows” you “meant” to type, that it usually will glide right over an extra “the” or a missing “a.”

Yes, it purposefully corrects the errors, without even notifying you!

You can read the same sentence a hundred times, and it’ll look great to you. Your mind interprets it as you intended it. And when the first person to take a look at your book finds a glaring omission, or an extra word in that lovely prose, you may feel like an incompetent idiot.

You thought you were careful. Right? You worked so hard to catch those typos.

When it first happens, it's embarrassing. But over time, you’ll learn you cannot catch all of the errors by yourself.

I’ve written twenty-two books, so I’ve been through this process a few times. (you can see them at www.lazarbooks.com, including my newest release, Betrayal.) Over the years, I’ve had publishing house editors go over my manuscripts. They found errors, I fixed them. And I tried not to make more errors when I made the corrections, which is all too common.

We had the first and second edits, then copy edits in the end to make sure we didn’t miss anything. Once in a while, in spite of our best efforts, an error would creep through. Humiliated, I’d beat myself up for this one stupid error and swear it would never happen again. 

As time went on, I learned that beta readers were an amazing asset. Not only were they excellent at finding and spotting typos, but if you found talented readers or writers with a knack for literary insight (like my beta readers!), they would point out inconsistencies in a scene or even mention when they thought a character went beyond their natural boundaries. My beta readers have helped my books become the best they can be, and I love them. ;o)

Over the years I’ve developed friendships with writers and readers, and I’d offer them the job of beta reading my manuscripts before I submitted the book to my publisher. It worked out very well, and I always felt better when they’d read through my books. On average, I have 10-12 people read the manuscript before I consider it “close to done.”

Of those twenty-two books, I’ve published fifteen through a traditional small press since 2007, and have recently moved on to self publish (through Kindle Select) seven more that were waiting in the publishing queue in the past year. Polishing and proofing all of these manuscripts was a real challenge, and my beta readers did me proud. But believe it or not – they didn’t catch all the typos.

I have discovered there is one more essential step to proofing one’s manuscript: reading it aloud.

Yes, it’s something you can do yourself. It might take you a whole weekend to get through it. But it’s worth the effort. Better yet, if you have a narrator who is recording the audio book version, this is where the final catches will be found. 

I have found that my best narrators (actors, really, with great attention to detail) have consistently isolated a couple of leftover “extra or missing letters/words” which are the hardest to find. Sure, with a real typo, like a misspelled word, MS Word underlines it for you in red. Those aren’t too hard to find. It’s harder when you have an extra preposition in a sentence, or a misused word like “here” instead of “hear.” MS Word doesn’t often catch those mistakes.

I find these errors creep in at the end of a work in progress, when I’ve gone through to beef up a sentence or make changes in general. Then I don’t always “cut” fully or “paste” fully and that’s my downfall! Creating typos because you’re fixing another typo is annoying, but pretty common.

Does that happen to you?

Here’s my advice on how to produce a typo-free book.

1) When creating your book, try to find a writer or reader friend who will swap chapters with you as you write it. You read their stuff, they read yours. You help them, they help you. It’s all good. They can help you cull out that first crop of errors, right off the bat.

2) When you’re done writing the book, go through it until you feel you are satisfied. This may take multiple read-throughs. It all depends on how careful you were the first time around when creating the story.

Even with this painstaking approach, once in a while something slips through. It’s disappointing if it happens, but it’s probably God’s way of keeping us humble. ;o)

Let me know what you think in the comments below. And remember, if you love to write, write like the wind!

Glenn Langohr Speaking to 100 Students in Professor Reiter’s Criminal Justice Class About Prison Life and His Books

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ks0yTJZ_AeY&feature=player_embedded

Professor Reiter read and gave Glenn Langohr’s prison book Pelican Bay Riot a five star review on Amazon. After, she interviewed him and he spoke to her class. Speaking as a guest Lecturer, Glenn Langohr explained why solitary confinement is torture and how there isn’t a court of law involved in determining who goes to solitary and how inmates can get out. To check out Glenn’s complete list of drug war and prison books in print, kindle and audio book go here-http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00571NY5A

"This book does not glamorize prison life but rather accurately reports on the cruel reality, which may shock and frighten many readers. The author skillfully makes the point that the general public has more awareness for and more compassion for caged dogs than for prisoners. He also reaches through the bars and describes how the guards are organized into gangs and other criminal enterprises." JT Kalnay Attorney 

And ex-con Langohr can describe the hell of life inside better than any other writer. His vivid passages on just surviving in prison describe a nightmare we'd rather not know about.

An Interview With Drug War And Prison Author Glenn Langohr

What’s the worst nightmare you’ve ever had? —-I am blessed with the ability to fly in my dreams. The act rarely happens, but when it does, it is so awesome and vivid, like I really can fly. When I am able to fly in my dreams, it happens night after night, but eventually, I stop being able to. When that happens I have bad dreams of impending doom where I’m being chased and have to remember how to fly. 

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? —-I trust God and love Jesus. Before I started writing I ran away from a broken home at 13 years old. I got into some reckless behavior and experimented with drugs. That turned into selling them and 10 years later that turned into organized crime charges. I spent 10 years in prison with 4 years in solitary confinement. From a cell, I started writing drug war and prison books. I was released from prison in 2008 and started a publishing company, http://www.lockdownpublishing.com , and published my first novel, Roll Call, A True Crime Prison Story of Corruption and Redemption. Since then I published Upon Release From Prison, Race Riot, Lock Up Diaries, Gladiator, Underdog and Prison Riot. I married my dream girl, Sanette, who plays Annette in one of my novels. Most recently, I learned how to narrate my own books and started http://www.audiobookprisonstories.com I believe what Jesus said in the Bible, that when you are helping the least fortunate, you are doing God’s work. 

 

What do you do when you are not writing? —–Part of my publishing company’s mission is to help other prisoners turn their lives around through writing and art. I write a lot of prisoners and have received some amazing stories and art work. I also had the opportunity to speak to 100 students at the University of California Irvine in a Criminal Justice class about prison life and how solitary confinement is cruel and unusual punishment as it intersects with the 8th Amendment. 

Do you have a day job as well? —-I work part time in a restaurant. 

When did you first start writing and when did you finish your first book? —-I started writing from a prison cell in solitary confinement in 2002. It took me 7 years to perfect my drug war novel Roll Call. 

How did you choose the genre you write in? —–The genre chose me. The drug war and prison life are gritty, true life entertainment. Plus the spiritual aspects of good versus evil in characters on both sides of the law make for a great plot line. 

Where do you get your ideas? —-Almost all of my ideas are based on life experiences. In some cases, I paint with the true colors of life on a fictional landscape. 

 

Do you ever experience writer’s block, if so, how do you deal with it? ——I do experience writers block at times. Usually during sections of the book that are in a transition from one scene to another. When that happens, I stress out and pace back and forth. It really helps! I start seeing the scene come to life in my imagination and run back to the computer. 

Do you work with an outline, or just write? —--I just write. But I always keep in mind that a story has a beginning, middle and end. 

Is there any particular author or book that influenced you in any way either growing up or as an adult? —–First and foremost, the Bible. The stories have the perfect balance of God over evil and how He uses imperfect characters. A lot of other authors have shaped my writing style. My books are similar to James Patterson’s in that I have fast moving scenes and short chapters. 

 

How do you market your work? What avenues have you found to work best for your genre?—— Marketing is an art I would rather have someone else do for me! I found that getting big name reviews are a great selling tool. I went after Nielson Media’s review service, Kirkus Discoveries for my first novel Roll Call and got, “A harrowing, down-and-dirty depiction–sometimes reminiscent of Steven Soderbergh’s Traffic–of America’s war on drugs, by former dealer and California artist Langohr. Locked up for a decade on drugs charges and immersed in both philosophical tomes and modern pulp thrillers, Langohr penned Roll Call. A vivid, clamorous account of the war on drugs. –Kirkus Discoveries, Nielsen Business Media, 770 Broadway, N.Y Yk For my book Underdog I went after John South from American Media to get- “In his latest novel, “Underdog,” Glenn Langohr takes B.J. back into the dreaded Supermax at Pelican Bay, California’s toughest prison. At first he’s just fighting to survive, hopelessly outnumbered by Mexican and black gang members, but then he goes back to try and help his friend, still inside, ferociously battling to change the penal system.

And ex-con Langohr can describe the hell of life inside better than any other writer. His vivid passages on just surviving in prison describe a nightmare we’d rather not know about.
He compares the plight of abandoned dogs, locked and horribly mistreated in rows of cages in animal shelters, to California prison inmates, locked and abused in the same cages.
Not a book for the faint of heart. We who sleep peacefully in our beds at night, unaware of the savagery going on behind prison walls, can only thankfully say: “There, but for the grace of God, go I.” 

For Race Riot I went after TV Producer and author Phillip Doran to get,  ”A raw, breathless descent through the inner circle of the California Penal Hell. Fraught with detail that only someone who’s been there could know.”  I use all the social media sites and produce a lot videos and pictures. I document things like radio interviews or speaking at the University, to build credibility. I use prison art to represent the culture and flavor. 

 

Can you tell us about your upcoming book?——– During my prison sentence, I really battled with giving my life completely to God, and surviving in prison through brute force and my own will power. I’m waiting for God to show me how to write it. 

What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?—– I have gotten a few bad reviews from ex prison guards but I’ve also gotten some good reviews from law enforcement as well. I love getting great reviews from lawyers and Professors.

 

Do you have any advice to give to aspiring writers? Do it because you love it. Don’t do it for money, it’s a lot of work! 

 

Is there anything that you would like to say to your readers and fans? I would like to thank all my fans and readers for the reviews and feedback! A special shout out to my U.K. readers for making Race Riot number 1 in three categories for 3 months! 

Glenn Langohr’s books are available in print, kindle and audio book and are on sale and Free for prime members. Amazon author page in the U.S.  http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00571NY5A Author page in the U.K. http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B00571NY5A Link to all of Glenn Langohr’s audio books- http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=glenn+langohr%27s+audio+books

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/glennlangohrcalifornia Facebook pics- Facebook pics Fan page https://www.facebook.com/lockdownpublishingdotcom?ref=hl

While in Prison on Drug Charges, Glenn Langohr Spent 4 Years in Solitary Where He Wrote Books.

While in Prison on Drug Charges, Glenn Langohr Spent 4 Years in Solitary Where He Wrote Books. As a runaway from a broken home, Glenn Langohr reflected on his bad choices in the drug world from a cell in solitary where he turned it into writing books. 

With nothing else to do in a prison cell for 22 hours a day, Glenn Langohr wrote drug war and prison books. For a complete list of his books in print, kindle and audio book to listen to like a movie, go here- http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00571NY5A If you purchase a book make sure you email Glenn at rollcallthebook@gmail.com and he will gift out a book.

Glenn Langohr started solitary confinement in the county jail in the modules where inmates only come out of there cells for 2 hours a day. In prison he was sent to solitary for riots and investigations. He states, ”It is very hard to avoid any violence in prison where the isn’t much rehabilitation. People with mental issues, drug and alcohol issues interact with gangs and people just trying to survive and the ingredients are toxic. In prison every inch of space is decided over and often fought over, like who can use which tables, showers, space on the yard, work out bars etc.”

The first novel Glenn Langohr published when he got out of prison in 2008 was Roll Call, A True Crime Prison Story of Corruption and Redemption. Kirkus Discoveries Nielson Media related Langohr’s novel to the movie Traffic along with other accolades. Glenn Langohr has since published 7 other books that are selling well and getting great reviews. See his complete list on Amazon in print, kindle and audio book. Check out his audio book, Lock Up Diaries  here- http://tinyurl.com/lockupdiaries

For Glenn Langohr's complete list of books in print, kindle and audio book in the U.S. go here~ http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00571NY5A For the U.K. go here~ http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B00571NY5A

Available for interviews and reviews at rollcallthebook@gmail.com http://www.audiobookprisonstories.com