Decoding the Secret Language of Writers Online


Spend enough time on-line and you'll soon learn the terminology. But for those just starting out, the acronyms can seem like a secret language. To make it easier for newbies, here are some of the most common:

wip work in progress
ms manuscript
H and h Hero and heroine
HEA Happy Ever After
sub submission
partial the first three chapters of your novel, plus synopsis and query letter, which you send to an agent or editor. Sometimes also known as a query.
full the full manuscript, which should only be sent on request
to sub the act of submitting your work to a publisher. (Subbing / Subbed)
pub publisher
epub publisher of e-books (on-line books)
HQN Harlequin - the world's largest publisher of category romance
HMB Harlequin Mills & Boon (a division of Harlequin aimed primarily at the UK publishing district)
r rejection (Note: this is never spelt with a capital, as this gives it too much importance)
Nano Nanowrimo or National Novel Writing Month in the USA (November)
CP Critique Partner
GMC Goal, Motivation, Conflict (from the book of the same name by Debra Dixon)
AA Author Alterations
bichok butt in chair, hands on keyboard
Example: The ms I subbed to an epub was r'd yesterday, but I'm not going to let it get to me, so it's bichok as I plough on with the wip.



And a few other general internet acronyms:

lol Laugh Out Loud
rofl rolling on the floor laughing
brb be right back
btw by the way
imho in my humble opinion
tia thanks in advance
fwiw for what it's worth
gmta great minds think alike
wtg way to go!
< g > grin
dh dear husband / dear heart
ds dear son
dd dear daughter
mil mother-in-law
fil father-in-law


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