Proofreading, Editing, Writing

In Praise of Libraries

2011-10-19T09:39:00.000-06:00

Some people say that libraries have become obsolete, but I disagree.

True, the function of libraries has changed because of the Internet. Research can be done on the computer instead of thumbing through the card catalogs (if you don’t know what a card catalog is, ask your parents). And of course the Internet has much more information than any library ever could (with the possible exception of the Library of Congress).

But when reading for pleasure or curiosity, whether fiction or non-fiction, the library is the place to go. Most books aren’t available online for free. Many books have been “digitized” but definitely not all. New books are available for the e-Readers, but the older, more obscure books never will be. And those are the books I find fascinating.

Ironically, many people who don’t have access to the Internet at home, work, or school, go to the library to go on the Internet. The library in my small hometown has six computers available for library patrons to use, whether they need the Internet or they need to use a word processing program to write a letter, etc. They can print out whatever they need to on the library’s printer for a small fee.

Libraries are a gathering place, too. From meeting rooms to “storytime” in the children’s section, there is a social aspect to libraries.

Support your local library. Buy used books from their “Book Sale” section (and donate books you don’t need so others can buy them). On Election Day, if there is a bond that will support libraries, vote for it.

Libraries are not obsolete and they won’t die if we keep them alive.

Favorite Quotes About Writing

2011-10-10T08:15:00.001-06:00

Here are some of my favorite quotes about writing. Some of them are truly inspirational (Toni Morrison, Thomas Mann) and some are wise (Will Shetterly). Elmore Leonard is funny and wise.

And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.
~Sylvia Plath

I try to leave out the parts that people skip.
~Elmore Leonard

If there's a book you really want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.
~Toni Morrison

I admire anybody who has the guts to write anything at all.
~E.B. White

The writer's duty is to keep on writing.
~William Styron

I believe more in the scissors than I do in the pencil.
~Truman Capote

It is better to write a bad first draft than to write no first draft at all.
~Will Shetterly

Most of the basic material a writer works with is acquired before the age of fifteen.
~Willa Cather

You don't have to be great to get started, but you have to get started to be great.
~Les Brown

You only learn to be a better writer by actually writing.
~Doris Lessing

Writing is thinking on paper.
~William Zinsser

If you read good books, when you write, good books will come out of you.
~Natalie Goldberg

The task of a writer consists in being able to make something out of an idea.
~Thomas Mann

Pet Peeves, Part 1

2011-10-07T19:34:00.000-06:00

It’s an occupational hazard for an editor; I see errors all the time. Some of them, simple typos, such as the ones on the “crawl” at the bottom of the TV screen, I can accept (sort of), especially if they’re eventually corrected. With others, I’m not as forgiving. My local newspaper would (and might someday soon) take an entire post.

One thing I see so often, and it raises my blood pressure every single time, is one specific misuse of the apostrophe. I don’t understand why people turn a single noun into a plural by adding “apostrophe s” instead of just “s.” Why oh why oh why oh why? Where did they learn that? I see it on web sites, TV news graphics, in advertisements, editorial cartoons, the aforementioned newspaper, business letters, and other places I can’t think of at the moment. My favorite is when a single sentence or paragraph contains several plural nouns; some are done correctly and some are done incorrectly! These people obviously need a proofreader if not a full-blown copy editor.

Then there’s its vs. it’s. People are taught to use “apostrophe s” for possessive form, so “Karen’s book” is correct. Of course, when it comes to the English language, every rule has an exception (or two or three). The possessive form of it is its with no apostrophe, just like hers and ours. The only time to use it’s is when you’re using it as a contraction for it is.

I recently discovered a website devoted to this apostrophe misuse - apostropheabuse.com. It’s nice to know someone else feels as passionate about this as I do. The site is a collection of apostrophe mistakes people submit; I’m sure I’ll contribute some new ones as I see them.

Signs of a Good Editor

2011-10-05T08:12:00.000-06:00

Whether you want to find a good editor or be a good editor, here are some things you need to know.

The most important thing to remember is that the work belongs to the author. The editor’s job is not to change the content or make it their own. The editor’s job is to make the author’s writing clearer. Better.

A good editor knows that relying on memory isn’t enough. You have to look things up. This doesn’t just mean looking up words in a dictionary to verify the correct spelling. You may need to look up facts to verify that something happened when and where the author said it does. You may need to look up finer points of style. There are several style guides (and going over the differences among them will be the subject of another blog post) and of course they don’t agree on everything. So you need to know which style guide is appropriate for the piece you’re editing and apply those rules.

A good editor is consistent and ensures the details stay the same throughout the piece you’re editing. If you’re editing a novel and the main character has blue eyes in Chapter One and green eyes in Chapter Four, you’d better notice that and fix it. If you don’t, an eagle-eyed reader is sure to notice and will let the author know about the inconsistency. The author’s credibility will be diminished and so will yours; next time the author needs an editor, he or she will call someone else.

Having said that, I also want to point out that a good editor knows when to stop. You can’t go over the same piece day after day for months on end. For one thing, you have a deadline. For another, there will always be something that could use a little tweak. But as I said at the beginning, this is the author’s work and if you tweak too much, you’ll take the author out of it. And if that happens, the result will be the same as in the previous paragraph. The next time the author needs an editor, he or she will call someone else.

Welcome

2011-10-03T11:04:00.000-06:00

This is the first post on my new (actually reincarnated) blog, so an introduction is in order.

I’m a freelance proofreader, editor, and writer. I love reading and writing and I love language.

Sometimes I will vent about the sad state of spelling, grammar, and punctuation these days. I have a few pet peeves – specific mistakes that really drive me up the wall, maybe because I see them so often (and they break the rules I was taught in elementary school).

Other posts will be less harsh; they will be simple observations or comments about things in the news related to the English language. I love the English language and all of its oddities and intricacies.

Sometimes I’ll just write about what I’m reading and occasionally I’ll write about what I’m writing (I’m working on another novel).

I hope this will be entertaining and perhaps instructive. I definitely hope it will be interesting.

Enjoy the ride.