You Want Me to What? Reading the Work of Friends
At her excellent blog, Love, Your Copyeditor, Ray Gunn recently wrote about the cons and pros (in that order) of having writer friends who need copyediting.
Writer, Editor, Helper
(The Subversive Copy Editor)
Writer, Editor, Helper
(The Subversive Copy Editor)
Category Copyediting and Proofreading
A Little Holiday Advice for Copyeditors
Over the next few days, let’s all take extra care to spend some time away from the computer, limit the eggnog consumption, and proofread the wrapping paper! Happy Holidays!Carol
The Freelancer’s Dilemma: When an Estimate Is Low
Have you ever been partway into a freelance editing job only to find that it’s going to take a lot longer than you thought? Which should you do: bill for the originally estimated time and take a loss, or bill for the extra time and risk alienating the client?
Making Sense of Style
Not all style conventions make sense at first glance. Or second. Or ever.
Misunderstood
Do you ever wake up peppy and bounce out of bed Tiggerlike, no need for coffee, dig in the back of the closet for that kicky little skirt, brush your teeth a bit too enthusiastically and splat a glop of toothpaste down the front of the kicky skirt . . .
Tech Tip #16: Combining Documents for Efficient Copyediting
I have never understood why anyone would choose not to combine all the files for a single project rather than copyedit each one separately.
True Crime in Copyediting
In a lather recently over copyeditors who waste time searching for rules that don’t exist, I failed to acknowledge something important in defense of the offenders . . .
Copyediting Quiz, Part 2: First Do No Harm
Yesterday I posted these sentences for your scrutiny, challenging you to find errors in style and usage. Today I’ll tell you why some popular answers are wrong.* 1. If you want to lager beer, you’ll need a reliable refrigerator. Lager…
Copyediting Quiz, Part 1
I’ve been reviewing copyediting tests lately, and I’m feeling mentorly. So just for fun, I have a little quiz for you. The sentences below are snippets from texts. How many errors in style or usage can you find in them?…
Loose the Chains! The Rules Don’t Always Bind
At the online Q&A, the Chicago Manual of Style often hears from writers and editors who are frustrated that they can’t find a rule about something. “I’ve searched everywhere!” they say, like kids looking for their shoes. Never mind that…