In addition to my editing and writing work, I also teach writing skills classes to college students. It’s a pretty basic course, and covers all the things that they learned back in grade school, most of which have been long forgotten, if they were even paid attention to in the first place.

A recent lesson was on the use of commas. Since the semester is nearly over, it’s getting increasingly difficult to get through to the students and actually get them to care about things like correct usage of commas. I tried the standard “Let’s eat grandma,” which got a few chuckles, but I still didn’t feel like it drove the point home well enough. And then I remembered THIS article.

It has to do with a woman who fought a parking ticket and won. The reason she won was because the wording in an ordinance was unclear due to a missing comma! That did it! I guess it gives new meaning to the saying that money talks!

Read the full article here.

What do you think? Are commas a problem for you? If you need help with commas, or any other writing issues, feel free to reach out at the contact form here, and I can help get you through the tough stuff.

It’s not a day off from work. We don’t get to take a three-day weekend. There are no special sales at the mall. For those of us in the editing community, however, today is a very important day—National Grammar Day.
Continue reading Happy National Grammar Day! →

Why, you ask, would an editor give advice on how to save you money on her services? Won’t that make less money for her, you ask? In the short term, yes. But looking at the bigger picture, you’ll get a better editing job if I don’t have to worry as much about the small stuff. Therefore, I would love it if you’d read and take to heart this article on running spell check before submitting your work for editing. Thanks to libroediting.com for their wise words.

We all get so caught up in our businesses, working, meeting deadlines, and just getting through all the personal and professional obligations that greet us each day that we don’t take the time to learn something new. It seems to me that learning should be an ongoing process, one that never stops.
Continue reading Never Stop Learning →

I’ve been tagged by author and friend Michael Stephen Daigle. He answered four questions, and he challenged me to do the same. So here goes:
Continue reading I’ve Been Tagged →

As an editor, college writing skills teacher, and avid reader, I am constantly bemoaning the demise of the English language, more specifically correct grammar and spelling. When I teach my college students writing skills, we start with the absolute basics, like parts of speech, and go from there. I’m often shocked and dismayed by what my students don’t remember from prior education, or never knew at all.
Continue reading The Ghosts of Grammar Lessons Past →

Many authors, especially first-timers, have concerns about working with an editor. These are valid concerns, and they need to be addressed. And they have been, by someone who has said the words I want to say, in a much better way than I could have said them. Read on, authors, and you’ll see exactly what your editor would like you to know before, during, and after the editing process.

http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/10-things-your-freelance-editor-might-not-tell-you-but-should

You’ve written a book! You’ve spent untold hours doing research, outlining chapters, getting to know your characters, and now, finally, it’s complete and ready to be published. But wait, is it? Have you had it edited?
Continue reading Why Do I Need an Editor Anyway? →