On editing discussion boards, the personal peeves of various editors inevitably bubble to the surface. A recurring peeve is the use of require for need. This is one particular bugaboo that I’ve never sweated (note to pedants: sweat would be fine here, too. That’s right: both sweat and sweated are acceptable as past tense and… Continue Reading
Freelancers know that the key to successfully landing business contracts is knowing how to negotiate a win-win for the parties involved. One potential problem is negotiating pay. Often, the client has a firm budget for the work needed, and it’s up to you, the freelancer, to accept the gig or not. If the pay isn’t… Continue Reading
So many books, so little time. I’m envious of people who — like my husband and seemingly everyone on Goodreads — effortlessly finish book after book after book. I admit I’m a slow reader. I notice the structure and the copy editing choices of a text, and sometimes I read a powerful sentence over and… Continue Reading
I’ve posted before about Richard Rohr’s Falling Upward, which explores the two halves of life, represented by the false self and the true self. If you’ve ever found yourself wondering, “Is this all there is to life?” then you’ve probably succeeded in creating your false self—which isn’t bad per se, it just doesn’t go far enough—and… Continue Reading
Freelancers are always looking for new markets to conquer, and today I discovered a new one: online dating profiles. If you’re familiar with online dating, then you’ve come to expect a little embellishment here and a little downplaying there. That drool-worthy photo of Mr. Right? You know it was probably taken 5 years and 20… Continue Reading
I’ve posted before about enjoying Ali Smith’s writing, and here I go again. There’s no pleasure that compares to curling up with great writing. Some writers express ideas so well that they seem to know what you’re thinking and feeling before you do. This sentiment is expressed by one of the main characters in John… Continue Reading
Forget about your NCAA bracket: If you’re more concerned about your Grammar Madness bracket, check out the winner of the first Grammar Madness battle here.
All right, you pedants. Let the public shaming begin. Grammarlyblog’s tournament of grammatical errors — Grammar Madness — begins today. If you love spotting errors on social media, this tournament is for you. Today’s vote focuses on contextual spelling mistakes — the old pore/pour kind of slip. So get surfing the web for the most… Continue Reading
Terry O’Reilly is an award-winning copywriter and broadcaster. His CBC radio program, “Under the Influence,” focuses on advertising strategies both past and present. Terry always rewards his listeners with the inside scoop behind well-known marketing campaigns. Today Terry revealed that the Aero chocolate bar tagline “Irresistabubble” was coined by none other than Salman Rushdie. That’s… Continue Reading
…/My copy edit struck your copy edit right in the nose/What was the final word count? Remember this skipping rhyme from childhood (with different words, of course)? I’ve been amusing myself and learning at the same time by completing short copy edits and then comparing my work to that of another copy editor. The Society… Continue Reading