Let’s Eat Mom

To comma or not to comma, that is the question. This seemingly insignificant punctuation mark causes more confusion in the lives of writers, editors, and all who work in publications or with web content than all other punctuation marks combined. This blog reviews some basic rules for the use of the comma, so you can brush up on your usage of the pesky comma.

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Don’t Skip Critique!

If you want to publish a polished, well-crafted piece of writing, you’ll likely need feedback to help guide your revisions. Most authors, however, aren’t ready for a professional editor after the first draft. Instead, join a writer’s critique group! They’re free, they’ll make you a better writer, and they’ll help build your network. Here’s how.

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A Brief Guide to Style Guides

A piece of writing should be as precise, smooth, and clear as possible. To that end, it should follow the conventions of grammar, syntax, formatting, and style. (Yes, rules are sometimes broken to great effect, and there may be exceptions, but usually writing should follow these conventions.) What is style? Style covers myriad elements, such […]

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How I Survive Being Edited

As a freelance editor, I spend a lot of time changing authors’ texts. That’s my job. It wasn’t until I experienced the editing process firsthand before publishing my book, Business Matters, that I truly realized what other authors may know: It’s hard on the ego to be edited. When I saw the edits, I didn’t […]

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What Proofreaders Do (and Don’t Do)

Many authors confuse the job of the proofreader with that of the copyeditor. Both are vital for helping create a polished version of your writing, yet these word experts work at two completely different stages of the editing process. After the copyediting stage—when overall content plus grammar and style are addressed—comes the proofreading stage. Generally, […]

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