Blog
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A tale of your or you’re
Once upon a time there was a word and the word was “your”. Or maybe it was “you’re”. And each of these words had the same sound but neither carried the same meaning, and thus…
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Building beautiful bridges through structural editing
I have been thinking about metaphors to help explain structural editing. As the name suggests, this kind of editing aims to create a strong framework for your ideas. Poised between developmental editing and copyediting, its…
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Strike your note:
A new year’s admonitionIt stretches before us, crisp and unsullied. Poised as we are at the start of this bright, shiny year, we are free to imagine without hint of disappointment all the wondrous things we might experience,…
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“We never finish books”:
Wise words from Dani ShapiroIt is a reminder I gave to the research students who I advised at university. It’s an assurance I give to the writers I work with today. And it’s something I heard author and memoirist…
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Copyediting and proofreading:
Five things you should knowThe first thing you need to know is that copyediting and proofreading are not the same thing. While both focus on making your document as clear, consistent and free of errors as is humanly possible,…
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Christmas fears appear ambiguous
There is no denying that Christmas is a difficult time for many people. The reasons for this vary, but they are often quietly personal. An article I read a little while back highlighted this issue…
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Embarrassed? You should be!
I know I’m not the only one. I know it has happened to you too. It happened to one of my clients just the other day. We have been working together for over a year…
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What you get from a manuscript appraisal
It happens every time. Whenever a writer sends me a manuscript, I feel a delightful sense of anticipation. It’s like something potentially wonderful is in front of me and I’m eager to discover what I…
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The quirks of “while” or “whilst”
I confess. It’s true. Like you, I have my word quirks. There are those I use often because I’m fond of them (“nifty”, “tricky”, “expressive”, “poetic”) and many I use rarely because they don’t resonate…
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The doorway into thanks and silence
Time for some more poetry, I think. (Isn’t it always?) Sometimes it takes no more than a moment. You meet a person, see a painting, hear some music or read certain words. Immediately, there is…
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Why comma splices aren’t so nice
I know what it’s like. You’re full of ideas that you’re eager to share. You want to say everything all at once, give your reader every detail, say all of the things, all in one…
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Why I need to see your work
(and why it’s ok to show me)This is how it goes. You write your document. You work away at it until you happily hit that final full stop. You take a breath. You let it go. You’re ready for the next…