Blog
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Developmental editing: What it is and why I love it
If you have spent any time at all exploring this website (and I do invite you to do so), you will be among the clever few who already know there are different levels of editing.…
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Exhausting or exhaustive?
It is an easy mistake to make, especially when you’re tired. Nevertheless, there is a difference in meaning between the words “exhausting” and “exhaustive”, and astute writers know which one to choose. The word “exhausting”…
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Finding the right editor for you
It has taken a bit of time and a lot of effort. You’ve poured your devotion, attention and even your heart into writing your book, your thesis, your website, your poetry. Now at last it…
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The politician, the preposition and the donation of blood
Here, friends, is the latest in our explorations of interestingly misphrased sentences. “Residents are being encouraged to roll up their sleeves and donate blood by a local politician.” Admittedly, there is little that is ambiguous…
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Paint chip poetry
How did I not discover this until now? Paint chip poetry. Utterly wonderful! It seems there are a couple of ways to play this game – and I do invite you to play. Start by…
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The book you must write and the one you can publish
So, Elizabeth Gilbert has a podcast. And that’s fun because she has a lovely voice and valuable insights to share. Take, for instance, this gem from her first episode. “There is the book that you…
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Seeing what is there: How editing and art exhibitions are surprisingly alike
At first glance, there might not seem to be much similarity between the practice of editing and the act of viewing an art exhibition, yet to my mind they are alike. Let me explain how.…
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Simple comma makes an outstanding contribution
Sometimes a simple comma can make all the difference. This is what they do most of the time, of course. It’s sort of their job. When laid in the right place, these modest pieces of…
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Those monsters who live in the air
You know that delicious shiver which good writing can deliver? This passage from Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall does it for me. It describes the scene of the procession through London for Anne Boleyn’s coronation. The…
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Not feeling confident?
I’m delighted to hear it!I received an email from one of my wonderful clients recently. It went something like this: Feeling worried about this book. I am not going to give up, but it’s so hard to be consistent…
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Choosing a word of the year the Macquarie Dictionary way
While devising new words and wrangling existing definitions into curious contortions can be considered all manner of fun, it is only cautiously that such linguistic innovations make their way into official dictionaries. Yet the value…
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That or who? Which is correct and which is best?
It may be a shiny new year but you’ll be pleased (won’t you?) to know my instinct to pick at grammatical inaccuracies, linguistic inconsistencies and inelegant expression is as keen and ready as ever. Here’s…