Love It or Leave It?
- Sep
- 25
- 2017
- Posted by Tammy Ditmore
- Posted in Events, Language, personal reflections
When I was a kid, the nightly news was filled with images of the Vietnam War and the ugly protests against the war that were raging around our country. Although the pictures were disturbing, I would sit and watch the evening news with my dad any chance I got because I enjoyed the way my […]
Your Words Still Matter
- Jun
- 14
- 2017
- Posted by Tammy Ditmore
- Posted in Language, personal reflections
A little more than six years ago, the second post I wrote for this blog came after a mass shooting that targeted a congresswoman, Gabby Giffords. Six people died in that attack, and Giffords suffered serious brain damage. Today, a man in Alexandria, Virginia, opened fire on a group of congressmen and congresswomen who were practicing […]
BB Guns to Muumuus: All in a Week’s Work!
- Feb
- 20
- 2014
- Posted by Tammy Ditmore
- Posted in Editing, Language
One of the best things about working as an independent editor is the wide variety of material I get to read, and glancing back at some of the words and ideas I’ve looked up in the past few days simply makes me smile. I can’t help it; I think words are fun. This week, I’ve […]
Opting Out for Clarity’s Sake
- May
- 31
- 2013
- Posted by Tammy Ditmore
- Posted in Editing, Language
I got a thick envelope this week from the mortgage lender that now owns my house. As I glanced through several pages about disclosures and RESPA requirements, a sentence at the top of the last page caught my eye. You do not need to notify us if you decide not to opt out. Wait—what? I […]
Yarn Spinning of Adequate Stupidity
- Mar
- 15
- 2013
- Posted by Tammy Ditmore
- Posted in Editing, Language, Publishing, Writing
Adequate stupidity? Yes, I think that about sums up “spinning,” a process that uses software to generate what Spinrobot.com claims is “legible, grammatically correct … syntax” with a single click. Spinning software is designed to allow you to revise written material in seconds by generating synonyms to replace at least 20% of the words in […]
Obsessing as Usual, But with a Smile
- Jan
- 18
- 2013
- Posted by Tammy Ditmore
- Posted in Editing, Language
Found some advice this week that made me smile. And it came from an unlikely source—the SBL Handbook of Style: For Ancient Near Eastern, Biblical, and Early Christian Studies. I’m editing a book of essays on the Apostle Paul and his writings, and needed to know how the SBL (Society of Biblical Literature) would have […]
The Art of the #Hashtag
- Jan
- 08
- 2013
- Posted by Tammy Ditmore
- Posted in Editing, Language, Writing
#Hashtag. The American Dialect Society voted last week to dub #hashtag the Word of the Year for 2012. When I first heard that news, I winced. The word seems too trendy and tech-focused. I know a lot of people who have never used Twitter and never plan to use Twitter. Do they even know that […]
Fiction Rules
- Nov
- 10
- 2012
- Posted by Tammy Ditmore
- Posted in Editing, Language
Copy editing is a profession full of rules and guidelines. The first rule of editing? The rules don’t always apply. That no rules rule especially affects editors working with fiction. Colleen Barry in her “Ask Copy Curmudgeon” blog addresses this dilemma in her Friday post: http://askcopycurmudgeon.com/2012/11/09/the-irrelephants-of-style/#comments. Because the Copy Curmudgeon doesn’t edit much fiction, she […]
Happy Punctuation Day to You!
- Sep
- 24
- 2012
- Posted by Tammy Ditmore
- Posted in Editing, Events, Language
I haven’t managed to produce a blog post in the past couple of months because I’ve been thinking too much about other writers’ works to think for myself. But as an editor, I just couldn’t pass up a chance to wish everyone a “Happy National Punctuation Day!” What? You haven’t heard of National Punctuation Day? Don’t […]
Can We All Get Along?
- Apr
- 29
- 2012
- Posted by Tammy Ditmore
- Posted in Language, personal reflections, Speech
Twenty years ago today, I brought my firstborn home from the hospital. He was barely 24 hours old and not well-adjusted to his new environment. I was in pain from a difficult delivery and not well-adjusted to my new role in life. I expected to shut the doors on the outside world for a few […]
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Tammy’s approach to editing was like telling a story to someone who listens very well and offers suggestions only when something is confusing or grammatically incorrect (or embarrassing).
This book has been a major effort for me over the past 15 years—both emotionally and in time commitment. Your feedback helped me give it structure. Your insightful questions encouraged me to go deeper in my understanding and intentions, which provided enhanced clarity. Your recommendations provided a professional perspective that I needed towards getting it published. Thank you so much! When entertaining any future writing projects, you will be the first person I contact.
She worked with me chapter-by-chapter over the course of nearly a year to hone my writing through attention to style, organization, and mechanics. Her close reading and keen eye have been invaluable during my revision process. I learned important guidelines about preparing my manuscript for its final review through this pleasant experience of working with her.
Tammy Ditmore is an excellent editor. My writing improved grammatically, in structure, and clarity under her skilled eye.
Personally, I feel the editing process is the most important aspect of writing–it can be a nightmare if the editor and the writer are not on the same page. … Tammy knows what she is doing, she is easy to work with, and she delivers on time.
I appreciate Tammy’s willingness to ask questions when appropriate, flex on deadlines, offer sound advice, and rewrite sentences or sections as needed. Her command of substantive and copy editing make Tammy an asset to any project.
Tammy is sensitive to my work and does a great job to maintain the integrity of my writing and my voice!
Tammy Ditmore’s timely, thorough, detailed and accurate proofreading made my book print ready. She delivers high quality work on schedule and is a pleasure to work with.
I had a book manuscript that had a thorough edit by a copy editor, but there were many changes made and I wanted another set of eyes to look at it carefully. So I hired Tammy Ditmore to do a “final” proofread and flag anything that she found awkward, confusing or ill-fitting. That is a difficult job—to look both for errors and to comment, but that is what I needed. Tammy took it on and did a great job. Tammy also understands a schedule and finished the work on time—even ahead of time. Thank … Read more
Tammy Ditmore was the consummate professional. She was very humble in dealing with me and tailored her editing style to fit my specific needs. She was prompt and punctual with deadlines and was very open to communicating with me. I would hire her again in a heartbeat.”