by Tammy Ditmore | Sep 25, 2017 | 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...
by Tammy Ditmore | Jun 14, 2017 | 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...
by Tammy Ditmore | Feb 20, 2014 | 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...
by Tammy Ditmore | May 31, 2013 | 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...
by Tammy Ditmore | Mar 15, 2013 | 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...
by Tammy Ditmore | Jan 18, 2013 | 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...
