Editing and More
Opting Out for Clarity’s Sake
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...
Happy Birthday, Tyler
"She said, 'With the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man.'” Eve’s words of gratitude and wonder upon the birth of her first son have been bouncing around my brain a lot the past few days. Because today, in the eyes of the law, my firstborn becomes a man....
Unexpected Ojai
The sun didn’t make an appearance in Ojai yesterday till early afternoon, and the expected crowds of word lovers never did appear at Libbey Bowl for “A Celebration of Words.” But I met Ken Koury, one of the country’s top Monopoly experts, who set up shop at the table...
Ojai Wordfest
I’m table sitting on Saturday, April 13, at the Ojai WordFest’s “A Celebration of Words” at Libbey Bowl Saturday. The event will feature stage readings and performances by authors, poets, playwrights, songwriters, improv players and other word-artists as well as a...
Following ACES
I learned a lot this past weekend at my first National Conference of the American Copy Editors Society (ACES). I learned that people look up the words affect and effect in the online Merriam Webster’s Dictionary more than any other words—although qi is often tops at...
Coming Up: ACES
I’m packing (OK, thinking about packing) today for my trip to the 17th National Conference of the American Copy Editors Society in St. Louis. This is my first trip to an ACES meeting and my first trip to St. Louis, so I’m experiencing a double dose of anticipation,...
Yarn Spinning of Adequate Stupidity
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...
Staying Power
Last summer I proofread a book that taught me a lot about aging and how small adaptations can make regular houses safer and more comfortable as we get older. Staying Power: Age-Proof Your Home for Comfort, Safety and Style by Rachel Adelson has now hit the shelves;...
Word Love
Like most writers and editors I know, I work in Microsoft Word most of the time. And like most writers and editors I know, I have a love/hate relationship with the capital W Word program. But today, in honor of Valentine’s Day, I decided to focus on the love side. So...
Obsessing as Usual, But with a Smile
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...