What Does an Editor Do?
I’m amazed at the number of first-time writers who think that they can call me up, send me their manuscript (MS), and let me go through it once — then send it off to McGraw-Hill, Penguin, or Scholastic and have the next Harry Potter on their hands. It just doesn’t work that way. I’m a […]
Some Pointers for New Bloggers — NOT Just Grammar
Hey folks! I’m seeing a lot of new faces here on Blogit (handles, anyway), which is marvellous. But I also see a lot of people making some of the same mistakes I did….I’d like to save you some time, trouble, and embarrassment. Don’t make a whole new blog for each post. Group your posts into […]
The Value of Mythology
All writers should study mythology. A solid understanding of classical mythology is a sine qua non of good writing. If you don’t have a good knowledge of myth, you lose the ability to draw parallels and to make allusions that enrich and enliven your writing. All readers should study mythology. Without an understanding of the […]
Watch Your Phraseology!
There is a growing movement toward redefining the words “homophobia” and “homophobic” to mean a person who hates or disapproves of homosexuals and homosexual behaviour. As an arbiter of correct grammar and proper diction (word choice), I believe that it is incumbent upon me to correct this common mistake before it takes root and becomes […]
Getting Started in Freelance Editing
This is a bit of a bio / instruction list. So it runs a bit long. I’m a freelance copyeditor, typesetter, and writer. I started editing when I was in high school, and was the editor of my college’s literary magazine for three years. When I was in college, I started a typing service (that […]