We lost a brilliant wordsmith when comedian George Carlin
recently left this world. I remember when our friends from
Albuquerque came to visit and brought Carlin CDs with them. We’d laugh all weekend listening to his humorous one-liners.
My colleague Sam Horn wrote such a wonderful tribute to
Carlin’s genius, I’ve repeated it here with her permission.
Brilliant Brain-Droppings from George Carlin
by Sam Horn
George Carlin was the poster child for POP! (Editor’s note:
POP! is Sam’s brand and the name of her latest book).
His funny, incisive musings were Purposeful, Original, Pithy.
Samplings of his iconoclastic observations include:
“Before they invented the drawing board, what did they go
back to?”
“What if there were no hypothetical questions?”
“If you scratch a cynic, you’ll find a disappointed idealist.”
“Electricity is really just organized lightning.”
He was also known for saying, “You live 80 years and at best
you get about six minutes of pure magic.”
Unfortunately for George, his loved ones and us, he didn’t
make it to 80 years; but he certainly gave us a lot more than
six minutes of pure genius and comedic magic. God speed.
More words of wisdom from Sam at
http://samhornpop.wordpress.com
Categories: Fun with Words
Tagged: George Carlin, Sam Horn, wordsmith
Copyediting and proofreading are terms used to describe the process of examining written work for errors. While professional editors recognize some differences between the two activities, this article focuses on their similarities. To make the process accessible to beginners, the activities involved in proofreading and correcting basic errors are referred to as “copyediting.” After reading this, you have the information you need to perform basic copyediting tasks, which benefits writes at all stages. For complex writing projects, you may find it helpful to work with a professional editor.
Steps
- Read through the text without changing anything. This will give you an idea of what the author is trying to say, which will be helpful when you begin editing.
- Return to the beginning of the piece and examine the first sentence for errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation, and logical flow. If you discover any problems, fix them.
- Example: “i like when the sun is shning to walk my dog in central park!!!!” should be changed to: “When the sun is shining, I like to walk my dog in Central Park.”
- Move on to the next sentence and repeat step 2.
- Do a final read-through. When all the sentences have been edited, return to the beginning of the text and give it a final reading. Double-check your work, correcting any errors you may have missed the first time.
- Submit, post, or publish the edited text.
Tips
- “Copyediting” differs from so-called “substantive editing” in that the goal of the copy editor is to avoid changing the original text any more than necessary. Copyeditors do not generally make heavy-handed changes to an author’s work. Instead, the goal is to correct the obvious problems, make the text readable, and preserve the author’s “voice” (which is his own unique way of expressing himself).
- Basic proofreading is always a part of the copyediting process, but it can also involve some deeper restructuring. If a sentence just doesn’t flow the way it should, a good copyeditor will improve the sentence by rearranging or rewriting it. See step 2 of this article for an example of this. Rewriting should be done only when necessary, as the goal is to preserve the author’s unique voice as much as possible.
- If you find it difficult to get the hang of copyediting, remember that it is really just a combination of good English skills and simple common sense. Put punctuation where it should go, remove extra punctuation, get rid of extraneous words, be sure that sentences make sense when you read them, and watch out for misspellings and typos. If the text sounds good when you read it out loud, you’re on the right track.
- A helpful way to find mistakes is to read it backwards. If there is a mistake in the writing, your mind may ignore it and assume it says the right thing. This happens a lot. Your brain has to actually understand each word if you read it backwards. Read it out loud, too.
- If you are proofreading your own work, you might find it beneficial to proofread it again the next day. People often read what they thought they wrote, rather than what is actually written.
Warnings
- Copyediting well is not always easy. If you do not have a natural eye for errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation, and logical flow, you may want to ask someone else to do the copyediting. However, if you do have the ability to copyedit well, you can take pride in providing a valuable service to others. Even valuable work by talented authors will be poorly received if it is full of technical errors.
Related wikiHows
Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world’s largest, highest quality how-to manual. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.
Categories: 1
Because I’m an avid fan of professional tennis, I talk with my tennis buddies about Venus and Serena, Federer and Nadal as if they’re our next-door neighbors. Their successes elevate them to the status of heroes, but as a fellow reporter taught me in my first journalism job, I constantly listen for lessons we mere mortals can learn from these heroes.
Recently, my ears perked up when I heard the mantra that French Open champ Rafael Nadal has adopted: stay hungry, stay humble. I interpret it to mean “I’m hungry to reach new heights without calling myself the greatest.”
How can you and I adapt that mantra to our own challenges? Having just gone through the soul-searching agony of producing a flyer to market my editing business, I’ve thought about this a lot!
My flyer (request it at editor@barbaramcnichol.com) piggybacks on my client’s #3 New York Times best-seller How Come That Idiot’s Rich and I’m Not. This book has allowed Robert Shemin to change the direction of his career, stretching to a higher level than ever. For me, the equivalent success is helping more nonfiction authors reach new heights through expert editing.
What does “staying hungry, staying humble” mean for you?
Categories: Book Successes
Tagged: Rafael Nadal, Robert Shemin, wordsmith
Categories: 1 · Author adventures · Recent Releases!
Tagged: Gadget Nation, Steve Greenberg
Jessica Cox
Flying with My Own Two Feet not only reveals the name of her book, it’s an actual feat for Jessica Cox. And on May 11, 2008, this speaker/author gave her mom an amazing Mother’s Day gift. She flew an Ercoupe sport plane solo in San Manuel, Arizona - with her feet!
Jessica tigthens fuel cap in her preflight inspection
Reaching this milestone is tough for anyone, but especially for this 25 year old born without arms. Her family and friends, myself included, watched her practice her touch-and-go’s (quick landing and takeoff) the day before, but her instructor said, “There’s no way I’d let you solo with all those people around! You wouldn’t be able to concentrate!”
Then, in her lesson about 6 a.m. the next morning with no crowds or cameras around, she did five touch-and-go’s in a row. “You’re ready,” said Parrish Traweek, her instructor and owner of the Ercoupe. After that came her first solo flight.
With me the day before Jessica soloed
Being been part of Jessica’s flying and writing dreams since 2005, I’ve seen her overcome logistical barriers too numerous to count. She’s now earned a sport pilot’s license and can happily tell the world, ”Look, Ma. I’ve soloed!”
I’ll keep you posted on her book’s journey as we complete Flying with My Own Two Feet by Jessica Cox.
Categories: Author adventures
Tagged: Jessica Cox
The first Saturday in May. That’s when my hubbie Byron and I “collaborated” with our friends Donna and Frank to create a fabulous Kentucky Derby experience - a full day at Churchill Downs, complete with mint juleps and hats galore! We hoped that “corroborating” our knowledge about which horses to bet on would strengthen our wagering, but no such luck. In lieu of hard cash, we toasted this cultural experience supreme and brought home fun memories. (See
Word Trippers page for collaborate vs. corroborate.)
Categories: Fun with Words
Tagged: Kentucky Derby
What are the six types of editors? How do you select an editor? What can you expect from the editing process? Barbara answered these questions and many more for Laura Benjamin’s recent online Radio Show. You can listen to her answers at http://www.laurabenjamin.com/shows.htm or, better yet, ask your own specific questions right here!
Categories: Sample Edit
Tagged: editing process, selecting editor, types of editors
Rosy Celebration for Robert Shemin’s team -
We hit #3 on New York Times Bestseller List in March!
Welcome to Barbara McNichol’s fresh new entry into the blogosphere. I’ve launched Editing Angles to celebrate a milestone achievement in my editing career.
My long-time client Robert Shemin’s new book (which I edited) just reached #3 on the New York Times bestseller list. It hasn’t gone unnoticed from those near and dear; I received roses from my hubbie and a champagne toast from my coach (over Skype-she’s in Hawaii and I’m in Arizona).
Pick up your copy of How Come He’s a Rich Idiot and I’m Not. It’s filled with practical wealth-building advice from a rags-to-riches author who has now worked with me on 6 top-shelf books.
Keep in tune with this blog for ways to improve your writing through editing tricks learned over three decades.
“Editing Angles” reflects a joyful experiment in sharing tips and ideas as you craft your own persuasive articles and BESTSELLING books.
Categories: Book Successes
Tagged: Best-seller, editing tricks, improve writing, wealth-building advice
Categories: Recent Releases!
Tagged: Gadget Nation editor, innovation, invention
