Don’t depend on spell check. It doesn’t catch misused words and it often makes suggestions that are incorrect. Be careful. Find a good editor. I read a very funny and well-told story recently that offers a great example of the ‘spell check spell.’
The first problem I encountered: I couldn’t find the book because the author had misspelled her own name on the link she had sent out. The book will remain nameless for additional reasons that will become obvious momentarily. My note to the author’s friend who suggested the book:
The author has a good story and a catchy writing style. But she has many errors in the book: punctuation, spelling, grammar, misuse of words and more. This detracts from any good manuscript.
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I wrote my first book when I was eight years old. It was a book about the weather and it was called, of course, The Book of Weather. I took construction paper and drew the sun and wind and clouds, wrote about lightning and thunder and fastened the pages between two pieces of cardboard taken from my father’s new button-down work shirts. I covered the cardboard with green and yellow wallpaper that had bright and bubbly orange flowers dancing along it. The wallpaper had been left over from decorating our 1970’s Long Island kitchen.
I was pleased with my book but nothing made me prouder than when the librarian placed it in my elementary school library. I visited it every day. I don’t recall anyone checking out my book, or if it was given its own listing in the card catalogue or even a Dewey decimal number, but I didn’t care. There it was on the shelves. My book. I was a writer.
I have never met Michelangelo. I have never had a conversation with him nor heard his voice. I have learned about his life from his artwork, his poetry and his letters. Yet I feel I know him better than many of my closest friends. As a writer, I yearn for creative talent to equal his. As a student of the Italian renaissance, I am fascinated by one of its geniuses. From a spiritual perspective, there is a deep connection between Michelangelo & me.
As a writer, I yearn for creative talent to equal his. As a student of the Italian renaissance, I am fascinated by one of its geniuses. From a spiritual perspective, there is a deep connection between Michelangelo & me.
Did the grand idea behind Little Red Riding Hood develop because of bad grammar? Was Hannibal Lecter created because of a simple misplaced comma? Let's explore.
In a past blog I discussed the difference that a space could make. Today I’ll demonstrate the difference that a comma can make. The word comma comes directly from the Greek word komma (κόμμα), which means something cut off or a short clause.
Writing is not a contact sport, but still, if you’re not careful you can hurt yourself. You might think I’m being flippant, but look at this dialogue and see how dangerous it can be.
“I am turning in the store,” you say.
“Be careful, you’ll knock stuff over. The store shelves are very full,” your friend replies.
And you have no idea what she is talking about.
Specifically: “I am turning in the store” indicates that you are already in (inside) the store and you are turning around,
One of our authors recently sent an inquiry. He asked, “What is a ‘black manuscript’?” As I wrote about black manuscripts in a previous blog, let’s not revisit that subject.
Note the placement of the single quote mark and the double quote mark around the words ‘black manuscript’ in the preceding paragraph. The author could have stated, “This is a ‘black manuscript.’” There are differences. The single quote mark goes inside the question mark, but outside the period. Why?
Make no mistake . . . I am not a fan of rap music. Not because of who sings it or what it’s about – simply because I don’t understand it. My ears can make neither rhyme nor reason of the words. The melodies are too dissonant for my audible range and my hearing capabilities. But, this is not a critique of rap music. I am simply using it as an example.
The Pop Music article in The New Yorker, June 18, 2012, (http://www.newyorker.com/magazine) discusses the resurgence of political hip-hop. The caption under the illustration reads “The rapper and producer El P is an elder statesman in a new wave of politically engaged groups.” The photo is by Zach Gross.
Until recently, I still vigorously exercised my red pen on hard copy manuscripts for editing purposes. I had to be hauled, kicking and screaming, into the 21st century. I still love my red pen; I had wielded it mightily and felt disloyal abandoning the little guy. Although, I rationalized that my concern was being driven by environmental consciousness and saving trees, let me confess something here: My biggest fear was that I was, and always will be, a misfit in the I-Pod era.