Tag Archives: editing
Amen and Awoman?!
Monday, January 4, 2021 “When I use a word,”Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, ‘It means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.” In the news this morning: “Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo., altered … Continue reading
More On Real World Revising and Editing
Content writers don’t care about word choice. Not ultimately. It’s up to the editor, perhaps their boss, or maybe the client who makes the final decision on words and word usage. That’s why assessment tests with difficult grammar problems make … Continue reading
Three Good Paragraphs
I’m happy if I can write three good paragraphs in a row. In my now dead book project of 60,000 words, I probably had 11 or 12 instances in which I produced a set of three good paragraphs. I still … Continue reading
Posted in editing writing, revising writing, Uncategorized, Writing by others, Writing tips
Tagged art, editing, practicing, revising, the business of writing, writing
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More on Revising
Editing and proofreading fiddles with copy, revising recasts. One of our writers submitted a page with this paragraph. He is a fine writer but under deadline for this piece. I have more time as I am generally not doing original … Continue reading
Posted in editing writing, non-fiction writing, organizing writing, Thoughts on writing, Uncategorized, Writing by others, Writing tips
Tagged client concerns, copy, copyediting, corporate interests, editing, positive. business writing, positivism, recasting, revising, revising copy, writing
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Good Writing is Unnatural
First draft writing resembles contemporaneous speaking. Record yourself for five minutes delivering an impromptu speech on a subject and then transcribe it. Then think about how far it is from tight, vigorous, organized writing. It’s a long way. We think … Continue reading
Who Are We Writing For?
Who Are We Writing For? OR For Whom are We Writing? (I can’t decide which title is grammatically correct) Who am I writing for? That is the most important question to answer before writing for publication. The final answer, though, … Continue reading
Another Revising Example
Before: In certain cases, an existing Texas child custody order may need to be modified by a court after custody has been initially determined. This means you can request a court to modify a custody order when a new and … Continue reading
Shun “tion” in Revising
I recently worked on this paragraph from one of our writers. Mentioning the state name repeatedly is for SEO purposes. Original “Assets and debts division is frequently a major point of contention for divorcing couples in Arkansas. As a rule, … Continue reading
Outguessing Google
I’m taking on new responsibilities for inFocus, the Vancouver company I have written and edited for since 2015. Our clients are law firms throughout the United States and Canada. We build their websites and maintain them, filling them with content tailored … Continue reading