Freelance Editor's Ink!

Some of you may have already noticed, but I recently built a new page for my blog called Freelance Editor's Ink! That is actually my new freelance editing business that I am running on the side of everything else!

I've been thinking about doing this for a really long time and now is my best chance! So, if you know anyone that needs a great editor or proofreader for both fiction and nonfiction, send them my way! My business cards are in the mail!!!

Here's the deal...

Freelance Editor:

Aubrie Parth

About Me:

I am a Freelance Editor and a Production Assistant/Proofreader for Knorr Marketing in Traverse City, Michigan. I graduated from Central Michigan University with a bachelor’s degree in English with concentrated studies in both creative writing and grammar and two minors in art and history. I enjoy writing myself, but I truly love helping other writer’s words look their best.

For years, I have been a writer/editor for online writing communities, volunteering my efforts for young aspiring novelist and poets. I have also turned toward aiding student published works, such as the 1098 fiction collective magazine at Central Michigan University.

Now, I am currently aiding in editing for Malcolm J. Croan, an independent publisher and writer of Right Hand Up To God. The current piece will be Malcolm’s second novel, and it is children’s literature. I have also done ghost writing and proofreading for the Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce and currently proofread for Knorr Marketing.

I enjoy working from home, all while contributing to maintaining the English language and molding better writers!

Services:*

* I suggest changes using “Track Changes” in Microsoft Word.

· Proofreading:

o Your document is reviewed for spelling, grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and typographical errors.

· Copy Editing:

o Your document is reviewed for spelling, grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and typographical errors. It is edited for style and structure, which includes suggestions for word choice, verb tense, sentence and paragraph structure, and sentence clarity.

Rates:

· Fiction: (Novels/ Books/ Short stories/ Poetry/ Et Cetera)

o Proofreading

§ 100 words or less- $5

§ Every additional word (after 100 words) is an extra .01 cent

o Editing

§ 100 words or less- $7

§ Every additional word (after 100 words) is an extra .015 cent

· Non-Fiction: (Magazine Articles/ Newspaper Articles/ Textbooks/ Memoirs/ Biographies/ Autobiographies/ Research papers/ School papers/ Et Cetera)

o Proofreading

§ 100 words or less- $7

§ Every additional word (after 100 words) is an extra .01 cent

o Editing

§ 100 words or less- $10

§ Every additional word (after 100 words) is an extra .015 cent

Contacting Me:

· Email me at FreelanceEditorsInk@aol.com

Submission Guidelines:

Manuscript MUST meet the following guidelines!

· Typed

· Saved as a Word .docx file

· Emailed as an attachment

Others:

By using Freelance Editor’s Ink’s services, you (the customer) are agreeing that you understand and are bound to the following terms of service:

The customer is responsible for the content of any submitted document. Freelance Editor’s Ink is not liable for copyright infringements or the intellectual property rights of any document submitted by the customer.

The customer is responsible for either accepting or rejecting the suggested changes to the document, and making those changes in his or her original document. The customer is also responsible for ensuring the accuracy of the proofread or edited document. Freelance Editor’s Ink does not include fact-checking.
Freelance Editor’s Ink does not guarantee the results of any proofread or edited document. The customer agrees to refrain from any legal action against Freelance Editor’s Ink due to any loss or damages, financial or otherwise, resulting from the customer’s use of Freelance Editor’s Ink.

Freelance Editor’s Ink is not obligated to refund the price of any service performed. If the customer is not satisfied upon receipt of the proofread or copy edited document, he or she must let Freelance Editor’s Ink know within seven (7) days, and every effort will be made to correct the situation. If Freelance Editor’s Ink does not receive notice of such dissatisfaction within this period of time, the project will be considered completed in a manner acceptable to the customer.
The customer is responsible for adding the Freelance Editor’s Ink email address to his or her address book. Proofread and copy edited documents are returned to the customer via email, and the customer is responsible for checking his or her email for correspondence concerning an order. Freelance Editor’s Ink is not responsible for any difficulties due to disruption of the Internet or email services.

Freelance Editor’s Ink reserves the right to refuse service at its discretion and/or terminate services at any time.

These terms of service may be amended at any time without notice.

Privacy Policy: Protecting your privacy is very important, and Freelance Editor’s Ink will make every effort to ensure that your work remains completely private and confidential.*
*Similar policies have been used by other reputable editing services.

I'm really looking forward to getting started with this!

See ya!

Who vs. Whom

This is a rough one that I am always looking up!!!

It's even a pain in the butt to have to try and explain so I am just going to let grammargirl.com take it away once again! Here is her Quick and Dirty tip...

"Like whom, the pronoun him ends with m. When you're trying to decide whether to use who or whom, ask yourself if the answer to the question would be he or him. That's the trick: if you can answer the question being asked with him, then use whom, and it's easy to remember because they both end with m. For example, if you're trying to ask, "Who (or whom) do you love?" The answer would be "I love him." Him ends with an m, so you know to use whom. But if you are trying to ask, "Who (or whom) stepped on Squiggly?" the answer would be "He stepped on Squiggly." There's no m, so you know to use who. So that's the quick and dirty trick: if you can't remember that you use whom when you are referring to the object of the sentence, just remember that him equals whom."

...Yes! Finally a solution that makes sense! Thanks Grammar Girl!

Random Capitalization Syndrome!

Do you Suffer from Random Capitalization Syndrome!? I know the Entire Marketing and Advertising world does. I know my Mother does. So, ask Yourself again. Do You?

Random Capitalization Syndrome is the REAL DEAL! Ask any Editor and they will Tell you that some People like to Capitalize RANDOM Words for no apparent reason whatsoever. It's not Grammatically Correct, there is no pattern to their Madness, and usually there isn't any consistency either.

One day, the word Tree will be capitalized in a Sentence. However, in the following sentence tree is Left to Stand on it's own. All By Itself!
Is this getting Annoying yet? Do you Realize what I am doing yet? Are you confused by the Random capitalization that is occuring? I am.

So, to prevent this from ever happening again, at least with my readers, and mostly in their formal writing, here are the basic capitalization rules that we can all learn to live by, instead of confusing and frustrating ourselves and others with random capitalizations here or there and everywhere...

Capitalization Rules

Rule 1

Capitalize the first word of a quoted sentence.
Examples:
He said, "Treat her as you would your own daughter."
"Look out!" she screamed. "You almost ran into my child."

Rule 2

Capitalize a proper noun.
Example:
Golden Gate Bridge

Rule 3

Capitalize a person's title when it precedes the name. Do not capitalize when the title is acting as a description following the name.
Examples:
Chairperson Petrov
Ms. Petrov, the chairperson of the company, will address us at noon.

Rule 4

Capitalize the person's title when it follows the name on the address or signature line.
Example:
Sincerely,
Ms. Haines, Chairperson

Rule 5

Capitalize the titles of high-ranking government officials when used before their names. Do not capitalize the civil title if it is used instead of the name.
Examples:
The president will address Congress.
All senators are expected to attend.
The governors, lieutenant governors, and attorneys general called for a special task force.
Governor Fortinbrass, Lieutenant Governor Poppins, Attorney General Dalloway, and Senators James and Twain will attend.

Rule 6

Capitalize any title when used as a direct address.
Example:
Will you take my temperature, Doctor?

Rule 7

Capitalize points of the compass only when they refer to specific regions.
Examples:
We have had three relatives visit from the South.
Go south three blocks and then turn left.
We live in the southeast section of town.
Southeast is just an adjective here describing section, so it should not be capitalized.

Rule 8

Always capitalize the first and last words of titles of publications regardless of their parts of speech. Capitalize other words within titles, including the short verb forms Is, Are, and Be.
Exception:
Do not capitalize little words within titles such as a, an, the, but, as, if, and, or, nor, or prepositions, regardless of their length.
Examples:
The Day of the Jackal
What Color Is Your Parachute?
A Tale of Two Cities

Rule 9

Capitalize federal or state when used as part of an official agency name or in government documents where these terms represent an official name. If they are being used as general terms, you may use lowercase letters.
Examples:
The state has evidence to the contrary.
That is a federal offense.
The State Board of Equalization collects sales taxes.
We will visit three states during our summer vacation.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has been subject to much scrutiny and criticism lately.
Her business must comply with all county, state, and federal laws.

Rule 10

You may capitalize words such as department, bureau, and office if you have prepared your text in the following way:
Example:
The Bureau of Land Management (Bureau) has some jurisdiction over Indian lands. The Bureau is finding its administrative role to be challenging.

Rule 11

Do not capitalize names of seasons.
Example:
I love autumn colors and spring flowers.

Rule 12

Capitalize the first word of a salutation and the first word of a complimentary close.
Examples:
Dear Ms. Mohamed:
My dear Mr. Sanchez:
Very truly yours,

Rule 13

Capitalize words derived from proper nouns.
Example:
I must take English and math.
English is capitalized because it comes from the proper noun England, but math does not come from Mathland.

Rule 14

Capitalize the names of specific course titles.
Example:
I must take history and Algebra 2.

Rule 15

After a sentence ending with a colon, do not capitalize the first word if it begins a list.
Example:
These are my favorite foods: chocolate cake, spaghetti, and artichokes.

Rule 16

Do not capitalize when only one sentence follows a sentence ending with a colon.
Example:
I love Jane Smiley's writing: her book, A Thousand Acres, was beautiful.

Rule 17

Capitalize when two or more sentences follow a sentence ending with a colon.
Example:
I love Jane Smiley's writing: Her book, A Thousand Acres, was beautiful. Also, Moo was clever.

Now, you know what to do. No longer suffer from random capitalization syndrome!!! Save yourself from the urge to capitalize what you think should be capitalize and only what should be capitalized.
Rules and examples found at http://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/capital.asp

Affect vs. Effect

I also haven't done one of these in a very long time! I guess I'm just being nostalgic in going back to some of the old blog features! Regardless of what this is, this grammar smack down has been bugging me lately, plus I've had to look it up about five times for work so it really is time to get it down and get it right!

The simplest way to figure out which one to use is to decide whether or not you need a noun or a verb.

Affect = verb

Effect = noun

Nevertheless, that's not really easy to remember.

A better way to think of it is using the nifty little phrase: Cause and Effect!

Affect:
Affect causes something, like happiness, pain, ect.
"The affect of the clown was laughter (or screams)!"
"The affect of the bullet in his side was pain."

Effect:
Effect is what happens after a cause, like the happiness, pain, ect.
"The laughter (or screams) was an effect of the clown!"
"The pain was the effect of the bullet."

See how they're like the backwards versions of each other?

However, there are always those fun excepts, and for that, I turn to another blog because they explain it a million times better than I could at the moment.

(The following is from Grammar Girl.)

Rare Uses of Affect and Effect

So what about those rare meanings that don't follow the rules I just gave you? Well, affect can be used as a noun when you're talking about psychology--it means the mood that someone appears to have. For example, "She displayed a happy affect." Psychologists find it useful because they know that you can never really understand what someone else is feeling. You can only know how they appear to be feeling.

And, effect can be used as a verb that essentially means "to bring about," or "to accomplish." For example, you could say, "Aardvark hoped to effect change within the burrow."

That's all for now!

Blond(s) vs. Blonde(s)

The difference between “blond” and “blonde” has escaped me for many years now. Finally, I looked it up and the difference will never me. It also makes for a good discussion/argument (depends on how you look at it or how defensive someone gets) in creative writing classes.

So, I digress…

“Blond” and “blonde” are spelled differently because they have two different meanings.

Blond:
Refers to the color! People have “blond” hair, golden retrievers have “blond” fur, that paint looks “blond,” etc.

Blonde:
Refers specifically to a female with blond hair. Therefore, my cousin is a “blonde” because she has blond hair.

Here’s the catch…
A male with blond hair is a “blond.” “Blonde” only is used when referring to females.

What if it's plural?
From what I have seen. If you are making it plural. You use "blonds" when referring to a group of males and "blondes" when referring to a group of females, or a group of males and females.
Exceptions…
Because of the female/male catch, some people believe that “blonde” is a sexist term and will not use that spelling. They spell everything as “blond.” So, I guess, if you are ever unsure, just use “blond” in all instances. However, if you want to be technically correct, differentiate appropriately.

The end!!!

Awake vs. Awaken vs. Wake vs. Waken

Gosh! I did not think this would be so complicated! But out of all the different examples I looked at, this one seemed to be the most thorough. So, I will once again refer to DailyWritingTips.com and give you this answer!

(NOTE: Remember to take deep breaths while reading this one! Naturally, you already know a lot of this. It's just strange to see it written out.)

The past tense of the verb awake gives lots of people fits. Should it be “awoken” or “awakened”? The same confusion attaches to the verbs awaken, wake, and waken.

In modern usage, all of these verbs may be used intransitively or transitively:

awake
intransitive: to come out of the state of sleep; to cease to sleep
transitive: to arouse (someone) from sleep.
awaken
intransitive: to arise or spring into existence
transitive: to rouse from sleep
wake
intransitive: to be or remain awake; to keep oneself, or be kept, awake
transitive: to rouse from sleep or unconsciousness
waken
intransitive: to cease to sleep; to become awake
transitive: To rouse (a person or animal) from sleep or unconsciousness.

Confusion about the past tense forms stems from the fact that the words evolved from two Old English verbs, one of which was “strong” and one of which was “weak.”

Note: Certain OE “strong” verbs developed past tense forms that end in -en in modern English. OE “weak” verbs developed past tense forms that end in -ed in modern English. In the case of awake and wake, we may choose to use either the strong or the weak endings:

awake / awoke / (have) awoken
awake / awaked / (have) awaked
wake / woke / (have) woken
wake / waked / (have) waked

In the case of awaken and waken, the weak ending is standard.

awaken / awakened / (have) awakened
waken / wakened / (have) wakened

Although these words mean more or less the same thing, I think they’ve all remained in the language because they express different slivers of meaning about waking and wakefulness.

Wake, wake up, and waken are possibly the most commonly used words for the literal act of rousing a sleeper.

Around 6 a.m. the technician returns to wake the patient and remove the sensors.
Why does Atticus wake the children in the middle of the night?
Getting your teenager to wake up in the morning
your cries have woken the master
I have woken up in the middle of the night not being able to breathe…
The thunder woke me.
I was woken by the thunder.

Next comes waken:

In 29% of patients, the pain is severe enough to waken the patient.
I often waken in the night and can’t go back to sleep.
Just when you thought there was nothing going on, the sun is going to waken!

Awake and Awaken are also used for the literal waking of a sleeper, but in addition, these words carry literary and theological connotations that simple wake does not. Sinners are exhorted to awaken to their transgressions. Self-help gurus show us how to awaken various aspects of our personalities:

How to Awaken your Divine Intuition
How to Awaken Your Inner Child
Awaken the Writer Within

Both awake and awaken are popular title words:

When We Dead Awaken
Awaken the Giant Within
14 Steps to Awaken the Sacred Feminine
Awake
The sleeper awakes

And of course, there’s Kate Chopin’s “The Awakening.”
Journalists use awaken to establish a serious tone:

Omar Bongo’s Demise Should Awaken Continent’s Tyrants
Oil spill should awaken us to nuclear danger.
This grave incident should awaken society to rid itself of prejudice.

Here are a few more examples showing the different forms in action. You may find that you want to use different words for transitive and intransitive use.

Transitive

Don’t wake the baby.
Don’t waken the baby.
She woke the patient at 3 a.m.
Has she waked the patient for her meds?
You have woken the patient too soon!
The alarm never wakes him.
Have you awakened the guards?

Intransitive
Sometimes I wake in the night.
Sometimes I waken in the night.
Sometimes I awake in the night.
Sometimes I awaken in the night.
I awoke at midnight.

Bottom line: Choose the form or forms you prefer. There’s so much confusion and disagreement about these words and their past tense forms that you ought to be safe no matter what you decide. (As long as you stay away from inventions like “awokened.”)

*****

Original information can be found at: http://www.dailywritingtips.com/awoken-or-awakened/

The History of Cops

Cop. A colloquialism for a police officer.

The term came into our language around the turn of the twentieth century when policemen walked their beats wearing boots with copper toe tips both as an offensive “weapon” and as protection for the toes of their boots. “Cop” became identified with copper toes.

(Information provided by “The Complete Footwear Dictionary: Second Edition” by Dr. William A. Rossi, 2000.)

Than vs. Then

The English words than and then look and sound a lot alike, but they are completely different. Here's how you can easily identify the difference between the two and begin to use them properly.

 

Than: a conjunction used in comparisons:

Examples:

Tom is smarter than Bill.

This is more important than you might think.

Is she taller than you?

Yes, she is taller than I.

 
Then: has numerous meanings.

1. At that point in time

I wasn't ready then.

Will you be home at noon? I'll call you then.

2. Next, afterward

I went to the store, and then to the bank

Do your homework and then go to bed

3. In addition, also, on top of that

He told me he was leaving, and then that I owed him money

It cost $5,000, and then there's tax too

4. In that case, therefore (often with "if")

If you want to go, then you'll have to finish your homework.

I'm hungry!
Then you should eat.

 
The Bottom Line is that than is used only in comparisons, so if you're comparing something use than. If not, then you have to use then. What could be easier than that?

Original information can be found here… http://www.elearnenglishlanguage.com/difficulties/thanthen.html

The History of a Bootlegger

Bootlegger. One who makes, transports, or sells illegal or smuggles merchandise.

In the early days of the American merchant navy, sailors wore high, flared-top boots. On returning from overseas trips, when they came ashore they smuggled in illicit goods tucked inside their ample boot legs. The practice came to be known as bootlegging. The term was revived during the Prohibition Era (1919-1933) and referred almost exclusively to smuggling hard liquor, or to domestic making and selling of it.

(Information provided by “The Complete Footwear Dictionary: Second Edition” by Dr. William A. Rossi, 2000.)

The History of a Foot

Foot. A measure of twelve inches.

The reference to a measurement stems from the foot itself. King Edward II in the fourteenth century was the first to establish an “official” system of modern measurements. The length of an average man’s foot was decreed to be twelve inches—which would have been a very large foot for foot sizes of the day. Nevertheless, that’s how the designation for the measurement term “foot” came about. Our word “foot” is from the Old English “fot.”

(Information provided by “The Complete Footwear Dictionary: Second Edition” by Dr. William A. Rossi, 2000.)

I just thought I would add that I find it very funny that Edward II, a European king, assisted in the development of our measuring system, yet, somehow, Europeans use the metric system. Anyone else seeing the contradiction here?

Farther vs. Further vs. Furthermore

Here’s the general rule of thumb…

Use the word “farther” when referring to physical distance and use the word “further” when referring to figurative distance.

Examples of the correct way to use “Farther”:

“Jane has to drive farther than John to get to the mall.”

Here we are talking about the physical distance Jane has to drive to get to the mall.

“I don’t want to run any farther”

Again, we are talking about the physical distance one is running.

Examples of the correct way to use “Further”:

“I’m not going to discuss this topic any further.”

The length of a discussion would be considered a figurative distance.

“Jane was worried that the further her mind travelled, the more scared she would get.”

Although “travel” is often considered a physical distance, a mind travels figurative distances so we would use “further” instead of “farther.”

Now, here’s the tricky part. What about those pesky sentences that don’t clearly state whether they are referring to a physical or figurative distance?

For example:

“How much further/farther did you get in your book?”

Is this sentence referring to the physical distance a person made in a book, as in the number of pages they read? Or, is it referring to the figurative distance, as in how far they are into the story?

In cases like these, it is advised that you use your best judgment. If you intend for it to mean the physical distance then use “farther,” but if you intend for it to mean the figurative distance, use “further.”

Lastly, what about “furthermore?”

Well, you can’t exactly say…

“Further, I wish to discuss the finer details in this article.” (THAT’S INCORRECT!)

I know that this may sound right, but “further” does not mean “in addition” or “moreover.” However, “furthermore” does. So, when looking to replace “in addition” or “moreover” use “furthermore.”

As in, “Furthermore, I suggest you stop reading this and start using ‘farther,’ ‘further,’ and ‘furthermore’ correctly.”

The History of the 1920's Flapper

Sometimes our minds tend to think about these random kinds of things.

Flapper. The term originated in the early 1920s and referred to young, emancipated women breaking from the mold of convention with knee-high skirts, “bobbed” hair and rolled stockings.

As part of this defiance of social convention they wore their over shoes unbuckled so that the buckles flapped loudly in walking. So was born the name “flapper.”

(Information provided by “The Complete Footwear Dictionary: Second Edition” by Dr. William A. Rossi, 2000.)

The History of Uppity People

Just in case you were wondering.

Uppity. Inclined to be haughty, snobbish, and/or arrogant.

This term came into the English language in the seventeenth century when an extremely high (8 to 26 inches) platform shoe called the “chopine” was popular with the aristocratic ladies. This style of shoe enabled them to (literally) “look down” on folks of lesser status, and for the later to label the chopine wearers as “uppity.”

(Information provided by “The Complete Footwear Dictionary: Second Edition” by Dr. William A. Rossi, 2000.)

Worse vs. Worst

When reviewing this subject you may have read or heard the explanation that “’worse’ is comparative and ‘worst’” is superlative. Then, you might have thought or said something like “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Let’s just see if we can clear up this dilemma here and now.

You use “worse” when you are comparing two things…

“Broccoli is worse than cauliflower”

or

“That exam was far worse than a broken arm.”

And you use “worst” when comparing more than two things or when you are describing something…

“Broccoli and cauliflower are both bad, but sprouts are the worst.”

or

“That exam was the worst.”

Now you know!

The History of Men with Scruples

It’s good to expand our horizons and learn random facts.

Scruple. A feeling of doubt or uneasiness, a pricking of conscience.

This is derived from the Latin “scrupulous,” meaning a small stone or pebble. When Roman soldiers were on their long marches, sometimes small pebbles would become lodged inside their sandals, causing discomfort or unease. Our word “scruple” comes from this same awareness of something bothersome.

(Information provided by “The Complete Footwear Dictionary: Second Edition” by Dr. William A. Rossi, 2000.)

How to Punctuate Dialogue

This is the kind of thing I see a lot of youner Grammarians struggle with. Dialogue can be a tricky thing at times because its rules for punctuating differ just a bit from punctuating normal prose and may seem strange at times. However, I'm going to attempt to make it feel natural by explaining why it is the way that it is.

Here's an example to get us started...

Incorrect: “Hello.” She greeted.
Correct: “Hello,” she greeted.

Now, the first is incorrect because "she greeted" is a continuation of "Hello," and by putting a period at the end of "Hello" one cuts "she greeted" off from "Hello" when they want to be connected. The second is correct because the comma replaces the period and allows "Hello" and "she greeted" to work together. The "s" in "she" is also lowercased because it is technically located in the middle of the sentence. (This only applies where a period would be used. To find out what to do when the quoted phrase requires a question mark or exclaimation point please read on. Also, remember that punctuation always goes inside the quotes and not outside.)

Incorrect: “How are you?” He asked.
Correct: “How are you?” he asked.

In the case of a question within quotes, a comma cannot end the quotes because it does not signal reader to raise their voice at the end like one would do when asking a question. Therefore, the questions in quotes must end in a question mark. However, the "he asked" portion of the sentence is still working with "How are you?" so the "h" in "he" needs to be lowercase. (This is one of those strange rules that may feel unnatural when writing, but it is grammatically correct. In addition, the same rules would apply to the use of an exclaimation point.)

Incorrect: “I wondered about that,” he turned away from her.
Correct: “I wondered about that.” He turned away from her.

This is an example of an instance where the quoted sentence and the sentence outside the quotes are not working together. They are two complete and seperate sentences. Therefore, the statement in quotes ends with a period (or a question mark or exclaimation) and the statement outside the quotes is capitalized.

I hope this made sense and is something many people can learnt oapply in their work. If anything is confusing, please feel free to ask questions.

The History of the Grieving Widow

Another interesting look into etymology!

Grieving Widow. A saddened woman mourning the recent death of her husband.

From ancient Etruscan times to the 18th century, soldiers wore protective leather or cloth leggings called "greaves." When soldiers died in battle, their widows back home then earned their living cutting and sewing greaves for other soldiers. They became known as "greaving widows," which later evolved into "grieving widows."

(Information provided by “The Complete Footwear Dictionary: Second Edition” by Dr. William A. Rossi, 2000.)

What Words Should Be Capitalized in a Title?

I found myself thinking about this frequently in the last few days. For every blog entry I write, I usually give it a title and sometimes I would have to stop for just a moment and ask myself "Should this word be capitalized?" Finally, enough was enough! I had to look it up and this is what I came across.

The rules to correctly capitalizing a title:

These are the words that should be capitalized...

  (1) The first and last words of the title

  (2) All nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, and adjectives

  (3)  Any conjunction or preposition of five letters or more

These are the words that should not be capitalized...

  (1) Articles (the, a, an), unless the article is the first or (less likely, of course) last word of the title

  (2) Prepositions of four letters or fewer (unless the preposition is the first or last word of the title)

  (3) Conjunctions of four letters or fewer (unless the conjunction is the first or last word of the title)

  (4) The particle "to" used with an infinitive (unless the "to" is the first or last word of the title)

So, there we go! Now, none of use will ever incorrectly capitalize a title again.

Information orininally found at this link: http://grammartips.homestead.com/caps.html

A Change in Curriculum

I will no longer be featuring the articles entitled “Who’s Your Editor, (Author’s Name)?” because it could be taken as though I am outing the work of professional editors who have worked hard for their positions. And considering the fact that I am still a student with the hope of becoming an editor, I do not want to offend any future colleagues.

To add to this whole debacle, (people telling me not to write the articles, people telling me it will be okay, others saying I will be blacklisted for even thinking of such a thing, and then a very credible professor giving me further insight into the matter), I would like to give you a bit of the real story from behind the curtain of the publishing world. Yes, it is unfortunate that grammatical errors and typos may throw us out of our reading, blasting our attentions from the character’s world and back into our own, but (and here’s the sad thing) it might not even be the author’s or editor’s fault. Even the best editors/ copyeditors/ proofreaders/ etc. can’t stop the errors that happen in publishing! According to my professor, “The composition process (literally how books are put into pages) can introduce errors…the big corporate process of making books (wherein companies from all over the world bid for low-cost manufacturing contracts) creates errors that highly skilled editors and obsessive authors never see and cannot address.” That’s just swell! (Sarcasm.)

So, the point is, if we’re all tired of being boosted from our reading because a multinational corporate entity is struggling to make a profit by outsourcing most of the post-editorial production work (thanks for that, Professor!) then we need to find a way to make a difference by continuing to demand more care to details, go to the source instead of blaming the author or editor, become better editors ourselves by getting educated in our own language. Then, when we truly become a part of the publishing world, maybe we can do something about it, from the inside.

The History of Sabotage

Who would have ever thought of this?

Sabotage. Intentional and malicious destruction of property.

We get this word from “sabot,” the traditional wooden shoe worn by peasants and laborers in centuries past and even today. During the nineteenth century, Belgium and French textile mill workers protested against the new machinery that threatened their jobs. So they tossed their sabots into the machines to wreck them. Hence our word “sabotage.” This idea, however, wasn’t new. In earlier times, French peasants, protesting against their oppressively low wages, trampled the crops of the landlords with their sabots—another act of sabotage.

(Information provided by “The Complete Footwear Dictionary: Second Edition” by Dr. William A. Rossi, 2000.)