Folks Whom I Have Edited...

[gnomi]

...please take note.

Comments

[squashed.livejournal.com]

heeee!

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

Thought you might like it. ;-)

[cbpotts.livejournal.com]

Hah! I saw this this morning in the paper and thought about xeroxing it and posting it out to all the editors who have the dubious good fortune of dealing with my stuff.

I just need another one on ellipses and dashes and my set would be complete.

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

The first thing I did when I saw it was to forward the link to the editor here in my group at work.

I love Shoe, and I love his comments on grammar and punctuation.

Ellipses and dashes are quite wiley creatures. They crop up in the most unexpected places.

The editor to whom I forwarded the link has a theory about commas -- many writers write without using commas, and then when they're done with their prose, they reach up above their writing desk, pull down the comma shaker (like a salt shaker, but full of commas), and shake it liberally over the prose, letting the commas fall where they may.

[tygerseye.livejournal.com]

But, I, LIKE, commas! *whine, annoyingly*

;-)

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

I, like, totally, understand your love of commas. :-)

[ianrandalstrock.livejournal.com]

But, but, but... I love commas! And semicolons, and parentheses (oooh, yesssss, parentheses, baby).

But yeah, many of the people I'm editing know there is supposed to be punctuation, but have no idea what to do with it. I find myself removing almost as many commas as I have to insert, because they've somehow figured out what the proper number is, but not the proper positioning.

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

I'm a big fan of punctuation...in its proper position.

I have a theory. I'm a believer in the Law of Conservation of Commas. For each comma deleted, there's one added in somewhere else, be it in the same manuscript or in another manuscript. I often joke about reassigning commas from one writer to another.

[ianrandalstrock.livejournal.com]

Ah, but for that to work, you have to remember that the conservation laws are "within a closed system." You have to define the universe in which you're conserving commas: a page, a manuscript, the entire English language (hmm, maybe there's a story in there...).

[madfilkentist]

Best. comic. strip. ever.

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

Heee!

[eal.livejournal.com]

Visualize Marcie sticking her tongue out at you :)

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

:-P

[docorion.livejournal.com]

In my writing, I generally use commas fairly appropriately (IMNSHO), but I need; to weed out; the semicolons. Regularly; they tend to breed. I usually have to go back and convert phrases into sentences.

[nwl.livejournal.com]

I wish The Post would bring back Shoe. I guess Washington is too cool for it.

[vettecat.livejournal.com]

Oh, there are people to whom I need to send that... :-)

[kay-derwydd.livejournal.com]

*snickers* And here I'm dreading edits for The Prince's Angel... LOL

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

I would say that I'll be gentle because it's your first time being edited by me, but I'm afraid that would be a big lie. I tend to be a grammar nerd, and I'm picky about all sorts of odd, tweaky things (such as the difference between that and which).

But I haven't killed a writer yet (at least, I don't think I have). I'd be happy to give you names of other writers I edit, if you want to get the lowdown on my editing style from the writer's perspective.

Which reminds me -- do I have a copy of the manuscript yet? I have the editing sheet from Torquere, but I'm not convinced I have the actual manuscript.

[kay-derwydd.livejournal.com]

LOL No. Don't be gentle. I learn from every editor I work with and take that knowledge to heart when I'm editing for ED. LOL No need for refs. LOL

As for the MS...umm...I haven't sent you the full copy. Do you want me to?

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

OK, then. I shall wield my Purple Pen o' Doom!

And, yes, if you could send me a copy of the manuscript by the end of November, that would be great.

[kay-derwydd.livejournal.com]

*chuckles* Cool! :D And yep, I'll send a copy ASAP. :)

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

Wonderful! Thanks!

[mystful.livejournal.com]

hahaha, great comic. :)