Academic proofreading – what to expect
I’ve got used to the fact that academic proofreading comes in batches; the nation’s students all seem to have their assignment deadlines at the same time. So when one essay arrives in my mailbox, I know another won’t be far behind. As with every other written text,...
Are you really ready for proofreading?
Proofreading and editing are different. Proofreading is simply the final check of spelling, grammar, punctuation and consistency before publication. The clue is in the word ‘final’! Avoid hassle and save time and money by making sure you really are ready for...
How to write dialogue: 1- punctuation
It doesn’t matter how many novels you read – unless you’ve made a point of analysing it, speech punctuation can seem like a great mystery. And you don’t have to be a novelist to need to write speech. You might want to include a real conversation in a blog, or memoirs,...
What is a writer’s ‘voice’? And should an editor leave it well alone?
Everybody’s different. We can see people’s uniqueness in their clothes, their hairstyle, their accent, their hobbies or pets. And that individuality extends to their writing. I currently have an editing job involving lots of technical documents, destined to be part of...
Meaningless… Are you using these phrases to promote your business?
If you’re writing for your business – on your website, flyers, or other promotional material – there’s a harsh truth you need to know about your readers: they’re selfish. So are you; so am I. What we’re all thinking when reading business blurb is, “What’s in it for...
Number nightmares: 7 traps to avoid in your writing
Many people find numbers confusing. But if numbers are an essential part of your writing, there are ways to avoid bamboozling your readers (because you don’t want that, do you?). By ‘numbers’, I mean prices, percentages, or anything that needs counting, whether...