If you’re a writer, you’ve probably seen discussions on social media that argue about the value of editors. Some people (mostly editors) maintain that writers can’t edit their own work; others (mostly writers) steadfastly insist that editing is part of the writing process and they have no need for somebody to clean up their work. So who is right? Oddly, both sides are. Editing is in fact a distinct part of the writing process. When you write something—at least, something less ephemeral than a … [Read more...]
Why Commas Are Like Shrimp (It Isn’t Just the Shape)
Doesn’t it sometimes seem as though punctuation was only designed to befuddle us and give English teachers an excuse to mark down papers? Sure, punctuation has its place, but the so-called rules can be obscure and arbitrary, with no system or logic discernible to the average reader and writer. The humble comma seems especially troublesome, even intractable. A period is firm and decisive: Stop here. The exclamation mark is bold, even flashy: Look at it! A question mark knows what it’s about: … [Read more...]