One of my absolute biggest peeves: “as” used incorrectly to connect actions. Most of the authors I work with are familiar with the way “as” makes me twitch, but I found myself explaining it in a social setting this weekend, and thought I’d jot it down for posterity. Going forward, maybe I can save time [...]
Ever wondered how and when to italicize ship names in your fantasy, or spaceship names in your sci-fi? It’s easier for your reader if you adhere to real maritime style and procedure as closely as possible, unless you establish a clear and rational reason for doing otherwise. For your reference, here are some good guidelines [...]
I was asked, in response to last week’s post, if I believe in the Oxford comma. The Oxford comma, or serial comma, is the comma that sets off the “and” at the end of a list. It’s believed necessary for clarity by some, optional by others, and inefficient by yet others, and it’s one of [...]
Most writers with dark sensibilities will know that a group of crows is called a murder; many will know that a group of ravens is an unkindness. The best reference site I’ve found for collective animal groups (and a well-worn bookmark of mine) is actually this one, courtesy of the National Prairie Wildlife Research Center [...]
Cheryl Klein doesn’t know it, but she was one of my inspirations when I decided to go into editing full-time. I was working at in the book club division at Scholastic, just a couple floors away. I don’t think we ever even met, though we exchanged email once over a typo. But the idea that [...]
