I Can Still Hear “The Bells”
Onomatopoeia: 1. Formation of words in imitation of natural sounds (as buzz or hiss). 2. The use of words whose sound suggests the sense. (Definition from The Merriam-Webster Dictionary.) Onomatopoeia has been my favorite word for about twenty-five years now. I first learned this word as a sophomore in high school, when we were studying [...]
Smile When You Say That
“Yes,” he smiled. Oh, did he really? He didn’t “say” or “reply” or even “mumble”? He just smiled and words came out, huh? Imagine that. In case you couldn’t tell, this is another thing that drives me nuts. I’m smiling now, and no words are coming out, which leads me to think that “smiled” is [...]
Editing Has Its Privileges
Editing is more than correcting spelling and grammar. A good editor doesn’t work only with words and punctuation, although those are our basic materials. No, a good editor will always remember that there is an author behind those materials. Sometimes, if you’re on deadline or working on a particularly challenging piece, it’s hard to keep [...]
Ten-Hut! Commence Reading!
Once in a while I come across a typo that is more than a typo. If you’re creative, one misspelled word can spark an idea that takes on a life of its own. Such was the case a couple of days ago when I came across a reference to “Marine book camp” in my editing. [...]
I Tried to Be an English Major
Please notice the word “tried” in the title. This should give you a clue that I was not successful. Oh, I didn’t fail or anything as horrible as that; actually I did quite well and probably would have earned high marks and graduated with honors had I continued down the road of the English major. [...]
The Unmotivated Writer/Editor
There are so many things I could be working on today. I’m in the midst of writing two books and have ideas for three more books, I have two books I need to edit, and then there are all the little business-related paperwork tasks that need doing. Oh, but I just don’t feel like it. [...]
Book Lust
Did you ever spend a rainy, crummy afternoon hanging out in a bookstore? Not shopping, not running up your credit card bill—just being there, browsing the books. I did just that a couple of days ago, took an afternoon off to have lunch and go booking with friends. We fortified ourselves with pasta and then [...]
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