The Online Slang Dictionary
The Online Slang Dictionary is a collaborative project and an indispensible source for anyone who writes or edits contemporary (mostly urban) American slang. Particularly when used in speech, slang can provide color and help establish character, but many of us aren’t sure how to spell some of these strange phrases we hear, and this is [...]
Harry Potter Made Me Vomit
Well, not really. I just wanted to get your attention. I did become very ill once while reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, but it wasn’t Harry’s fault. Actually, it was the chemotherapy. I had taken the book with me to a chemo treatment, thinking Harry and friends would distract me from the [...]
Catching Up
Not that long ago I edited a book in which the characters liked “catchup” on their burgers and fries. This looked like a problem to me. Actually, to my eye it looked slightly ridiculous. I dutifully changed every instance of “catchup” to either “ketchup” or “catsup” (I can’t remember which spelling I chose, and I [...]
Save the Apostrophes!
The poor little apostrophe, so often misunderstood, neglected, or abused. The apostrophe, that small but important mark that indicates this is Sarah’s writing or shows where a letter is missin’. I, for one, think it’s high time we put an end to the abuse and misuse of this inoffensive little doohickey, a doohickey that all [...]
How Editing Made Me a Better Writer
Our teacher once told my college writing class that being able to diagnose problems in someone else’s work is a great way to build your own writing skills. This was several years before the thought of becoming an editor entered my little head, and I confess I did not take her very seriously. At that [...]
Medical Mistakes
In real life, medical mistakes are no joke. But on the pages of fiction, medical mistakes and misspellings can be hilarious. John was rushed to the hospital in intensitive care. He was suffering from a comma and kept coming in and out of conscience. His breathe was gravely, his heart beat unregular. He has an [...]
How Does a Dinosaur Text?
I believe I am the world’s slowest sender of text messages. Part of the problem is lack of practice; I text fairly infrequently, so my thumbs don’t always know what to do. Another problem is age; 40-year-old thumbs are naturally slower than 16-year-old thumbs. But the most serious drag on my messaging speed is the [...]
-
Meta
