Editorial Notes = clarifying information, additional insight, annotations Hiya Reader, I successfully implemented my own self-editing advice this week on a section that's been problematic for a while. I changed the font! No, that's not a joke. And I am newly reminded of what a great tool this simple change can be. I almost exclusively use 12 point Times New Roman, and I ask my clients to do the same when sending manuscripts my way. Whether my preference insistence is because it's a...
23 days ago • 3 min read
Editorial Notes = clarifying information, additional insight, annotations Hiya Reader, One of my favorite writing and editing avoidance time wasting activities is browsing houses on Zillow. (I used to go to open houses just for fun, but haven't since before Covid. ) I'll just pick a city and see what's for sale in a certain price range. I'm not looking to move — yet — but I enjoy looking at the photos and daydreaming. Honestly, it's instructive about the relative cost of living from location...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Editorial Notes = clarifying information, additional insight, annotations Hiya Reader, My elderly parents have lately become fans of jigsaw puzzles. It's an old-timey pastime in a way, but if you haven't attempted a puzzle lately (or ever) and you have the space, I highly recommend it as a great way to keep your brain engaged yet relaxed when you're doing the hard work of writing. We've started keeping a satisfying puzzle on one side of the dining table, and when I need to walk away from my...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Editorial Notes = clarifying information, additional insight, annotations Hiya Reader, It's a pretty divisive topic in my family, but I absolutely love Good & Plenty. I like black licorice of all kinds, but the chummy pink and white ovals of yumminess are my favorites. I like them when they are hard to chew. I like them when they are super soft. I really like them, Sam I Am! Recently, I saw the movie theater boxes on the store shelf and wondered, why do I never buy these any more? So I bought...
2 months ago • 3 min read
Editorial Notes = clarifying information, additional insight, annotations Hiya Reader, A question for you. What do you make of a school teaching students that it's okay to use AI if they #1 disclose that they've done so, and #2 cite it as a source with both in-text citations and an entry on the reference list? Hit reply to give your opinion on this! Extra credit for explaining why you hold the opinion you do. Think a friend would appreciate Editorial Notes? Send them this link to sign up:...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Editorial Notes = clarifying information, additional insight, annotations Hiya Reader, After much paperwork and many months of waiting, my proprietary Butterfly Blueprint® framework now officially carries the federally-registered trademark symbol! Clients who choose to work with me already choose me for a number of important reasons including the trust such a mark conveys, so in that sense, nothing has changed. But crossing this hurdle is nevertheless a big milestone for me and I'm excited,...
3 months ago • 5 min read
Editorial Notes = clarifying information, additional insight, annotations Hiya Reader, I have an inaccessible loft window in my bedroom, and a few years ago I ordered a custom shade with a built-in solar battery, to be installed. It took a scissor lift. The shade worked great until it didn't...the solar battery needed to be plugged in to be charged. Now, I'll be the first to admit that this may have been an eye dee ten tee error* on my part, but on the other hand, if that had been adequately...
4 months ago • 1 min read
Editorial Notes = clarifying information, additional insight, annotations Hiya Reader, I have a confession. I grind my teeth. I don't just grind them — I mash and crush with gusto! I've worn an industrial strength bespoke night guard since 2003 so my TMJ does not result in, over time, my being only able to gum my food. Recently, however, I reached a new high low. After somehow spraining my jaw one night (how??) it turns out my unconscious jaw movements require an even more specialized...
4 months ago • 1 min read
Editorial Notes = clarifying information, additional insight, annotations Hiya Reader, Lately I've been thinking about poet Mary Ruefle's essay "On Beginnings," specifically the idea that if every word we ever speak were to be written down — from our first babblings to our last utterance — we would have a lifelong sentence. (Ralph Angel reportedly responded with "that's a lot of semi-colons"!) I'm a thinker way more than I am a talker, but I'd sure like to read my own lifelong sentence. What...
4 months ago • 2 min read