Edit yourself like a pro. I'm a writer, editor, and book coach who has worked with more than 4,000 students, entrepreneurs, and corporate/institutional clients over the last 30+ years. You'll hear from me in your Inbox every other Wednesday at 2pm EST :) Reader Testimonials: "You're one of the cheeriest, funniest, most helpful writer-oriented people I know! Thanks for being out there!" "Love your newsletter, especially your light-handedness! Thanks :-D" "I enjoy your insights and style. Thank you for providing the newsletter!" "I am LOVING your newsletter and am very happy I discovered it 😊" "You're awesome—keep up the good work!" "Can't tell you how much I enjoy reading your newsletter. You uncomplicate things authors are puzzled about." "I so enjoy your writing and sense of humor. You make editing sound like fun!!" "I love everything about Editorial Notes. Keep up the great content!"
Define Source, Guaranteed Typo Finder, and Platform!
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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:
(And if you’re the appreciative friend, you can subscribe at the same link.) Example of the WeekSometimes this is a good example—or a great one. Sometimes this is a bad example—or just a funny blooper. Sometimes a combination. You never know. I'm a little stumped for an appropriate caption for this gem sent in by reader Michelle. What do you think? At first glance, it seems like a simple vocabulary mix-up. But the more I consider it, the more I wonder about the philosophical potential. Actionable Tip of the WeekA trick to add to your self-editing toolbox right now! When is the best, absolutely beyond a doubt guaranteed foolproof time to find typos in your writing? No matter how carefully I proofread, and no matter how many times, the optimal time for finding typos is, in my experience, hands down: as soon as I click "send." It's really no wonder we all long for a magic bullet to raise our success rate from 99.9999999999999% accuracy to 100%. One reader question (thanks Rick!) makes an excellent Actionable Tip of the Week, so I'm handling my expanded answer here. With all the AI swirling around us, is it reasonable to use the platforms not as a replacement for writing, but as tools to find mistakes and improve what we've written? Specifically, what about Grammarly? Reader Question of the WeekJenny wrote: How important is social media presence for a writer? Jenny! The short answer? It depends. The long answer... Want to Submit a Reader Question to Helene?Give in to the urge.
Link of the WeekNot to pile on to AI, but this week's link piles on. The Verge's You Sound Like Chat GPT explains how "document[ed] shifts in the way we speak and communicate as a result of ChatGPT" is evolving into a massive linguistic shift — including a word you might want to stop using if you want to sound like the actual human you are. I ❤️ Hearing from You!Comments? Just reply to this email or click this link. I respond to every email—that's a promise. Thanks for reading!~Helene, your writing sherpa P.S.Time to get some expert eyes on your writing? You know what to do! |
Editorial Notes
Edit yourself like a pro. I'm a writer, editor, and book coach who has worked with more than 4,000 students, entrepreneurs, and corporate/institutional clients over the last 30+ years. You'll hear from me in your Inbox every other Wednesday at 2pm EST :) Reader Testimonials: "You're one of the cheeriest, funniest, most helpful writer-oriented people I know! Thanks for being out there!" "Love your newsletter, especially your light-handedness! Thanks :-D" "I enjoy your insights and style. Thank you for providing the newsletter!" "I am LOVING your newsletter and am very happy I discovered it 😊" "You're awesome—keep up the good work!" "Can't tell you how much I enjoy reading your newsletter. You uncomplicate things authors are puzzled about." "I so enjoy your writing and sense of humor. You make editing sound like fun!!" "I love everything about Editorial Notes. Keep up the great content!"
Editorial Notes = clarifying information, additional insight, annotations Hiya Reader, The good news is that I met my perfect literary agent. We are completely in sync with our interests and sensibilities, she understands and is excited by my project, and we "get along like gangbusters" on a personal level (as my father would say). The bad news? She can't offer me representation because she is already on submission with another author's manuscript, one which is in competition with mine. (So...
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...
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...