clairecherryedits

Macro and micro edits: a workflow.

🌍 Zoom out. 🔎Zoom in. 🌍 Macro. 🔎Micro. Sometimes we can’t see the wood for the trees. If we are writing or editing, this can prove a real problem. Maybe we’re so concerned with the overall message that we forget about the nuts and bolts – so rogue apostrophes may escape our notice, or weContinue reading “Macro and micro edits: a workflow.”

Is it fewer or less? Countable and uncountable nouns.

❓ Confused about fewer or less? When people say there’s a rule about this, they are usually on about countable and uncountable nouns. 🔢 Something you can count? Like pens? Or dolls? ✔ I have fewer pens than you.✔ You have fewer dolls than me. ⏳ Something you can’t count? Like time? Or information? ✔Continue reading “Is it fewer or less? Countable and uncountable nouns.”

January 12th 2021. Post-apoc novel: top proofreading spots.

🔎 Grill vs grille. Puss vs pus. Feint vs faint. Had some cracking #proofreading spots this week in the post-apocalyptic novel I’m editing. Word did not flag these. But they did not get past me! I find these spots to be the most satisfying of all. ❌the car’s grill ➡ the car’s grille ✔ 👩‍🍳Continue reading “January 12th 2021. Post-apoc novel: top proofreading spots.”

Where can I get free books for homework and homeschooling?

Tip for UK parents. Borrowbox! The young un is doing a project on London this week. So I’ve been on my library’s Borrowbox app and have downloaded the Lonely Planet guide. Sumptuous pictures. Easy to navigate. Free. Not all homeschool projects need to involve Google. Books have been carefully put together so research can beContinue reading “Where can I get free books for homework and homeschooling?”

Present tense or past tense novels? What’s your preference? Editing a novel which has changed its tense.

⏲️ Are you a fan of novels written in present tense? Some find it jarring. 🕰️ This month, I’m proofreading a series of novels which have been reworked from present tense into past tense. The author enjoys reading present-tense narratives and didn’t think it would be a problem to write his post-apoc novels this way.Continue reading “Present tense or past tense novels? What’s your preference? Editing a novel which has changed its tense.”

How much does editing cost? How much does proofreading cost? (What I’ve charged this year.)

Smallest fee: £6.35. Largest fee: £780 Like Scrooge, sitting in his counting house on Christmas Eve (or Eve-Eve, as it is today), I’m looking over my accounts from this calendar year. I’m not going to tell you how much I’ve earned! But I thought I’d share the smallest and the largest fees. The smallest feeContinue reading “How much does editing cost? How much does proofreading cost? (What I’ve charged this year.)”

Is it aitch or haitch? Should have or should of?

Aitch or haitch. (H) ❓ Is it C-R-O-N-S-aitch-A-W or C-R-O-N-S-haitch-A-W? I’ve heard myself saying ‘haitch’ this year. Ssh. That’s just between us.🤫 ✔Aitch ➡ haitch ❌used to be a line I’d never cross. Years of wincing when I heard it – it used to be my pet peeve – ensured that those particular sounds wouldContinue reading “Is it aitch or haitch? Should have or should of?”

Does the hat fit? My journey to setting up my own editing business.

Get ahead. Get a hat (that fits.) 🎩 I used to have one big hat. I put it on in 2005. It was comfortable and suited me. I’d wear it from 7am until bedtime. It sometimes looked a bit dishevelled, but time unworn in the holidays would spruce it up. About five years ago, theContinue reading “Does the hat fit? My journey to setting up my own editing business.”

What I’m editing in 2021: fantasy, post-apoc and more!

Plague doctors. Post-apocalyptic wastelands. Dragons. 2021 looks exciting! Of course, I’m talking about the proofreading and editing work I’ve got booked in. Familiar territory! With some new challenges. 🐲I’m doing a 450000-word fantasy boxset in January to ensure accuracy and consistency throughout. Can’t wait to get stuck in. 😷 In February, I will proofread aContinue reading “What I’m editing in 2021: fantasy, post-apoc and more!”

What is Cumberland and Westmorland dialect?

Driving yam for Christmas? I’m not. Not this year.🚗 Yam is Cumberland and Westmorland dialect for home. As garn yam means I’m going home. I love my home dialect. It’s so colourful. I sometimes find standard English variants don’t cut the mustard and don’t quite mean what I want to say. Take waffy. You couldContinue reading “What is Cumberland and Westmorland dialect?”