Is it practise or practice? (UK spelling)

🔎 Quick bit of UK spelling advice. Practice vs practise. 🇬🇧 If you don’t have trouble with advice and advise, then you won’t have trouble with practice and practise. Advise is to practise what practice is to advice. You give someone ‘advice’ (with the ‘c’, it’s a noun, a thing.) You ‘advise’ someone (with theContinue reading “Is it practise or practice? (UK spelling)”

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.”

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?”

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 the plural of reindeer? Is it reindeer or reindeers?

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Son: Mum, why is Rudolph not on my jumper? All the other ones are there. Me: Some people don’t consider Rudolph to be one of the traditional reindeers. Son: Reindeer. 😂 Touché, boyo.

December 15th 2020. Fantasy novel: top proofreading spots.

It’s only 10.45 and I’ve already saved The World. That’s the name of the novella I’ve proofread this morning. 🔎 Here are my top #proofreading spots from the manuscript. 1️⃣ The wyvern’s took to the air. ❌ ➡ wyverns ✔ 2️⃣ “I feel like a raised you.” ❌ ➡ I raised ✔ 3️⃣ She didContinue reading “December 15th 2020. Fantasy novel: top proofreading spots.”