What are your best misheard lyrics? Mondegreens and me.

🎡 Silent night, holy night. All is calm, all is bright / Round John Virgin, mother and child.🎡 🀣 Who’s John Virgin? Is he rotund? Is he somehow linked to the Immaculate Conception? Or else he sounds like a snooker player. No, wait, that was John Virgo. Ladies and gentleman, I present to you aContinue reading “What are your best misheard lyrics? Mondegreens and me.”

What’s the last book that made you cry? James Rebanks’s English Pastoral.

πŸ“š I read a book in a day yesterday. It’s been a while since I did that. And why was I so hooked? πŸ„ Because it’s James. And because it’s Little Strickland. 😊 I genuinely feel privileged. I bet few people have the opportunity to read a beautiful, raw and moving book about the exactContinue reading “What’s the last book that made you cry? James Rebanks’s English Pastoral.”

Reflections on CIEP 2020. Day 2 at the conference.

Another busy but successful day. 😁 I managed to fit in two sessions of #CIEP2020. Total fangirl moment with Denise *the Scottish one* Cowle’s interview with legend of dictionary corner, Susie Dent. I learnt about the etymology of ‘quarantine’, why some words from this year are likely to have short shelf-lives (like quarantini 🍸) andContinue reading “Reflections on CIEP 2020. Day 2 at the conference.”

Reflections on Day 1 of CIEP 2020.

Day 1 of #CIEP2020. What a mood boost 😁 Loved meeting other fiction editors in the networking session this morning. Top folk! This afternoon’s session on style sheets was illuminating. I use them for all my edits yet it was really valuable to see how other people approach them. It’s made me think about aContinue reading “Reflections on Day 1 of CIEP 2020.”

Who’s excited for CIEP 2020?

πŸŽ‰The Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP) conference begins tomorrow. πŸ–₯️ Online, of course. πŸ‘©β€πŸŽ“ I’m excited to reflect on how far I’ve come since I attended my first conference with them in 2018. πŸ†• Back then, calling myself a newbie editor made sense. I set up my business in the January and startedContinue reading “Who’s excited for CIEP 2020?”

Libraries in Lockdown report: ebook usage increased by 146%.

Wow. Fascinating reading from the Libraries in Lockdown report conducted by Libraries Connected. Ebook usage increased by 146%. That’s amazing. I know that we contributed to the numbers. During lockdown, we downloaded Borrowbox onto our devices and were thrilled by the selection of ebooks and e-audiobooks available. And, remember, the authors of the books youContinue reading “Libraries in Lockdown report: ebook usage increased by 146%.”

Can I make a living wage from self-publishing?

πŸ’· A family friend awkwardly asked my indie-author husband: “But, is it a living wage?” For sure, not everyone who goes down the self-publishing route will make a living out of it. But, if you know what you’re doing, and you put effort into both the creative and business side of things, you can makeContinue reading “Can I make a living wage from self-publishing?”

How can I teach myself to spell? (You’ve just got to get on with it!)

Flannal ❌ Deodorent ❌ Lables ❌ πŸ’¬ Family member: You’ll going to have to improve your spelling if you’re to become an English teacher. 19-year-old me: 😬 True story. These were misspellings on my holiday packing list. πŸ›„ At that time I was doing an English degree. And I had high hopes of being atContinue reading “How can I teach myself to spell? (You’ve just got to get on with it!)”

Yorkshire Day: my favourite Yorkshire dialect words.

πŸ—―οΈ You know I’m a fan of regional dialect. Today is #YorkshireDay and, while that’s not my heritage, the 12 years I spent living there were happy ones. To celebrate the linguistic variety of this beloved place, here are a few of my favourite Yorkshire-isms. (Now, it’s a BIG county so not all folk useContinue reading “Yorkshire Day: my favourite Yorkshire dialect words.”

πŸŽ‰Milestone! I’ve edited 1,000,000 words.

*In the voice of Dr. Evil πŸ“’ ONE MILLION WORDS! ❓So, should I stop calling myself a newbie? πŸ˜† One million words. That’s how many words I have proofread or edited since I started counting. And I started counting in Feb 2018 when I established Cronshaw Editing. Not bad, eh. Alongside teaching, too. πŸ˜… πŸ”’Continue reading “πŸŽ‰Milestone! I’ve edited 1,000,000 words.”