Word Harmony

My husband is American - born and bred – and he loves his country. But, he doesn’t love our language. There are simply too many spelling variations. English, the American version especially, is a montage of many voices, harmonizing Latin, French, Italian, German, Spanish, and many others, in a multicultural symphony of the nationalities that form this nation.

The beauty of this unique language, though, often creates editing cacophony. Let me borrow Terry Whalin’s example from his Book Proposals that Sell. Compare these two syntactically correct sentences:
The read book was red.
The red book was read.

Both sentences make sense, but each has a different meaning. Which does the author intend? Most word processing programs contain a spellchecking device. Don’t rely on it! Sure, it may catch some errors, but it does not know what the author has in mind.

Audio perceptions are more sensitive than visual – the ear hears what the eye overlooks. My fingers sometimes tend to be dyslexic when I type. So, occasionally, I may spell a word correctly, but not the word I meant to type. The spellchecker misses it, because it is technically not an error. Only when I read my piece aloud will I catch the mistake. Always be sure to read your work orally before making final edits and listen for a sweet melody.

Refined Like Silver

The first draft is the easiest part of the writing process. You have something to say, you set your fingers on the keyboard, and you let them fly. However, unless you are the very rare perfectionist, or if your words come directly from God Himself, that first draft is bound to be a big, sloppy mess. A once-over reveals misplaced thoughts, missing pieces, and grammar errors. Time to edit.

Rewrites and revisions require gruelling work. It's like digging tunnels with a toothpick! You must scour your writing sentence by sentence, paragraph by paragraph. Pick it apart. Try to separate yourself from your story. Read it as if you've never seen it before. Read it aloud and listen for confusing areas. Note sentences that are too wordy or that trip your tongue. Be aware of misplaced modifiers.

The revision process may be hard work, but it is vital to producing quality work. A writer I know is personally acquainted with inspirational author and speaker Thelma Wells and received an email announcement for Mrs. Wells' current seminar tour. One statement read, "Do you want to win those battles against your husband and your children?" Whoa! What editor missed that? Is this a power-mom-family-bashing-smackdown? My friend alerted Mrs. Wells to the misleading phrase, and a rewrite was done immediately!

Another friend despises rewrites. She loathes them so much she even refuses to say the word. She prefers to call the process "refining". That is a very appropriate term. To be most effective, writing needs to be "like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times" (Psalm 12:6). Leave the dross behind and present a polished masterpiece.

Today's Quick Tip

A member of my writers' group asked a great question. Sheila is working on a series of articles and wants them to have a certain tone. She asked, "How do I keep it casual and conversational without sounding uneducated?"

My friend will have to walk a fine line here, because she needs to present her material in a way her readers will readily accept, but she doesn't want to offend anyone by writing at a level that belittles them. She'd also like a little humor thrown into the mix.

Sheila can accomplish her goal by following the advice of an old college professor of mine. He said it's ok to break the rules [of grammar] as long as you know the rules you're breaking. When you break a grammar rule intentionally, and consistently break the same rule throughout the piece, it makes sense. The writing, then, is not full of mistakes. Rather, it flows beautifully and is connected, because you know what you're doing.

Sheila will not appear uneducated by mixing it up a bit. On the contrary, if her writing is cohesive, she will be very effective.

Proofreading is a Dying Art

What better way to begin a new blog than with a bit of humor!

I received the following in an email. These headlines left me ROTFL (rolling on the floor laughing). I hope it brings you some stress relief, too.

Proofreading is a dying art, would you say?

Man Kills Self Before Shooting Wife and Daughter
It took the editor 2-3 readings before he realized this is impossible! They ran a correction the next day.

Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says
No, really? Ya think?

Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers
Now that's taking things a bit far!

Panda Mating Fails; Veterinarian Takes Over
What a guy!

Miners Refuse to Work after Death
No-good-for-nothing so-and-so's!

Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant
See if that works any better than a fair trial.

War Dims Hope for Peace
I can see where it might have that effect!

If Strike Isn't Settled Quickly, It May Last Awhile
Ya think?!

Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures
Who would have thought!

Enfield (London) Couple Slain; Police Suspect Homicide
They may be on to something!

Red Tape Holds Up New Bridges
You mean there's something stronger than duct tape? Oklahoma's new construction program!

Man Struck By Lightning: Faces Battery Charge
He probably IS the battery charge!

Astronaut Takes Blame for Gas in Spacecraft
That's what he gets for eating those beans!

Kids Make Nutritious Snacks
Do they taste like chicken????

Local High School Dropouts Cut in Half
Chainsaw massacre all over again!

Hospitals are Sue by 7 Foot Doctors
Boy, are they tall!

And the winner is...
Typhoon Rips Through Cemetery; Hundreds Dead
Did I read that right?

Welcome to the Aim for Perfection Editing Blog

Welcome to the companion blog for www.aimforperfectionediting.com.