Editing & Proofreading
THE SIX TYPES OF EDITING: KNOWING WHICH IS THE RIGHT ONE
Legendary novelist Stephen King once said, “To write is human, to edit is divine.” Indeed, nothing is perfect the first time. Writing is no exception. Effective writing requires a progressive approach. No matter how good writing is the first time, a good edit can take a text from good to great. When readers lay their […]
STYLE AND TONE IN WRITING: WHAT THEY MEAN AND WHY IT MATTERS
As a writer, you hear the terms style and tone bandied about quite a bit, and frequently together. But are they something you need to pay attention to? Or do they just happen when you write? You know that all writing has some form of tone and style, but what do the terms really mean? Aren’t they […]
HOW TO PUT YOUR BEST FOOT FORWARD WITH YOUR STYLE GUIDE
You may not think fonts, colors, and tone of voice are essential in telling your company or organization’s story, but they are. These items all reflect your brand and serve as important components to distinguish your company and establish customer loyalty. And there’s nothing better than a style guide to help ensure consistent communications. Style […]
EDITORS VS. PROOFREADERS: THEY DON’T WEAR THE SAME HAT
The words you put out on behalf of your company are essential to your bottom line. They reflect your brand and your mission, and they attract potential customers or donors. With so much at stake, it is imperative that you have multiple sets of eyes on your final copy before it goes out for all […]
FANTASTIC WORDS THAT ARE BEGGING FOR A COMEBACK
Have you ever heard a word, and found yourself thinking, “Wow! Now, THAT is a great word!”? We’re not talking ordinary, everyday words here. We’re talking about words with meanings that perfectly describe certain situations or people. Take the word “groke,” for example. You know that guy (or girl) who stares at you when you […]
ISBNS: THE ALPHABET SOUP OF THE LITERARY WORLD
Your grocery store cashier picks up your can of chicken noodle and waves it over a little sensor before delivering it to the conveyor for bagging. You know what’s happening: The can is stamped with a barcode that indicates the item and price. Once scanned, this information tells the cashier how much you owe and […]
THE DEATH OF THE APOSTROPHE SOCIETY
As self-proclaimed grammar nerds, we at The Writers For Hire are disappointed to share that the Apostrophe Protection Society has officially been shut down. (Never mind the fact that we did not even know that such a society ever existed until we came across this article from the Evening Standard.) The society, which was founded […]
PROOFREADING ALWAYS COUNTS
Proofreading Always Counts In 1904, dressmaker Lena Himmelstein Bryant opened a boutique in New York City. When she opened her business account at the bank, the clerk misspelled her name… and Lena simply rolled with it. If not for a similar situation, we might be googoling things on the internet today. Here’s the story: When […]
THE P’S AND Q’S OF PROOFREADING
Proofreaders don’t get enough credit – and a lot of people don’t spend enough time proofreading their own work. Proofreading is about more than just making sure to cross all the t’s and dot all the i’s. We’ve put together a list of helpful proofreading tips to make sure that your documents come out as […]
LOGICAL LINKING IN WRITING
One of my new pet peeves is prepositional phrases that don’t actually logically link to the rest of the sentence.