Deanna Hoak

I’m copyediting a book I’m utterly delighted by right now, which is wonderful since I’ve been so extremely busy; it reminds me of why I always thought copyediting fiction was a dream job. :-) At the back of my mind, though, I’ve been thinking about something on character development that perhaps some of the writers/readers/editors [...]

Apple has amazing marketing people. That video with the two guys in boxes? First time I think I have ever deliberately clicked on an ad to watch it. And when it gave me the option to watch the other ads, too? I did. It reminds me of that video someone on my f’list linked a [...]

Me: Oh, these mushrooms are amazing with this steak! Blaine: Actually, mushrooms are made to go with steak. Me: They probably don’t have much in the way of nutritive value, huh? Bill: Nah, I don’t think so. [slight pause while chewing] They do bioaccumulate cesium, though.

I get teary about a lot of things on Father’s Day because I miss my dad, who died four years ago, when he was only 56, of cancer related to Agent Orange. Here are two of the things that have made me cry a bit today: John Scalzi’s Father’s Day post. If any of you [...]

I need some further information on my current project before I’m able to continue with the copyedit, so I actually have time to blog. :-) Something that’s been on my mind lately is the issue of variant spellings, and how copyeditors decide which ones to allow. First, I think a lot of people believe that [...]

I hadn’t read the Wikipedia article on copyediting before today. It deals rather heavily with nonfiction, which requires a very different touch than fiction, but the description noted under the heading “Traits, Skills and Training” is accurate for any good copyeditor, I think: Besides an excellent command of the language, copy editors need a broad [...]

The manuscript I’m currently working on is chock-full of sentences that begin with phrases using the present participle (-ing), and a lot of them read in ways the author doesn’t intend. I thought I’d offer a quick-and-dirty explanation of how to avoid some of the most common problems associated with those phrases, in case it’s [...]

I have 1800 pages of manuscripts I need to edit this month, and I’m diving in. I may not post much, but I hope you all have fun. :-)

Patrick and Teresa at Making Light have gotten involved in this breastfeeding issue. I didn’t know I could think they were more awesome than I already did. :-) I want to say thank you to all of you who’ve voiced support for this, too. It really has meant a lot to me.