I'm on a discussion for indie authors on Linked In, and one of the points brought up is the cost of proofreading. Several of the authors chose to ask friends to proofread their books, only to find out upon publication that not all of the mistakes had been caught. Another author sent a copy of his book for review. I noted in my review that there were three or four typos per chapter. Again, he was chagrinned because he thought he had caught them all.
If you are looking for a really good proofreader, but you can't afford to pay a professional, another alternative is to contact your local service center for autism. People who have Asperger's Syndrome, a high functioning form of autism, make the best proofreaders. I know, because my brother has Asperger's. He's in the top one percent of IQ scores, but his social skills are retarded, and he tends to be a loner.
In a recent article published for parents of autistic children, a psychologist noted that proofreading is one of the best jobs for someone with Asperger's. These people think like a computer; on/off, up/down, right/wrong. That's why most people find them to be frustrating, and why they can program computers without a single swear word coming from their lips.
One of the characters on the TV show The Big Bang Theory has Asperger's. He's very smart, but frustrating because he is totally logical, and doesn't respect peoples' feelings.
But, if you want proofreading done to the letter of the law, this is just the sort of person you need. Forget about asking your friends, your child's English teacher--if you want it done right, ask a nerd.
It's flea season. Our winter in Pensacola was so mild that it didn't kill the bugs. Both of our cats are itching.
Our vet recommends using Advantage. She said that the cheaper flea drops are not good for a cat, and they build up in the cat's liver. She also said that they don't last as long. They must have been invented for northern, yankee, cats.
Advantage is expensive, so to cut the cost, I purchased the drops for large cats. I put half a tube on each cat, thereby making it the correct dose.
Of course, I wrote "half a tube per cat" on the box, just in case another family member isn't as thrifty as I am.
The Boy Scouts national executive board has decided to take the question of whether to lift the ban on open homosexuals to the Scouts’national meeting in May.
The full story can be found here:
http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/boy-scouts-postpone-decision-about-homosexuals?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NCRegisterDailyBlog+National+Catholic+Register#When:2013-02-6
23:05:01
It’s important to note that the rule is against openly gay people, not just gays in general. Being against “openness” is not a case of discrimination. It is the same rule that everyone must follow. If a married couple goes camping, they are required to sleep in separate tents so that they are not“open” about their marriage. Men are not allowed to discuss a roll in the hay, regardless of who they were rolling with. A Venture Crew leader is not allowed to date any of the youth, regardless of their gender.
The rule against being open is there to protect the youth. The basic premise is
that sex of any kind is not a part of the program. Giving the youth a safe environment is more important than the adult’s right to discuss their orientation, whatever that orientation might be. A scout is courteous, which sometimes means that you put your own personal wants behind the needs of the many.
Scouts have the right to do this. Every club in America has the right to say what the members will and will not do. You don’t join a Harley club if you ride a Yamaha. The
Classic Chevy Club is not taking away anyone’s right to drive a Mustang. A club is for people to share a common ideal, and a Chevy club has the right to prefer Chevys if they want to.
Like it or not, every law and rule is based upon what the worst example of a group is doing. Cameras are in stores because of the worst shoppers. Speed limits are
posted because of the worst drivers. The rules have to be there, because you can’t bust someone for breaking a rule if there isn’t a rule to break.
But there is a loophole to the rule. Boy Scouts do not discriminate against virgins or celibates. Virgins are considered to be engaging in morally straight behavior.
A scout is reverent. That means that a scout respects another person’s right to hold a belief or opinion. Protesting a rule that everyone has to follow is not a reverent thing to do. It is not a courteous thing to do either. The needs of the many outweigh the
wants of the few. Children have
the right to be safe.
Sometimes when I write about craft or camping projects, I will recommend using duck tape to hold the parts together. This usually results in a comment telling me that the real name is duct tape.
Actually, duck tape and duct tape are two different products.
Duck tape is waterproof cloth reinforced tape that was originally invented by the navy. Most people think that it's silver, but the real color is battleship gray. That's because it is used on ships.
Duct tape is silver in color. It's manufactured by applying a wind proof adhesive to a thin sheet of aluminum metal. It is used to install furnace ductwork.
Duck is now a brand name for duck tape. Duck brand duck tape comes in a variety of colors.
So when I recommend duck tape, I'm talking about duck tape, not duct tape. OK?
Or as my brother would say "that's just ducky."
The editor that is interested in my work in
progress suggested that I have the manuscript professionally edited.
My brother, John, had offered to proofread any manuscript I sent to him
in lieu of a birthday present.
John is a member of Mensa, the top one percent of IQ’s, and has
Asperger’s Syndrome, a form of high functioning Autism.
John is an excellent computer programmer because he thinks like one. Everything is on/off, yes/no, or
right/wrong. He doesn’t compute
sometimes, maybe, a little bit, and “oops!” That’s why most people can’t get along
with him. Like a computer, he’s
always right.
He’s been sending me eight page lists of line
edits for the last couple of weeks.
On the one hand, I’m eternally grateful for his help.
I admit the editor was right.
On the other hand, my ego is in the dumpster.
I need someone to argue with, but when you’re dealing with a genius and
your future boss, well, you just ain’t gonna win that one,
hon.
Then my brother sent me a list that I could argue
with. No, not with him; with the
computer.
It seems that I’d been typing compound words that
aren’t in the Word spell check program.
The computer said my spelling was wrong, so I added a space to make that
red squiggle thing disappear. It
turns out that I was right the first time. It never occurred to me that I could
argue with the computer.
John suggested creating a custom dictionary using
the list of compound words he sent.
I looked up the instructions in “help”, and it’s really easy to do. So, if your spell checker is calling a
bluff, check a real dictionary, and if you’re right, create a new listing in
Word. You can add it to the main
dictionary by clicking “add to dictionary” in the suggestions box, or you can
make your own custom directory that won’t affect the main
program.
1.Click the File tab.
2.Click Options.
3.Click Proofing.
4.Make sure the Suggest from main dictionary only check box is
cleared.
5.Click Custom
Dictionaries.
Create a file name for your new dictionary. Click on “add words” and a dialog box
will appear. Type one word in the
“add” box, then click on the “ADD” button. Add one word at a time, checking your
spelling as you go.
When you are finished, and click every OK button that appears,
your spell checker will now use both the main and the custom directories to go
over your work.
Adding words to the dictionary is better than
doing find and replace. For
example, the name of the bar in my story is Rosie O’Grady’s.
In one spot, I spelled it Rosy.
So, I did a find and replace, and clicked “fix all”.
Then, a few chapters later, I read “his Rosie cheeks…”
Some words can be used more than one way, and the computer just doesn’t
get that. If the word is added to
the dictionary, then at least you have a chance to click
“ignore”.
Another suggestion John made was to do a search
and replace for my most common punctuation mistakes.
I know that the punctuation in a direct quote goes in front of the last
quotation mark, but for some reason, I seem to type “. Instead of .”. John suggested doing a search and
replace function for this mistake.
Type the mistake in the “find” field, and the correction in the “replace”
box, then click on “replace all”.
Genius, pure genius: you can’t argue with
that.
I'm proofreading my work in progress novel. I asked my brother, a member of Mensa, to read the manuscript and make corrections. I think I just started a war.
The issue is whether "army" is a proper noun. I capitalized it to show respect to the men and women who serve our country. He lowercased it, because there is more than one army in the world.
This is one of those nit-picky details that can drive you crazy, so I emailed a friend who has a "retired Army" sticker on his mini-van, and asked him the question.
He answered in a large, colorful font; "Army is ALWAYS capatilized."
Sir, yes, sir!
But the question is still nagging me.
I know that Marines is always capitalized because there is only one branch with that name in the world. "He was a Marine."
There's more than one army in the world.
So, if the word 'the' is in front of it, then "United States" is implied, making it proper.
Join the (United States) Army and be the best that you can be.
If 'the' does not precede the word, then it is a common noun. "He was wearing army boots." There is more than one army, and all armies wear boots. In this case, the noun is common.
So, take up your weapons and aim at the subject. Is Army a common or proper noun
The other day, I was in a store, and noticed an Advent calendar for sale. This calendar was decorated with a Christmas tree, presents, holly and other symbols of Christmas, but it was called a "holiday count down calendar". This was taking the politically correct expression of "happy holidays" a little too far.
I can understand that a store doesn't want to offend its non-Christian customers by saying "merry Christmas" to them. "Happy holidays" is a broader term that wishes good will to Jews, people who celebrate Kwanza, and Christians alike. But most of the stores I've been shopping in haven't even said that to me.
Why do our solutions have to be all one way, or all the other? Why can't an Advent calendar be called just that? What else does it count down to but Christmas?
And when a customer is checking out, why can't the sales clerk take a look at the person's clothing and jewelry, and give them a more personal greeting? Isn't a cross necklace or a sweatshirt with Christmas trees all over it non-verbal communication of what the person believes in? If the customer is non-verbally communicating what holiday they celebrate, then why isn't it OK to wish them a merry one?
So when you see me wearing my Christmas earrings, and a shirt covered with Christmas wreaths, feel free to wish me a merry Christmas. I'll wish you one right back.
Someone told me that furnace filters work best when they are half full of lint. To make your filters last a few months longer, vacuum the dust off the top surface. This will make the holes in the filter smaller, allowing them to catch the fine particles that cause allergies.
Our furnace repairman told me not to buy the allergy filters because they restrict the air flow too much, and strain the motor.
Our vacuum also has a filter that is supposed to be replaced. The newer models have filters that can be washed, and this is a feature I will look for when I replace what I have now. In the meantime, the filter life can be lengthened by blowing air through the filter in the opposite direction. Use a shop vac, and set it on exhaust. Use the narrow tube attachment and blow air from the inside to the outside. This will expel some of the dirt in the filter, allowing it to be used a while longer.
Both types of filters will need to be replaced eventually, but this will let you use it twice as long, saving a little money, and reducing the amount of trash you generate.
Remember, when you're out shopping, that you won't be able to buy normal light bulbs after January. If you prefer the incadencent type like I do, then plan to buy a good supply while they are still available.
Also remember to buy American products whenever you can. Sylvania light bulbs are made in America. GE is made in Mexico, and the store brand comes from China. Not only is it good for the American economy to protect American jobs, but buying local products also reduces the amount of energy used in transportation.
I went to Target the other day, and couldn't find an American bulb on the shelf.
|
RSS Feed