Proofreading & Editing Tips
The Sketchy Apostrophe: Do “Kids Club” and “Farmers Market” Need One?
My oldest daughter has a pretty nifty job working with kids. As she gears up to plan summer programming, one of her ideas is a daytime club for kids—full of crafts, games, snacks, and sunshine (the last one is debatable, though. After all, we live in the PNW). “Mom,”...
whatifwedidnteverusepunctuationandcapitalization
It’s minimalist. It’s chaotic. It’s a little bit poetic in a defiant way. whatifwedidnteverusepunctuationandcapitalization brings a certain vibe to writing—equal parts experimental and rebellious. It dares readers to slow down and decode rather than skim. And for a...
Why Is Bill the Nickname for William? A Church Pew Mystery, Solved
I attend a small Lutheran church with pretty stained-glass windows. It’s a beautiful place filled with kind people and, as my youngest daughter recently pointed out, a surprising number of men named Bill. The comment came after I told her a story about one of the...
The Art of Anaphora: When Repetition Makes Perfect
Let it land. Let it linger. Let it echo. You've just experienced anaphora. While your high school English teacher may have scolded you for repetition, anaphora proves that sometimes breaking the rules creates the most memorable writing. What Is This Fancy-Sounding...
The Power of Parallelism: Creating Rhythm and Impact in Writing
Have you ever noticed how certain phrases stick in your mind long after you've read them? Many memorable quotes and powerful statements share a common literary technique: parallelism. What Is Parallelism? Parallelism is a figure of speech in which two or more elements...
“Her and I” or “She and Me”? Grammar Made Simple
We’ve all had those moments when grammar gets tangled, and we commit what I like to call a speech-o—like a typo but spoken. One of the most common mix-ups I hear is this: “Her and I went to the store.” Not nearly as often, maybe once in a blue moon, I'll hear...
Short, Sweet, and to the Point
At 5 feet tall, I’m shorter than most Christmas trees, filing cabinets, refrigerators (I never see their tops without a stool), arcade machines, and the average moose. Maybe that’s why I have an affinity for things that are compact and efficient—I like difficult...
Consistency Is Key: Lessons From a Swedish Café
My editor eyes never go off duty, even when I’m on vacation. Case in point: We just had Spring Break in Oregon. On one of the days, my family and I met my longtime friend and her husband at a charming Swedish café in Portland. It’s a fantastic place that serves...
The Curious Case of Haight: A Name, a Place, a Spelling Revolution
My last name is Haight, and I love it. But most people hesitate before saying it out loud or mispronounce it since it sounds exactly like “hate,” and that makes some folks feel a little awkward. Back in my early twenties, my friends Aaron and Ben jokingly gave me the...
Paddy, Not Patty: The St. Patrick’s Day Mistake You Don’t Want to Make
I’m Irish. I’m also Portuguese, French, German, English, Dutch, and Scottish. But because of that little slice of Irish, I especially like St. Patrick's Day. My daughters are older now (one is in college), but I still got my 16-year-old Lucky Charms today so she could...