Get your facts straight

Do you ever stop to think about whether the information in the newspaper, book, or web page you are reading is correct or true?

Unfortunately, the world has recently seen the downfall of journalists and book authors who fabricated their information.

That is at the extreme end of the spectrum. Toward the other end fall factual errors that could call the accuracy of an entire document into question.

Are you doing your best to ensure the information in your writing is correct?

This is where an editor can be invaluable to you.

Just as an editor checks for grammar and typographical errors and readability, an editor can also double-check spellings of names and places, and ensure information is accurate.

Here are some recent examples I’ve come across while editing:
• Misspelling Aaron Copland’s name
• Misspelling an author’s name in a book promo
• Citing the wrong city as the location of a Marine Corps Air Station

You may be thinking, “So, what? Who’s going to notice?”

You’d be surprised the number of people who would notice. Factual errors like the ones in my examples may cause readers to doubt your ability and credibility.

Whether your project is for school or shareholders, be sure to get your facts straight. Having an editor do fact-checking for you is one way to ensure errors have not crept into your writing.

Visit my website, www.shenandoahwriting.com, to learn more about how I can help you with your next project.

~~Colleen

Don't dangle your modifiers!

I love editing, especially when I get a good laugh out of what I'm working on.

While editing an intern's article, I came across these doozies:

--After all that work, students might type up a paper for an advisor that would just sit in a file cabinet.

Someone let that poor advisor out of the file cabinet!

--It makes it easier for students to explain what they do to a layperson.

Ack! Quick, cover the children's ears so they don't hear what students do to laypeople!

I love my work! Where else can I be guaranteed belly laughs?

~~Colleen
www.shenandoahwriting.com

Keeping up with customers

My freelance business has definitely seen changes during these economically challenging times. Freelance websites are now clogged with other souls clamoring for the same jobs I'm bidding for. I've almost given up on them for now. Some of these sites cater to buyers who pay little or nothing for one's hard work, as well as to providers willing to work for poverty wages.

So, what's a freelance writer or editor to do?

In an article I wrote, "Tips for Keeping in Touch With Customers," I discussed ways to take care of customers you already have, which is cheaper than obtaining new ones. To read the complete article, visit http://www.writing.com/main/view_item/item_id/1107305.

Keeping in touch means checking in with clients I've previously done work for, just to let them know I'm still available to assist with any project they have. I've been able to pick up projects from several clients just by sending them a short, friendly email.

If you have successfully worked with a client in the past, the chances of that pleasant experience repeating itself are good.

Consider dropping short emails to your client list. Who knows? You might pick up some new projects.

~~Colleen

How could one possibly "unthaw" anything?

I read--a lot. Part of the reason for that is to expand my vocabulary and enjoy good writing. Another part is to know how to avoid bad writing.

Here's an example of truly bad writing from the AP's 10/11/2008 article, "Government to Buy Stakes in U.S. Banks":

The purchase of stakes in companies would be in addition to the main thrust of the $700 billion rescue effort, which is to purchase distressed assets from financial institutions as a way of unthawing frozen credit, getting banks to resume more normal lending operations and staving off severe problems for businesses and everyday Americans alike.

Unthawing frozen credit? Wouldn't that be to actually FREEZE frozen credit, as the opposite of "thaw" is "freeze"?

That word isn't in any dictionary I consulted.

What were they thinking?

And don't get me started on the incredible run-on sentence that consumed an entire paragraph.

~~Colleen

Beware of GoFreelance.com

If you are a freelancer looking for work through online listings, you've probably run into Web sites that are too good to be true.

This is a warning about a site that, at first, looked really promising: GoFreelance.com. I got a 7-day trial for $7.99, and got access to a small amount of postings. Every day, I also got emails about jobs that sounded really good. They always included a link to apply to the job but, when clicked, they always led to a page to join GoFreelance.

Call me naive, but I assumed that this was just a sampling of what I would be getting after the one-week trial, when my PayPal account would be reduced by $39.99.

Wrong.

I still got several emails a day with great-sounding jobs described, but there was never a way to actually apply for these jobs. If I logged on to the Web site, there was still the small listing of jobs, most of them either old or extremely low-paying. I couldn't find the jobs mentioned in my emails.

Oh, they had a "Support" link where I could report difficulties. What that got me was an automatic email that my problem was being worked on. However, this only led to dead-ends when I couldn't log in to the Help area.

I canceled my membership and will have to chalk up the lost $$ to learning the hard way.

I won't reveal how I obtained the email address of the owner of this site, but it is rob@robpalmer.com. I emailed Mr. Palmer directly, not really expecting any response--so far, nothing.

If you have had similar experiences from this scam site, please let me know if you were able to resolve it successfully.

~~Colleen

How to Ruin an Interview

I picked up the phone the other day to arrange an interview.

“Hello, Major, I’m calling to schedule an interview with you about your recent competition.”

This would normally be just another step on the way to creating an article for the university magazine to which I’m assigned. I was tapped to do this interview because I’ve been in the Navy Reserve for more than 18 years and I understand military terminology better than the other civilians on staff.

The interview was going well. Letting Major S. know about my military affiliation showed my membership in “the club”—I may not be in the same service, but I could relate to most of what he was talking about. At some point, I commented on the difficulties in identifying other service ranks, particularly Air Force enlisted personnel.

“Are you still in?” asked Major S.

I confirmed that I am.

“What’s your rank?”

I knew that question might come up. I had purposely not mentioned my rank before, but there was no avoiding it now.

“I’m a commander,” I replied.

A commander is one grade senior to a major.

That’s when I heard the words I didn’t want to hear in that interview.

“Yes, ma’am,” the Major said.

I knew that if he found out I outranked him, the major would be deferential, as a junior officer should be. I didn't need deference, I needed him to be comfortable enough to answer my questions.

“No. I’m not here as a commander, I’m here as a civilian,” I reassured him.

“Yes, ma’am.”

I sighed.

That’s the quickest way I know of to ruin an interview.


Postscript:
Things turned out well in the end.

Here is the product of this interview:
Not for the weak or fainthearted

Is Spelling Still Important?

I've been noticing an increase in spelling errors in e-mail, documents, newspaper headlines and other forms of writing.

While this troubles me, I am aware that some would argue that it's not a big deal. As long as the reader understands what the writer meant, some spelling errors won't matter.

Really?

I'm surely dating myself, but my teachers and professors expected me to spell properly, in all forms of classwork. I would think they still expect that.

When I read the newspaper or a magazine, I don't want to have to struggle through misspelled words. My local paper, the Daily News-Record, is notorious for misspelled words. What really kills me is that headlines frequently have misspellings in them. Since when is the word dairies spelled daries?

I've read that, in this era of instant communication, with text messages, IMs and emails, spelling and grammar are taking a beating. These types of mistakes are even showing up in classwork--work turned in for a grade.

My sincere hope is that our educators will continue to hold students accountable for correct spelling. Once the general opinion, expressed above, spreads and people believe that spelling errors don't matter as long as the reader understands what the writer meant, we will regress more than three hundred years, to the days when people spelled words like they sounded.

I also hope my local paper will start paying more attention to headlines. It's Eastern Mennonite University, not Easter Mennonite University!

~~Colleen