tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22878815.post316128542210298796..comments2023-10-21T06:18:41.537-05:00Comments on Fighting Monsters with Rubber Swords: Last Dance, Last ChanceRobert Hudsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15462451435441751837noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22878815.post-27860097606704894672007-08-21T08:45:00.000-05:002007-08-21T08:45:00.000-05:00I work in publishing with a nonprofit organization...I work in publishing with a nonprofit organization, and I can tell you that you *never* get notes from the copyeditor. NEVER.<BR/><BR/>And to confuse you even more: the semicolon and colon don't go inside the quotation marks.<BR/>- MelissaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22878815.post-24691469864495156732007-08-16T10:14:00.000-05:002007-08-16T10:14:00.000-05:00every instant where I ended a sentence "like this"...<I>every instant where I ended a sentence "like this".</I><BR/><BR/>Instan<I>ce</I>, and the punctuation should only go inside of the quotes if it is a part of the quote. You put the comma at the end of a quoted sentence (or dialogue) to denote that there is some form of punctuation being replaced. If you are using the quotations as a form of emphasis, as in your example, the punctuation is correctly placed outside the quotes.<BR/><BR/>I'm not saying you got it right in the book, just that you incorrected yourself here. I can't help you on your use of like, I find it totally appropriate. Tubular.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22878815.post-62611449688541954102007-08-15T11:00:00.000-05:002007-08-15T11:00:00.000-05:00Dude, Michigan rocks!That cracked me up. =)<I>Dude, Michigan rocks!</I><BR/><BR/>That cracked me up. =)Erica Ridleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05511276393455961757noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22878815.post-91517590202460737032007-08-15T10:37:00.000-05:002007-08-15T10:37:00.000-05:00Oh I just love copyeditors. I wish I could have o...Oh I just love copyeditors. I wish I could have one in real life, following me around fixing all my gramatical mistakes, making me look smarter than I really am, sending me nice notes of encouragement...I think there's a special place in heaven just for them. <BR/><BR/>I'm glad you took the corrections in good spirit, and that the note at the end made you proud. It should!<BR/><BR/>And congratulations: I think with the vetting out of the way, and the copyedits done, you are very very close to being finished!jennifergghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07554958327305178534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22878815.post-37373056728165049302007-08-14T23:59:00.000-05:002007-08-14T23:59:00.000-05:00It's my job to move that comma! Don't worry, we ha...It's my job to move that comma! Don't worry, we have a computer program that finds them all and moves them.mollyjadehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17824304845582652321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22878815.post-26655352651918708502007-08-14T19:52:00.000-05:002007-08-14T19:52:00.000-05:00Dude, you can have it!Has anyone ever said Michiga...Dude, you can have it!<BR/><BR/>Has anyone ever said Michigan rocks before?Robert Hudsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15462451435441751837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22878815.post-16176443912558370872007-08-14T19:36:00.000-05:002007-08-14T19:36:00.000-05:00Dude, Michigan rocks!Too bad you opted for the alt...Dude, Michigan rocks!<BR/>Too bad you opted for the alternative... more Texas.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22878815.post-42984849127890908302007-08-14T16:41:00.000-05:002007-08-14T16:41:00.000-05:00Oooh, elizabeth, I can add another bit of arcane e...Oooh, elizabeth, I can add another bit of arcane editing info to that. The reason us old people were taught in typing class to put two spaces after a period was because on a typewriter, ink bleeds on the paper; you needed two spaces to allow for that. Whereas you aren't supposed to do it now because computer printers don't bleed nearly as much, and two spaces looks wrong. <BR/><BR/>Why yes, I was a copyeditor, how can you tell? <BR/><BR/>And Rob, honestly, what really peeves a copywriter are not little quirks so much as actual bad writing. Some of the best stories I ever read were from a writer who might've been dyslexic, her spelling was so atrocious. But her stories were hilarious, and she was a hoot, and so I didn't mind the work at all.emjaybeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02702493830415324423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22878815.post-36038679517497798322007-08-14T07:21:00.000-05:002007-08-14T07:21:00.000-05:00Since my English teachers used British standards, ...Since my English teachers used British standards, your use of punctuation outside quotation marks is not only correct, but logical to me. I'm mildly annoyed whenever I see the "wrong" way, but that's just me being obsessive. <BR/><BR/>The note from The Copyeditor (tm) had me feeling a little soppy, but doing a small "Go, Rob!" here at my desk. I cannot wait to experience the same feelings when reading your book.ysabelkidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13048865119894404629noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22878815.post-532582865940499782007-08-14T02:07:00.000-05:002007-08-14T02:07:00.000-05:00I feel silly repeating the same sentiment yet agai...I feel silly repeating the same sentiment yet again, but I too believe you have made a difference already. <BR/>And how awesome is the note from the copy editor?!<BR/><BR/>Good luck on your week of bachelorhood!Susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09104214686059180282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22878815.post-52881778209077147572007-08-13T22:48:00.000-05:002007-08-13T22:48:00.000-05:00You have much more of a difference than you will e...You have much more of a difference than you will ever know.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22878815.post-41426749606201622682007-08-13T21:30:00.000-05:002007-08-13T21:30:00.000-05:00I put together a couple of newsletters and had one...I put together a couple of newsletters and had one contributor who INSISTED that the right way was with the period on the outside of the quotes if the whole sentence wasn't a quote. Being a bit OCD about such things, I went researching to find out WHY I was right... And the reason isn't so much 1990s as 1890s... Here's a quote:<BR/><BR/>And just why, you may ask, do they belong there? Well, it seems to be the result of historical accident. When type was handset, a period or comma outside of quotation marks at the end of a sentence tended to get knocked out of position, so the printers tucked the little devils inside the quotation marks to keep them safe and out of trouble. But apparently only American printers were more attached to convenience than logic, since British printers continued to risk the misalignment of their periods and commas.<BR/><BR/>And after I told that to my contributor? She continued to do it wrong but didn't complain when I fixed it for her. [sigh] To Americans who read, it looks wrong because everything we see in print -- books, newspapers, magazines -- all use this convention.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22878815.post-77111269239302989322007-08-13T16:31:00.000-05:002007-08-13T16:31:00.000-05:00Wow, that note is awesomer than an awesome awesome...Wow, that note is awesomer than an awesome awesome trying to win an awesomeness contest.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22878815.post-62735161505440751302007-08-13T13:06:00.000-05:002007-08-13T13:06:00.000-05:00What a frickin' cool comment! I agree with anonym...What a frickin' cool comment! I agree with anonymous that you already have made a difference. Bravo Rob! It's been really cool since to see this evolution of your writing since Kalamazoo Days.Jenbusterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08781248354977057231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22878815.post-82182749683876067602007-08-13T11:11:00.000-05:002007-08-13T11:11:00.000-05:00Note that while using the punctuation inside the q...Note that while using the punctuation inside the quotation marks used to be cool, the new standard, especially associated with programmers and other computer-y people, is to put them outside unless the entire sentence is in quotation marks. Your copyeditor is, like, so 1990 :P<BR/><BR/>I enjoy reading your blog, great luck with your book :)Vicki and Stephenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12672208617349578522noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22878815.post-41813141223915865072007-08-13T10:15:00.000-05:002007-08-13T10:15:00.000-05:00If your editor is anything like me, he or she is m...If your editor is anything like me, he or she is more afraid of The Copyeditor than you are.<BR/><BR/>The ones I worked with were fantastic and nicer than nice (also invaluable) but oh my. I probably apologized 800 times per manuscript in abject shame and horror.<BR/><BR/>It wasn't my job as acquisitions or developmental editor to copyedit or proofread but I felt dreadful each time a major error or style inconsistency got marked. I mean, I should have caught it anyway...I was EDITING after all LOL. (Plus it slowed the process.)<BR/><BR/>I noticed my authors didn't ever seem to give a rat's patootie about copyedits, LOL.<BR/><BR/>So you probably warm the cockles of everyone's heart caring as you do. :)<BR/><BR/>GL!<BR/><BR/>Julie<BR/><A HREF="http://theartfulflower.blogspot.com/" REL="nofollow">Ravin' Picture Maven</A>Julie Pipperthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03169574697104642479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22878815.post-66212423088661681802007-08-13T08:13:00.000-05:002007-08-13T08:13:00.000-05:00I think you will spend the time staring at the not...I think you will spend the time staring at the note from anonymous copy editor and preening while not eating, um, correctly. The copy editor appears to be female, given the handwriting, don't you think? I'm not so fancy pants as to write a book but my better half writes a column in a weekly neighborhood rag and I sub for him now and again. We edit each other and end up having fun discussions about punctuation and antecedents. I love editing. Maybe I won't ever write a book and will get a job doing that! No, wait. I'm retired. No jobs!Linda Ballhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12417535881100246975noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22878815.post-86284639240740246302007-08-13T08:04:00.000-05:002007-08-13T08:04:00.000-05:00I got my last batch of edits back, from a mysterio...<I>I got my last batch of edits back, from a mysterious entity known only as "The Copyeditor."</I><BR/><BR/>I feel for you! I just got my very first revision letter on Friday (whoo! go me! lol) but it was from my agent, not an editor, so I have yet to learn how badly I may have mangled my native tongue. =)<BR/><BR/>Best of luck!Erica Ridleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05511276393455961757noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22878815.post-27082551494577332762007-08-13T07:19:00.000-05:002007-08-13T07:19:00.000-05:00Pssst...I think you already have made a difference...Pssst...<BR/>I think you already have made a difference.<BR/>-PegkittyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22878815.post-68171560679866642942007-08-13T03:25:00.000-05:002007-08-13T03:25:00.000-05:00It might comfort you to know that if you were in B...It might comfort you to know that if you were in Britain, your use of quotation marks inside punctuation would be entirely correct (well, most of the time). They also tend to be much less stringent about 'that' and 'which' over here for some reason. Perhaps you're secretly British!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com