For all those "Grammer Nazis" out there... here's a sentence for you to chew on! :D

FriarErasmus

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Wait... before my mind comes out of that horrible twist .... and .... hope ..... my 'puter doesn't self-destruct! LOL

That was great, but I may never be the same! :eek:

How long did it take you to come up with that sentence?
About 10 or 15 minutes, I think...
 
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PublicNewSense

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Even though I see this is meant to be a humorous post, I have to ask, do some really think of it like this? I realize some consider it naziism to correct one's grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc., but I thought all aspiring writers realized some editors will toss your manuscript in the trash upon first sight of an error. Many don't want to mess with it if they have to plow through errors. They want you to care enough to have your stuff together BEFORE you approach them with your material. I, more than once, read that a writer worth his weight in paper doesn't take offense to those kind of corrections so it never occurred to me to be offended by it--jokingly or not. Just wondering b'c I've made a few corrections in my time without so much as a whimper from my subject. Is this what they were thinking of me behind my back? :blush: LOL ;)
 
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jennidawn

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Bravo! As a English Instructor people often expect me to be one of "those" people, but I'm not. I choose to follow a different text that suggests that clarity and grace are more important than many of the rules; however, many of the rules are important. While I am laughing I did see two suggestions, which I will keep to myself because the humor and creativity far outweigh such minor infractions. Resumes are sometimes treated thrown away for errors to weed them down, but with regard to manuscripts it's not usually a minor error that gets it in the trash. (note "a minor error). Industry standard is either 1-2 or 2-3 per page, but be aware those are noninterferring errors. For myself unless if someone hasn't at least read their work I don't care to read it, but maybe I'm missing the definition of "grammar nazi." I always thought they were people attacked because of errors in random conversation or blogging or casual writing...which is where we use home language which is given a pass except for places where understanding is limited.??? Mercy...I'm still laughing at that sentence...reminds me of an email that went around about the importance of puntcuation.... "woman without her man is nothing" Where do the commas and capitals go? Thanks for this laugh...I'm grading research papers tonight and needed one.
 
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FriarErasmus

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Bravo! As a English Instructor people often expect me to be one of "those" people, but I'm not. I choose to follow a different text that suggests that clarity and grace are more important than many of the rules; however, many of the rules are important. While I am laughing I did see two suggestions, which I will keep to myself because the humor and creativity far outweigh such minor infractions. Resumes are sometimes treated thrown away for errors to weed them down, but with regard to manuscripts it's not usually a minor error that gets it in the trash. (note "a minor error). Industry standard is either 1-2 or 2-3 per page, but be aware those are noninterferring errors. For myself unless if someone hasn't at least read their work I don't care to read it, but maybe I'm missing the definition of "grammar nazi." I always thought they were people attacked because of errors in random conversation or blogging or casual writing...which is where we use home language which is given a pass except for places where understanding is limited.??? Mercy...I'm still laughing at that sentence...reminds me of an email that went around about the importance of puntcuation.... "woman without her man is nothing" Where do the commas and capitals go? Thanks for this laugh...I'm grading research papers tonight and needed one.
Jennidawn,
You hit the nail on the head... "grammar nazis" are those that harp on grammar and punctuation in casual online conversation, as opposed to editors, who are actively trying to improve the subject's writing. I fully support constructive criticism, and I am happy to receive it when I get it.

Oh, and I'm glad you got such a laugh out of it... that was my sole aim and goal :)

PublicNewSense... keep it up... you are most likely annoying only one out of every 10, and that one is likely to never become a great writer because a writer must have extremely thick skin and must appreciate all the help they can find from anywhere. I am currently reading a friend's book and have corrected numerous punctuation or grammatical errors along the way, and his future publisher will most likely take his work because of the clearly solid grammar and spelling accuracy, alongside the quality of the work... the work would probably get tossed without that level of detail associated with it, but let's face it... many writers need their editors to help them not look like a fool :)

Happy writing, everyone!
 
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Jeriel

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I always see those people who attack other's grammar (or politely correct it), so I came up with the following sentence to help people know when to use what words:

Rather than lie and affect the effect of this Colonel's kernel of knowledge called the Tale of a Goose's Tail and a Lot of Boys who Allot their Time Unwisely, I must tell you it's true then that they're out there on their boat in its cabin throwing food at the tails of a couple of geese upon the water, assenting to the planned ascent of High Hills this evening to sum up their day as some passersby yelled "Hi!" to the High Hills adventurous boys and threw food through their two boats’ windows to the two geese there too.
:eek:
:doh:
:prayer:
:help:

Chew on that one for a while :p

Disclaimer: This is meant as a humorous posing. I am one of the afore mentioned "Grammar Nazis". Also, for those of you who dealt with the actual Nazis, I mean no disrespect whatsoever. Nothing will ever compare to the atrocities of the Nazi regime and others that do the same horrible acts to their fellow human beings.
lol! wow I really loved that! you have my applause!
 
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Jeriel

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Jennidawn,
You hit the nail on the head... "grammar nazis" are those that harp on grammar and punctuation in casual online conversation, as opposed to editors, who are actively trying to improve the subject's writing. I fully support constructive criticism, and I am happy to receive it when I get it.

Oh, and I'm glad you got such a laugh out of it... that was my sole aim and goal :)

PublicNewSense... keep it up... you are most likely annoying only one out of every 10, and that one is likely to never become a great writer because a writer must have extremely thick skin and must appreciate all the help they can find from anywhere. I am currently reading a friend's book and have corrected numerous punctuation or grammatical errors along the way, and his future publisher will most likely take his work because of the clearly solid grammar and spelling accuracy, alongside the quality of the work... the work would probably get tossed without that level of detail associated with it, but let's face it... many writers need their editors to help them not look like a fool :)

Happy writing, everyone!
Speaking of that, I have a question. How closely to editors stick to "correctness"? I mean, I've heard of a lot of people who self-published their books because they got sick of editors telling them how to write. (I'm just repeating what I heard, I've never dealt with an editor so I don't know). As you said, they help the composition to "flow" - but if you like a paragraph or sentence and they don't, how does that work ??? I mean, you have the right to leave it, don't you? And do they try to change the grammatical mistakes that were put there on purpose, and not by accident? Sorry that was more than one question. The whole editing thing is a little confusing to me. I get frustrated when someone wants to change something I like, so it's just a concern I have (if I ever get that far)...
 
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Tariel

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Speaking of that, I have a question. How closely to editors stick to "correctness"? I mean, I've heard of a lot of people who self-published their books because they got sick of editors telling them how to write. (I'm just repeating what I heard, I've never dealt with an editor so I don't know). As you said, they help the composition to "flow" - but if you like a paragraph or sentence and they don't, how does that work ??? I mean, you have the right to leave it, don't you? And do they try to change the grammatical mistakes that were put there on purpose, and not by accident? Sorry that was more than one question. The whole editing thing is a little confusing to me. I get frustrated when someone wants to change something I like, so it's just a concern I have (if I ever get that far)...
Something to keep in mind: the editor has all the power. The editor is the one investing money in you as a writer on the off chance that your book will actually make a profit. You have no rights. If she doesn't like a sentence or a paragraph, you'd better change it. Now, there are exceptions, but you'd better make sure that you have a good reason before arguing with the editor over something like that. To you, writing may be an art, but to her it's business, and it's her job to make sure your novel is going to sell as best it can.

That said, there is a time and a place for defending your work; after all, it your name, not hers, that's going to be on this book. You just can't do it all the time. You can even do it most of the time. The grammatical errors that were put there on purpose, for example, would be something to point out. She might not realize that you intended them. Major plot points would be something else to defend. But, and sorry if this is harsh, if you're very sensitive about other people changing your work, you're not going to do well with an editor. You can either toughen up (and it's not as hard as it sounds--I had to do it) or resign yourself to self-publication. The world of publication is a jungle, and only the strong survive.
 
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sunstruckdream

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I'm thinking about pulling a major in publishing so I can learn the ins and outs of it all and learn how to sink my claws in and get my work out there. Tariel's right - it's a cutthroat industry. One I'd like to get involved with. =) I'd like to be able to protect the rights of writers to their work, though - as much as possible, anyways.
 
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Jeriel

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Something to keep in mind: the editor has all the power. The editor is the one investing money in you as a writer on the off chance that your book will actually make a profit. You have no rights. If she doesn't like a sentence or a paragraph, you'd better change it. Now, there are exceptions, but you'd better make sure that you have a good reason before arguing with the editor over something like that. To you, writing may be an art, but to her it's business, and it's her job to make sure your novel is going to sell as best it can.

That said, there is a time and a place for defending your work; after all, it your name, not hers, that's going to be on this book. You just can't do it all the time. You can even do it most of the time. The grammatical errors that were put there on purpose, for example, would be something to point out. She might not realize that you intended them. Major plot points would be something else to defend. But, and sorry if this is harsh, if you're very sensitive about other people changing your work, you're not going to do well with an editor. You can either toughen up (and it's not as hard as it sounds--I had to do it) or resign yourself to self-publication. The world of publication is a jungle, and only the strong survive.
OoOoO that sounds bad! I had no idea they were that "strict" with it. I will definitely try to toughen up; I'm usually open to suggestions, but when it comes to actually changing something I don't want to change...well.....may have to consider self-publication. At the rate I'm going it will be years before I get that far, so who knows. lol. Hm. Anyway, thanks much, that answered my questions.
 
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