alexis_wordsunbound - Network

*looks at Amazon's predicted Christmas Eve delivery*I do not want to order anything between now and Christmas. My cousin was a UPS...

*looks at Amazon's predicted Christmas Eve delivery*

I do not want to order anything between now and Christmas. My cousin was a UPS driver! He came late and exhausted to a couple of family Christmas Eve celebrations. Plus, I like to avoid Amazon if I can afford to. But a special someone was late to provide his Christmas list, so... *sigh*

Oh, Lord, grant delivery drivers, warehouse workers, and all other employees of these companies safety and sanity over the next few days.

Side note: Obviously, I’m not particularly experienced with console games. I tried a few games on BF’s PS4 during my two long stays with...

Side note:

Obviously, I’m not particularly experienced with console games.
I tried a few games on BF’s PS4 during my two long stays with him this year. Persona 4 is by the far the best for me as a newbie.

I understood the basic game mechanics already (VN or dating sim meets Pokémon). Turn-based fighting = I could take my time finding and remembering buttons. And it was way easier to get comfortable using the sticks for character and camera movement (compared to Lego games and Horizon Dawn).

*squeals* My first Christmas gift of the year arrived!It’s my first-ever game controller (for the PS4). Boyfriend started me on Persona 4...

*squeals* My first Christmas gift of the year arrived!

It’s my first-ever game controller (for the PS4). Boyfriend started me on Persona 4 while I was with him across the country. We’ve set it up so I can hopefully access the game long-distance. 😁

Probably won’t get to try today, though. Super busy. I really shouldn’t even be on social media right now… 😅

#Persona4 #PS4

“It should only be another 10 minutes,” said our pilot, for the third time since we’d pulled away from the gate.I checked the...

“It should only be another 10 minutes,” said our pilot, for the third time since we’d pulled away from the gate.

I checked the airline’s app, where our ETA approached my next flight’s ETD.

My layover was supposed to be 45 min. Plenty of time—if my first plane wasn't 45 min late.

What are my options? I asked a kind employee at the airport, hoping for vouchers.

She gave me a blanket, a pillow, chips, and tips for where to sleep.

There are worse fates than sleeping by a big Christmas tree.

Eeep!I'm delighted to finally hold Melanie Dobson's "War of Roses" in my hands.Melanie sent a signed copy to me last...

Eeep!

I'm delighted to finally hold Melanie Dobson's "War of Roses" in my hands.

Melanie sent a signed copy to me last month—but I've been out of state. When I found the book in my workspace this morning (thank you, Housemate!), I actually squealed.

I loved editing "War of Roses," and I look forward to Katie's future adventures with her fairy friends. 🧚🏻‍♀️🦋🧚🏽‍♂️

(You can find the series here: https://melaniedobson.com/magicportalseries/)

#editing #fairy #bookstodon #AmEditing #WritingCommunity

My current author—a memoirist—sent me decades’ worth of their holiday cards. I have one with a picture of their family propped up on...

My current author—a memoirist—sent me decades’ worth of their holiday cards. I have one with a picture of their family propped up on my desk, to remind me of the people who entrusted me with editing their story.

Sometimes, my job is incredible. Especially when I’m editing a person’s memoir. Every book I edit is an author’s precious work, personal and usually vulnerable. Memoir? Doubly so. And I get to help them prepare it for the world.

#AmEditing #memoir

I went to CMOS Online to check something this afternoon, and I was squeal-in-excitment delighted to see that there would be website...

I went to CMOS Online to check something this afternoon, and I was squeal-in-excitment delighted to see that there would be website maintenance today:

"PLANNED SERVICE UPDATE: CMOS 18 IS ON ITS WAY! CMOS Online will be running an exciting update...as we install brand-new CMOS 18 content."

Don't get too excited, I told myself. The new edition doesn't release until September.

Now, I'm on the website again. Is this for real? The 18th edition is up???

#AmEditing @edibuddies #edibuddies #CMOS18

I'm smiling because I suggested my client fix a parallel structure problem.Editing generally makes me happy, but I seem extra easily...

I'm smiling because I suggested my client fix a parallel structure problem.

Editing generally makes me happy, but I seem extra easily pleased by my job today.

#AmEditing

Huh. Merriam-Webster doesn't have an entry for "elven.""Elfin"? Yes. "Elvish"? Yes. But not...

Huh. Merriam-Webster doesn't have an entry for "elven."

"Elfin"? Yes. "Elvish"? Yes. But not "Elven."

Other dictionaries include "elven," which makes me wonder what M-W is waiting for. Is it not used enough outside of fantasy novels?

This sends me to Google Ngrams... and now I want to explore how "elven" was used in various works—and when those works became particularly popular.

But no. I have responsibilities.

#AmEditing #fantasy #elf

I'm feeling motivated and cheerful after a three-week stay on the other side of the country.I loved seeing a couple of Great Lakes,...

I'm feeling motivated and cheerful after a three-week stay on the other side of the country.

I loved seeing a couple of Great Lakes, exploring The Strong National Museum of Play, and—most of all—spending quality time with someone very dear to me.

Time to email clients, see what @edibuddies have been up to, and revive my marketing plan. Writers need to know I'm available to edit!

Picture locations: Lake Ontario, The Strong National Museum of Play

I’ve neglected social media again—oops! April was busy, partly because of a big developmental edit.Today, I start a fun copyedit—a...

I’ve neglected social media again—oops!

April was busy, partly because of a big developmental edit.

Today, I start a fun copyedit—a fantasy book for children! So I grab my favorite editing-related mug and eagerly join the young protagonist in a new, magical world.

#AmEditing #WritingCommunity #copyediting

Giggling as I take a lesson from my author's remembered career and apply it to my editing notes.That vital tip they wrote about? Yup,...

Giggling as I take a lesson from my author's remembered career and apply it to my editing notes.

That vital tip they wrote about? Yup, that will help them with revising and publishing their memoir. In fact, it's advice I'm trained to give authors.

Connections make me happy. My authors' cool stories make me happy. In other words, developmental editing makes me happy.

#AmEditing #WritingCommunity

My current client uses lovely words that I don't remember seeing before, and they make me smile.The latest one: schmaltzy, meaning...

My current client uses lovely words that I don't remember seeing before, and they make me smile.

The latest one: schmaltzy, meaning "excessively sentimental."

Yeah, I'm enjoying this manuscript.

#AmEditing

I added a new keyboard shortcut to my work routine, and every time I use it, I enjoy a small happiness boost. 😁 (I can now switch between...

I added a new keyboard shortcut to my work routine, and every time I use it, I enjoy a small happiness boost. 😁

(I can now switch between open Word documents by hitting cmd + ` [that's the accent/tilde key]!)

Learning (or in some cases creating) new shortcuts is a favorite way to kick off new editing projects.

#AmEditing

Grammarly, do you see a comma there? Does this LOOK like a nonrestrictive phrase? Okay, maybe it kinda looks like it. But it's decidedly...

Grammarly, do you see a comma there? Does this LOOK like a nonrestrictive phrase? Okay, maybe it kinda looks like it. But it's decidedly not.

This silly app...

I get extra annoyed when I remember that people with less grammar-related training trust Grammarly. They're being misinformed.

I suppose that's why I and other #edibuddies decided to edit. We can serve writers better than any program can, and we enjoy doing it.

#Grammarly #grammar

My dear writers, I think it’s time for another reminder:The ’80s is an abbreviation of the 1980s.It’s plural, covering ten years—so,...

My dear writers, I think it’s time for another reminder:

The ’80s is an abbreviation of the 1980s.

It’s plural, covering ten years—so, not a possessive.

This means the apostrophe goes at the beginning—the part the "19" was cut from.

80’s 🙅🏻‍♀️

’80s 👍

I know, you see it the wrong way so often on social media, it starts to look right. But it's not. So next time you abbreviate a year—or a decade—try to remember the above tips.

#AmEditing #WritingCommunity

In the same essay, "The Insidious Nature of Bad Christian Stories," Bowman expresses a worry I share: "[B]ecause I'm a...

In the same essay, "The Insidious Nature of Bad Christian Stories," Bowman expresses a worry I share:

"[B]ecause I'm a person of faith and an artist, I fear that someone might associate me with such kitsch."

I edit fiction from writers of all backgrounds. I also have significant experience in Christian nonfiction. I hesitate to mention that around novelists, partly because of the kitsch.

I don't want them to assume I think flimsily disguised sermons make for good dialogue or some such thing.

"Bad storytelling is bad theology, forwarding an immature view of God, self, and neighbor."—Daniel Bowman Jr.This section of...

"Bad storytelling is bad theology, forwarding an immature view of God, self, and neighbor."
—Daniel Bowman Jr.

This section of "On the Spectrum" had me cheering.

Good, honest stories are often difficult to read and harder to write. But they're vital.

Bad storytelling is cringy at best. At worst, it reinforces our bubbles with deceivingly simple perspectives on people and morality, until we can no longer understand or communicate with the rest of the world.

#theology #Christianity #writing

I'm trying to write a social media post, and I realize I'm writing a blog post instead.Do I follow this inspiration where it leads?...

I'm trying to write a social media post, and I realize I'm writing a blog post instead.

Do I follow this inspiration where it leads? I need another blog post, even if it's not the one I told readers I would write next. Perhaps I should harness my ADHD this time, rather than try to contain it.

Or do I cut myself off, stick to my to-do list?

Perhaps a break will give me clarity. Though if I'm honest, I already know what I want to do.

#AmWriting #WritingCommunity #ADHD

My phone saw my attempt to write "sudoku" and autocorrected it to "sodomy."I will not share the context, because the...

My phone saw my attempt to write "sudoku" and autocorrected it to "sodomy."

I will not share the context, because the sentence makes it worse, and my sense of humor is G- or PG-rated (maybe PG-13 when I get dark).

I have never been so afraid of my keyboard in my life.

#autocorrect