Goldenwest Editing

Brilliant energy-generating soccer ball finally on sale : TreeHugger

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 11:23:32 -0800

Brilliant energy-generating soccer ball finally on sale : TreeHugger:

An amazing idea. Particularly in those areas where electricity is almost nonexistent.

Ecopsychology: Whole Earth Mental Health - Mind & Body - Utne Reader

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 10:48:46 -0800

Ecopsychology: Whole Earth Mental Health - Mind & Body - Utne Reader:

A bit long, but here’s an article that asks:Does the loss of the natural world degrade mental health?

Excerpt: “While the modern world’s diminished landscapes may contribute to malaise, so too does the modern mind, with its heavy bent toward apathy and consumer appetites, facilitate ecological degradation. The current state of the world is in and of itself a symptom of an ‘insane disconnection between humans and the environment,’ says Buzzell. ‘From top to bottom across modern culture, this rift is evident. It’s a form of insanity that we’re in the process of destroying our own life support systems.’

“I love TV more than cleaning out the chicken coop. Be sure to...

Sat, 05 Jan 2013 11:43:43 -0800

“I love TV more than cleaning out the chicken coop. Be sure to visit HuffPost TV for the latest and greatest in TV news, features, recaps and more.”

Worst Gift Ideas or Ultimately, why Editors are Important

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 09:29:33 -0800

Came across this in Time magazine and found it interesting. As you read through it, think about other aspects of your life that you treat indifferently. While gift giving is an easy one to tackle AND bash, as writers (and editors), when we put text to screen (or ink to paper), while we can have an attachment to our words, it is the audience, our readers, who matter. For without them, would our words still have meaning? Having a good relationship with your editor is as important as choosing a gift appropriate and meaningful for the recipient.

http://business.time.com/2012/11/30/worst-gift-ever-the-6-kinds-of-presents-you-should-never-give/?iid=obnetwork

Grammar & Writing Blog | Grammarly: Happy Day One of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)!

Fri, 02 Nov 2012 09:30:39 -0700

Grammar & Writing Blog | Grammarly: Happy Day One of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)!:

grammarlyblog:

Have you ever thought about writing a novel? November may be the month for you!

If you are new to NaNoWriMo and are curious about the project, here’s what the official NaNoWriMo page has to say about it:

National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing….

The life of semi-colons before emoticons. Still find them used...

Mon, 17 Sep 2012 09:16:08 -0700

The life of semi-colons before emoticons. Still find them used quite heavily in academic writing.

grammarlyblog:

This gem was sent in by a follower on Facebook.

The Semicolon

A semicolon is a punctuation mark used to connect two thoughts or ideas which are somehow similar. Generally, each thought or idea could be used as its own sentence, but the flow of the work may be interrupted by the short, choppy sentences.

Semicolons are a little archaic and are not necessary in modern writing. Even in formal writing, they may be replaced by a comma or a period. However, if they are used properly, semicolons can add a pleasing continuity to your work.

When reading out loud, we pause for semicolons much the same way we pause for a comma.

Semicolons work like a soft period, separating the thoughts but keeping the flow of the first sentence.

I’m looking for my book; where do you suppose I put it?

Money is the root of all evil; I don’t believe the reverse is necessarily true.

Martha has gone to the library; Andrew has gone to play soccer.

Journalism has changed over the last hundred years; possibly, this change is for the better.

In creative writing, you can use a semicolon to connect multiple ideas which are expressed in independent clauses. The effect is very poetic: be sure you don’t use this in formal writing.

The woman was heartbreakingly beautiful; she was dark and stormy; she was utterly dangerous.

Semicolons can also be used to separate short clauses in a list after a colon has been used. This is done to clarify the ideas for the reader so they don’t get confused; this practice is particularly useful if the clauses have commas or other punctuation in them.

Please do the following assignments for homework: read pages 15-17 and 20-33 in your math text; finish the outline for your Canada: A Short History essay; finish readingThe Giver, but don’t start writing the essay yet.

I need the weather statistics for the following cities: London, England; London, Ontario; Paris, France; Paris, Ontario; Perth, Scotland; Perth, Ontario.

A semicolon should only be followed by a capital letter if the word is a proper noun or an acronym.

We can go to the museum to do some research; Mondays are pretty quiet there.

Let’s go to Europe; Paris is nice in the spring.

Great post from Grammarly on the importance of understanding rhetoric and persuasive writing

Sat, 08 Sep 2012 11:12:42 -0700

Great post from Grammarly on the importance of understanding rhetoric and persuasive writing:

My freshman comp instructor was quite scary, but I learned so much from him that he shaped my academic path.

grammarlyblog:

When I took my first rhetoric and composition class during freshman year of college, I was bored to tears. It wasn’t until years later, while studying rhetoric in greater depth, did I understand the importance of studying the finer points of persuasive writing. Its importance should not be…

Good piece on overcoming procrastination by Grammarly

Sun, 02 Sep 2012 10:19:59 -0700

Good piece on overcoming procrastination by Grammarly:

grammarlyblog:

Last Thursday, we began discussing the root causes of procrastination. You can read more about it, here. I listed what I considered the primary causes of procrastination. They are:

overwhelm

confusion

boredom

lack of motivation

distraction

To recap briefly, I encouraged those trying to…

New website

Mon, 20 Aug 2012 09:04:00 -0700

We at Goldenwest Editing are pleased to announce that our new, revised, redrawn, recrafted website is live. Stop on by for a look around, follow us here or catch us on Twitter.

This morning’s chuckle is brought to you by Grammarly.

Sun, 12 Aug 2012 08:33:37 -0700

This morning’s chuckle is brought to you by Grammarly.

PBS POV: Guilty Pleasures

Fri, 10 Aug 2012 11:40:08 -0700

I watched an episode of Point of View on the pleasures of romance novels. It’s unfortunate that many of the commenters didn’t understand the POV of those interviewed. For me, I found the personalities of the readers charming and was impressed at their desires to improve themselves as a result of reading romance novels. One woman lost weight and updated her hair, makeup, clothes. A woman in Japan began taking ballroom dancing lessons that culminated in a shared dance competition experience with her husband, which probably would not have happened were it not for her reading romance novels. The various males interviewed, I found quirky and oddly, the women more stable.

As writers (and editors), how many of us have the opportunity to see inside the lives of our readers. And if we could, how would it shape our writing? Our thought processes? Would we change what we do and would it be for the better?

"Substitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very;’ your..."

Fri, 10 Aug 2012 11:40:01 -0700

““Substitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very;’ your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.”
― Mark Twain”

"After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.” ―..."

Fri, 10 Aug 2012 11:39:58 -0700

““After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.”
― Philip Pullman”

"Read, read, read. Read everything — trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it...."

Fri, 10 Aug 2012 11:39:54 -0700

““Read, read, read. Read everything — trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You’ll absorb it.
Then write. If it’s good, you’ll find out. If it’s not, throw it out of the window.”
― William Faulkner”

"The road to hell is paved with adverbs.” ― Stephen King, On Writing"

Fri, 10 Aug 2012 11:39:51 -0700

““The road to hell is paved with adverbs.”
― Stephen King, On Writing”