Why This Site?

I love reading. I'm a true bibliophile. I will read pretty much anything, especially if I don't have a book on hand which to me is tantamount to mind torture. In extreme cases, I'll read the warning label on a cigarette pack, the ingredient list on a chocolate bar wrapper, or - gack - the sports page. You get the idea of how important books are in my life.

Another area of great importance to me is language. I love the nuance of words and the feeling of euphoria when you grasp the one that's been eluding you in your work all day. There's not much better in the business world than when you write prose that is succinct and effective, when you know your contribution matters whether in the form of emails, form-creation, instructions, meeting minutes, or proposals.

On the personal side, I'm an avid reader, usually of fiction but my tastes are varied. A related hobby is detecting errors. I asked "Why This Site?" This is the reason. I'm absolutely flabbergasted by the number of grammatical errors I find in published books. Authors who have been fortunate enough to have been chosen for representation by an agency usually have their manuscripts picked over by an editor. In all likelihood, that editor will apply The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) to dissect the author's story for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors as well as minding the flow.

In order to become a proofreader or editor, one typically requires a university degree in English or journalism. Not having realized how my interests would play out in life, my post-secondary schooling took me on a different path and I'm not prepared to return to university for another go-around.

I guess I just wanted to highlight that not everyone with an English degree makes an attentive proofreader/editor, and sometimes those with a skill learned through life lessons as opposed to a campus of "higher education" can be better suited to the job.