Writing guides, grammar books, punctuation how-tos . . . do you read them? Not read them? How many writing books, grammar books, dictionaries–if any–do you have in your library?
Being an English major, I read writing guides, grammar books, etc., all the time. Some are more helpful than others but with my major and the line of work that I'm hoping to get into, they are going to be a mainstay on my desk for the foreseeable future. How many do I have? We'll, let's count them...I counted 11 that I can see. Oh. And I also have a Spanish/English dictionary. Does that count for the purposes of this post, lol? I also have a reference book that is for the aspiring screenwriter which isn't me at all but it was required for a class. My favorite manual is The Little Brown Compact Handbook because it has MLA, APA, Chicago and CBE, and Columbia guidelines all jam-packed into one reference book which comes in really handy. And just for the record, it is really beyond me why it is necessary to have fifteen million ways to cite references. Does the placement of a comma or period really make that much of a difference in your list of references or works cited depending on what your professor prefers??? Mmm, no. I don't think so. I would like to find an all-encompassing reference manual for the copy editor but I haven't had any luck. Maybe they don't make one specifically for copy editors.
Ooooh, I'm going back for my master's in English in the fall. I think you may have just saved my life with that Little Brown book you mentioned!
ReplyDeleteAs for an all-encompassing reference guide for copy editors: The AP Style Guide. It's what all copy editors - from magazines to newspapers to publishers - use. It was required reading when I got my journalism degree and it has been invaluable in my career.
P.S. This isn't just me talking, in the newspaper industry the AP Style Guide is referred to as "The Bible."
Becca~~Glad I could be of some help. The handbook also has writing tips and grammar and spelling stuff in it as well. It's been an invaluable resource to me when writing papers.
ReplyDeleteI'm gonna have to get my hands on a copy of the AP Style Guide. My editing prof mentioned it in class but I sorta dismissed it from my mind. Not anymore. :)
I'm with you - can't there be one universal format for citing things?
ReplyDeletecjh
CJ asked the question I was just thinking! Haha I think they do it on purpose to confuse us.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my blog. I am terrible at grammar. I never know when to put punctuations in. I have a dear blogging friend who has been helping me go over some of my posts and help me with the punctuation. It's never too late learn.
ReplyDeleteLF~~I completely agree.
ReplyDeleteTammy~~Thanks for commenting back. ;) It would be nice to have a trusty friend to help out with grammar and punctuation. The closest I have to that is the spell checker, lol.
Why can't they just forget the format and be happy we remember to cite at all?
ReplyDeleteSoftdrink~~That's what I'm saying, lol.
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of a post I just read at the horrible (and screamingly funny) blog, Stuff White People Like. Check it out here:
ReplyDeletehttp://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com/2008/05/12/99-grammar/
Lisa~~I didn't know whether to laugh or to be embarassed because that post described me almost perfectly. ;) Thanks for the link.
ReplyDeleteTrisha, I know what you mean! Same here! If you go through that blog a little, and you come across the dinner party post.. that one made me laugh so hard I cried-
ReplyDeletefrom the stuffwhitepeoplelike post:
ReplyDelete“Hey Jill, I’m sorry to do this, but I have a business degree and I’m a terrible writer. Can you look this over for me?” This deft maneuver will allow the white person to feel as though their liberal arts degree has a purpose and allow you to do something more interesting.
Okay, that's too scary. How did they know my name? And how did they know I have a social science degree?? And how do they know I'm always being tagged to edit stuff (despite the fact that I loathe grammar)???
Jilll--it's as if they know me too. Scary!!
ReplyDeleteOoops.. I mean Jill with 2 Ls, not 3. See?? I felt the need to correct that typo! Ugh.
ReplyDeleteYou guys are too funny.
ReplyDelete