I know it’s Tuesday, and I owe you a book review, but I’m so deep in reviewing my own book that I’m afraid I can’t write intelligently about any others. Today’s review would read something like, ‘This book has LOTS of punctuation, some interestingly placed paragraph indents, and bold text all over the place. Accept change accept change accept change reject change accept change.’ For now, I’m not seeing words, I’m seeing structure. I have become a book neurologist*, looking beneath the surface to see exactly how the messages are getting around and checking for faults.
My copy editor and I largely agree. She is more of a fan of italics than I am: I like the Oxford comma** a lot more than she does. But I am going through her edits and accepting, I would guesstimate, upwards of 95% of them. And as I do so, I’m seeing my book become something polished and, well, quite like a real book. (You know, the ones that the real grown-ups write.) It’s a lovely process. You know how you think your windows are clean, and then the window cleaner does them and suddenly everything gets properly bright? It’s that.
I’m more than half way through, and I’m getting more excited with every tick I click. (And more cross eyed.)
*A book neurologist on her first day at Book Neurologist college, maybe, one who has read the introduction to the course textbook and is feeling a bit overawed by the fact that she’s here at all.
** The Oxford Comma is a comma that comes immediately before the ‘and’ in a list. As in: Stephanie is knitting a blanket, a baby sweater, a shawl, and some socks. As not in: Stephanie has a lot of fabric, sock yarn and lace yarn. Both versions are correct uses of the comma. It’s the punctuation equivalent of whether you have dessert or cheese first. I tent to prefer the Oxford comma because it usually reflects the way I hear the words in my head better. (You see that last sentence? That’s why you need a copy editor. Right there.)
