07.25.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 2:16 pm by Administrator
I’ve got some good news for cat lovers, especially those of you who live in the general Washington, DC, area. I am the brand-new DC Cats Examiner for Examiner.com. No, this does not mean I travel around the city inspecting cats. It does mean I am now writing about all things cats—news, health, behavior, history, and anything else I can think of.
So click on over, check out my articles, and subscribe to receive e-mail notification when I publish anything new. I promise it will be informative and entertaining.
Thanks!
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07.16.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 10:25 am by Administrator
Okay, I’m not really starving. I could use your help though. I’ve just started writing how-to articles for eHow.com, and you can help me get paid–I promise it won’t hurt. Just click on over and read a couple of my articles. Whether you want to learn how to write a letter of resignation or how to drive like a Buddhist, I’ve got some tips for you!
Thanks!
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06.23.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 8:09 pm by Administrator
After months of boredom and frustration, I have finally decided it is time to give my day job the old heave-ho and concentrate on freelancing full-time. Early last week, I hit my breaking point, said “screw it” (to paraphrase one of my regular clients), and gave my notice. No more struggling to lower my professional standards to meet unreasonable workloads. No more thankless toil. No more sitting in a crummy office right next to the smelly bathroom. No more regular paychecks …
Honestly, I haven’t gotten my mind around that last bit yet, but somehow I’ll get used to it.
My daily schedule is about to get a whole lot easier, at least for a while. I’m already 100 percent happier than I was a week ago at this time. The creative juices are flowing again, and I’m looking forward to the challenges and opportunities ahead of me. I’m also looking forward to having time to blog more regularly.
In my perfect-world fantasy, I will get up early every morning, meditate and do some qigong, make coffee, work for several hours, run errands, take a walk, have lunch with friends, work in the garden, write something terrific, prepare a delicious meal for my family, maybe watch some TV, and then read a good book until I fall asleep.
Okay, I know that will last about two days (maybe two and a half), but it is a fantasy. In the real world, I will most likely need a part-time job to fill in the looming income gap, and of course there still won’t be enough hours in the day to do everything. I’m gonna give it a damn good try though.
And by the way, if you’ve been thinking of hiring a freelance editor or writer but have put it off for some reason, now is the time to act! I work hard, I do a great job (without taking myself too seriously), and I’m super nice (ask my friends). Best of all, I am totally available after July 1.
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05.26.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 8:09 pm by Administrator
Today’s post has absolutely nothing to do with writing or editing. I considered making up some excuse about not wanting you to think I am a one-dimensional person whose eyes are always glued to either a computer screen or grammar book. Truth is, I just wanted to share some things I learned over the weekend.
I love birds. Some people think I am a little nuts about birds. I go out looking for them, even in bad weather. I spend hours playing with my stamp collection that focuses on birds. I currently have two bird calendars, two bird mobiles hanging from my ceiling, bird books, magazines, pictures, figurines … As I said, some people think I am nuts; I, however, think I have a healthy interest in some truly fascinating creatures.
In pursuit of new bird experiences, this weekend I went to an open house at a place called the Garuda Aviary (www.garudaaviary.org). This is a bird sanctuary located at a Buddhist center near Poolesville, Maryland. They take in captive exotic birds—parrots and the like—that have been abused or neglected.
The birds are beautiful, but they have problems. Many of them pluck their own feathers in response to the boredom and stress of being in captivity. Imagine a macaw with a gorgeous head, tail, and wings, but absolutely no feathers on his breast, belly, or legs. One cockatoo has to wear an E-collar (like the stylish but uncomfortable collar your dog wears after surgery) nearly all the time because she goes beyond plucking her feathers—she tears off bits of her skin.
See, parrots make lousy pets. They are large, loud, and very social. They want to be around others of their own kind. They are remarkably long-lived (living to 80, 90, even 100 years). Imagine having two-year-old who will outlive you and who never grows up. Many of the birds at Garuda Aviary have had four or five owners in as many years, because those owners had no idea what they were getting into when they acquired their new lovely bird.
By now you’re probably wishing I would shut up and go back to editing. You may even know some pet parrots who seem quite happy. But if you’re thinking of getting a pet parrot or cockatoo, please don’t. They’re not meant to live in cages, and the average human isn’t equipped to deal with them. Instead, put up a bird feeder and/or bath in your yard and enjoy the wild birds who will benefit from your generosity.
And now, back to editing …
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02.10.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 11:19 am by Administrator
My head is spinning. I love a good British mystery (Dorothy Sayers and P. D. James being my current favorites). You may know that there are some differences between the British and American styles, beyond the funny words those Brits use for perfectly ordinary things like sweaters and wrenches. The vocabulary differences I can handle—it’s sometimes like a puzzle, trying to figure out what an unfamiliar Britishism means without resorting to looking it up. The punctuation is a different story though. Sometimes I swear I see stars.
Like today. I’ve been reading Morag Joss’ Funeral Music. (Quite a fun read so far, featuring world-class cellist Sara Selkirk, who turns amateur detective after finding the body of a museum director who has been murdered in a Roman bath—in Bath, of all places. And how could I pass up an author named “Morag Joss”?) Everything in the book is going along fine, except the dialogue. The dialogue is driving me crazy.
It’s not what the characters say—it’s the quotation marks within which they say it. Double marks inside single marks, with commas outside the double marks. You know,
‘They called it “rambling”, is what she told me.’
Instead of
“They called it ‘rambling,’ is what she told me.” (Not an actual quote from the book.)
The fact that I’m even bothered by this is the most troubling thing about the situation. I don’t understand why these little punctuation marks are upsetting me now. I’ve certainly read enough British books to be able to deal with the basics of the style differences. I usually find the differences interesting, not distracting.
Could this be a sign that my brain is beginning to harden? Is this what I have to look forward to when I finally move into the Old Editors’ Home? Or perhaps my editorial instincts are on overdrive and I just need to lighten up in my leisure reading. Or—and this is absolutely the worst thing I can think of—am I becoming a hardened old editor with such entrenched ideas of “right” and “wrong” that I’m no longer flexible enough to appreciate other possibilities?
Oh, no—anything but that!
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01.02.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 10:46 pm by Administrator
I have a new creative outlet. It’s just a little something I like to call “The Bog.” This new site and its associated blog (”Notes from the Bog”) is where I plan to show off my completely unserious and slightly creepy side. Everything about the Bog is still under development—I haven’t even written the first story yet—but I hope to add new material fairly quickly. In the meantime, please click through and check it out. Oh, and when you read the (bad) poetry, try to remember it was written by a dragonfly!
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08.16.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 2:39 pm by Administrator
Author and editor Sarah M. Andrews is the owner of Sundragon Editing, an independent editorial service. In addition to editing all kinds of documents, from novels to business web copy to college papers, Sarah writes a free monthly newsletter featuring tips and resources for writers. The newsletter is available at the Sundragon website.
Should you have any questions about writing or editing, feel free to email Sarah at editor@sundragonediting.com. She will be happy to help you.
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