a pro bono defense: why punctuation matters

If you've spent much time on this space, you'll know that I love punctuation. And I care about it. Like, I really care about commas, semicolons, and parallel structure. And if you really want to woo me, correctly use the subjunctive. 

Not everyone shares this love, though. In my college years, I had a friend who, though said jokingly, spent a long time making fun of the humanities. This friend was focusing on the sciences and made the point that if you're in the hospital, knowing Milton and Shakespeare won't save your life, science will. So I ask the question: why is punctuation--which is even more dorky than Shakespeare--important? Why does punctuation matter?

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Why is language important? Isn't it just about communicating? And if you can get your point across, who cares if you write in run-on sentences? 

First off, using language properly gives you credibility. It shows that you're educated (and not necessarily degree-educated, because a degree doesn't always equate to education). Following usage and punctuation norms shows that you know how to learn and that you can apply that. It puts communication on a common plane that everyone involved can understand.

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But punctuation is more important than that. Applying correct usage and punctuation to your communications shows that you think about what you're saying. It demonstrates commitment to your language, proves that you mean what you say.

When you read something that "follows the rules" you're reading something that a writer took time to write. This writer thought about what she was saying and took time to refine her words. Using correct usage and punctuation not only indicates linguistic sophistication, it says that you write with intention. You took the time to think about your words and to craft them. You proofread and fiddled and thought about every word you used. An essay written with intention is infinitely more compelling than one haphazardly thrown together. (Is anyone recalling hastily typed and regrettable Facebook statuses?)

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If writing is something you want to do and something you want to be serious about, then I implore you to learn and use appropriate punctuation and grammar. Because it matters. Knowing and exercising rules about commas, semicolons, pronouns, capitalization, and plurals changes the way you think and write. It adds a new dimension to how you communicate and adds a tour de force to what you say. You don't have to love commas as much as I do, but please don't discount them as pointless minutiae. 

So, someday if you do end up in the back of an ambulance needing medical treatment, I'd hope that my doctor would be one who consciously differentiates between your and you're, because to me, that says worlds about how intentional and precise he is in his thoughts, even if he isn't well-versed in Chaucer.

*A quick note: Please don't hesitate to comment or write anything to me in fear of comma judgment. I always hate it when people say they're intimidated to text or write me because I'm an editor. My posts are full of typos and mistakes because I don't always have the time to thoroughly proofread. Even editors need editors and I care far more about who you are than about whether or not you capitalized our meet-up location in a text message. This post is a post to defend my craft, and my beef is with those who 1) don't think the rules are important and 2) write professionally and yet can't manage to use the the correct there/they're/their. Please don't think I'm a snob. I'm mostly not.

past participles

Assignment: Describe your week in past participles. Go.

:: Cleaned the bathroom, folded the laundry, ran the dishwasher, vacuumed the apartment, changed the sheets
:: Bought Josh's birthday presents
:: Sewed pleats and darts
:: Visited friends
:: Met a new baby
:: Took notes as a church secretary
:: Rocked a sleepy babe
:: Applauded poopy diapers
:: Pureed zucchini
:: Polished off season five of Grey's Anatomy
:: Texted Allison a frame-by-frame analysis of Grey's Anatomy
:: Spooned my husband
:: Laughed at the babe's infectious giggles
:: Fell asleep in the rocker, on the couch, and on the floor
:: Ate MegaStuf Oreos
:: Listened to Gone with the Wind audiobook, and Planet Money, This American Life, and Stuff You Should Know podcasts
:: Wrote blog posts
:: Wondered what your week looked like in past participles

if only the public cared more about usage

Over the weekend I was checking out at Joann's, and I saw this sign posted on all of the registers:

Cash and credit/debit cards must be used only for purchasing gift cards.

Naturally I was perplexed. Because what this sign says is that you can't use cash or debit cards for anything besides gift cards; the only thing you can buy with cash or a debit card is a gift card. That's what it says. And I believed it. When I asked the cashier about the reason behind this new policy, she looked at me like I was the one who misunderstood the use of only. 

What the signs should have said was this: 

Gift cards can only be purchased with cash or credit/debit cards.

Obviously.

usage query

Would I say, "I am continually sleep deprived," or "I am continuously sleep deprived"? I'm too tired to make a sound decision.

But let's go with the latter.

I am continuously sleep deprived.

ending a weekend

To lie or to lay? That is the question. One's grammatical reputation rests on this choice: when to lay and when to lie.

That's what my cocoa mug says. Josh's mug contains an explanation of pronouns. (Sometimes, though, I want the pronoun mug.) I'm sitting with my feet propped up in an apartment that is full of unfolded laundry, dirty cereal bowls, and folders of Primary lesson helps on the floor. I have half-finished knitting projects sitting on the kitchen table and one of two IKEA nightstands put together.And I'm thinking about the weekend I've had.

Yesterday was my first Saturday off work since November (excepting our trip to Colorado), and it was lovely. We went to the Living Room Theaters downtown, where you order lunch before the movie and they bring you your meal in the theater: The Adventures of Tin-Tin, big comfy chairs, deep cup holders, and a cheese-pesto panini--delightful. Then I spent a few minutes in Powell's stocking up on books to get me started on my 2012 reading. Right now, though, I'm rereading another favorite, These Is My Words, and I'm falling in love with it all over again. We had waffles for dinner and spent the whole evening in stretchy pants.

So it was a pretty good weekend. And we've had a pretty good weekend end, what with our grammar-conscious cocoa and everything. Instead of worrying about the mess and unfinished projects, I'm going to lie down on the couch after laying my computer on the floor.

a bookseller

My official title at Deseret Book is bookseller.

I work between 25 and 30 hours a week, and throughout my shifts I do everything from dusting to stocking to involved customer service. A year and a half ago when I graduated with vast editorial aspirations you wouldn't have found me even thinking about working retail. Is that too diva? Maybe it's just that infectious college grad carpe diem.

Let's get real, being a bookseller is something that comes very naturally to me simply because I can talk books indefinitely. Sometimes, though, I wish I were on that other side of bookselling, the side with the deadlines and proofs and manuscript piles.

And here's where this indulgent post-degree monologue takes a turn: I'm okay with all of this.

I was talking to my mom this week and answered some question about work. Then she said, "Charlotte, you seem so much happier than you were a few months ago." And it's true. Contrasting my downtown Portland life with my Lake Oswego retail life, I can't believe how unsatisfied and stifled I was before. I'm so much happier now, and it shows. I'm less stressed and less anxious, more motivated and more purposeful.

So my professional life didn't take me where I thought it would. And I'm content right now in my role as bookseller. That doesn't mean that writing and editing aren't important to me, because they are important--very important. I fit them in where they're supposed to fit, which right now is a freelance gig here and there.

I can't tell you exactly why being a bookseller is working for me right now, but it is. And I'm happy.

hello, September!

Part of me can't believe the summer months are over, and the other part of me is oh so ready for fall. I've felt nostalgia pull at my heartstrings a bit this week knowing that all my siblings are back in school, because I love back-to-school season. But just because I'm not in school anymore doesn't mean that I have to completely miss out on back-to-school-ness.

And what better way to celebrate back-to-school season than by swooning over these mugs (yes, the mugs) that Josh gave me for my birthday (with accompanying plates!).

Seriously, could there be a better way to brush up on usage and grammar?? 

Happy back-to-school week(s), everyone! I hope that you can enjoy it, even if you're like me and don't go to school anymore.

having someone else toot my horn

Since the close of my internship I've had several articles published in the New Era. I think it's pretty awesome, but in the interest of modesty, I don't go around church and work announcing each article's publication.

But Josh does.

Yesterday, for instance, he spoke in church, and kicked off his talk with a quote from my most recent article (in February's issue), qualifying it with "Yeah, my wife wrote this article." Sometimes his incorporation of the articles into talks and lessons is a bit of a stretch, but I find this wonderfully endearing.

I sometimes feel uncomfortable tooting my own horn, but I kind of love it that Josh will toot it for me.

Check out my most recent article. (It's February's cover story, by the way. Toot.)

hot off the presses

Well, folks, it's finished. My grandmother's history that has been in the works for two years now (though most of the work has taken place over the past two months) is finally finished. I wanted to finish in time for the holidays, because I think the copies will make nice Christmas presents, but more importantly, knowing that my grandma isn't around this Christmas has been a little hard for me. Finishing this book I feel is my final Christmas gift to her.

Everything that I Need, and All that I Want by Charlotte Jane Wood Wilson | Make Your Own Book

If you'd like you can order it by following the link at the bottom of the preview.You'll want to make sure to order it in time for Christmas (if it's a gift), and because they have to first print it, the time between ordering and shipping the book is a little longer than with typical online ordering.

I loved doing this project and using my editing skills in this way. For those of you who end up reading it, I hope that her life inspires yours, as it has indelibly inspired mine.

Operation Superhuman Reader: a nonfiction triumph

{Presenting yet a deeper level of my self-professed word/lexicon obsession/passion. I know fully well how my unbridled excitement over this book adds to my nerd factor.}

The Meaning of Everything: The Story of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester

My rating: 5 of 5 stars






The epitome of nonfiction.

The subject matter of this book (the Oxford English Dictionary) interested me before picking it up, but I had no idea how fascinating nonfiction could be and how quickly I would come to genuinely love this true story and those real men (and few women) involved in the Dictionary's evolution.

Winchester is a masterful storyteller, knowing which bits of information to develop and how to keep the august history of the Dictionary cohesive and relevant. Apart from novel-form nonfiction, I have never read a nonfiction book that was so delightfully engaging as this.

The OED's story is one of national—even global—collaboration all in the name of language. The story and its expert writing affected even my emotions. I found myself increasingly proud of my native English language and bolstered by the enthusiasm of the hundreds upon hundreds of nineteenth-century English-speakers who felt the same. I feel a nerdy thrill of excitement when I think of all the thousands, if not millions, of English words at my disposal.

If you're reluctant to read nonfiction, read this. Even if you're not such a passionate word-lover as I, you can enjoy this book for its engaging, witty writing and its accessible and thoroughly enjoyable telling of a truly remarkable story.

View all my reviews

my favorite part

I listed many good things I love about my internship, and I feel the need to expand on my favorite good part: the other interns.

From day one we were friends. We have a standing lunch appointment every day for anyone who wants to come and we have inside jokes and laugh about the magazines' idiosyncrasies. Many of us also ride the bus together. I often ask them to read over pieces I've written for input and editing. We have a camaraderie that makes work more fun.

Within the first month or so of the internship we discovered a mutual love(infatuation) for Harry Potter (I know--you're thinking I've found my soul mates). So in celebration of Harry's birthday (last Saturday), we dubbed today Harry Potter day at work and all subtly dressed up as various HP characters.

From left to right: Rachel (Madam Hooch), me (Bellatrix), Breanna (Hermione, though she had another obligation today that trumped dressing up for HP day), Diane (Professor Trelawny), Holly (Professor Umbridge), and Tom (Harry--obviously). Not pictured: Whitney (Lavender Brown).

We just have a lot of fun. I think I'm going to miss them a lot.

real commencement

I'm in the last week of my internship. Can you believe it? This has been the most hands-on editing and writing experience I've ever had, and I've really had the opportunity to employ almost all of the skills I learned in school. I felt very prepared for this internship coming in, and at the same time I was challenged. Here's a little recap of my experience at Church magazines.

The good:
:: the reclining seats on the bus
:: the commute--I've read over 10 books this summer!
:: the interaction with editors on all staffs
:: the many writing opportunities I had
:: seeing my name in print
:: the other interns
:: the soft-serve frozen yogurt machine in the cafeteria
:: the post office in the basement
:: the Church motor pool
:: working on Temple Square
:: running an errand to President Uchtdorf's office (unfortunately he wasn't there)
:: being treating like a real staff member
:: Intern Enlightenment (for-the-most-part weekly sessions for the interns covering various professional topics)
:: the field trip to the Church press
:: the Elevate Your Thoughts signs in the elevators

The not-so-good:
:: the commute--6:30 is really early to catch a bus
:: no caffeinated drinks in the cafeteria
:: bureacracy
:: complaints about Church bureacracy
:: sometimes too long meetings
:: sometimes feeling that I'm at church all week long
:: nylons (you could have figured out that on your own, though)

As you can see, the good greatly outweighs the not-so-good. I'm glad I took the internship, even though being in Utah apart from my family and from Josh was really hard. Given my life's circumstances (engagement, getting married, moving to Portland), I'm not too sad the internship is over, but I'm so happy I had this opportunity. I feel more confident in myself and my editing and writing abilities. I feel that my education has already started paying off, that I can find a real job doing something I love.

Graduation was almost four months ago, but I feel that right now I'm at the real commencement of my life. I'm leaving Utah, I'm moving to Oregon, I'm getting married. I was talking to Emily several weeks ago frustrated at the sometimes slow pace of the summer. She sympathized with me and then articulated, "I can imagine how you're feeling. You have a whole life to start!" I'm at the end of a major part of my life and at the very beginning of the rest of it.

I'm ready to start the rest of my life.

casual Thursday

I stayed home today because I'm getting a root canal this afternoon, so I brought some projects from the office to work on this morning.

I'm working in jeans. And bare feet. On the floor. In jeans. Doing work for the Church magazines. In jeans. It makes me a little giddy.

on the record

Off the record, part of me was legitimately surprised that Church magazines offered me the New Era internship--the internship (apart from the news position) that involves the most writing. Before now my writing experience was thorough in ten-page research papers, one-page response papers, and quippy blog posts, but my magazine writing portfolio was lacking. I also don't have any professional interviewing experience. Or photography experience. My actual editing portfolio bursts at the seams, but when it comes to professional feature writing (and all skills accompanying professional writing), I don't have much.

On the record, I had my second in-person interview this evening. I met a group of Young Women down in West Jordan and talked to them for about an hour. I drafted up a list of possible questions earlier and referred to it when needed, but most of the time I could just ask questions with the flow of the conversation. When I meet new people, I'm usually more on the reserved side of things, and so having to be friendly and open with strangers while directing a productive and purposed conversation is new to me. I'm having to seriously step out of my comfort zone--which is good for me.

I have an in-person interview (this one by myself) tomorrow afternoon and another group interview next week. Off the record, I'm still a little intimidated by interviews. On the record, I'm a real writer here.

12 on 13 on 14: New Era edition

So, I forgot my camera on the 12th. But I didn't want to let May slip away, so I took 12 pictures on the 13th. And I put them all together in the grid and posted it on the 14th. Also, I wanted to have this 12on12 grid be an introduction to my internship, but I have way too many pictures to post for that, so I think I'll have to do a separate internship post altogether.

01. The express bus at 6:29. Yes, the seats do recline.
02. Reading my scriptures on the bus
03. My elevator pass that makes me feel completely legit.
04. My wedding countdown on the computer
05. My name on my work phone. How cool is that?
06. The beautiful flowers at Temple Square
07. My confirmed passport application--because I need a passport for our honeymoon cruise to Puerto Vallarta!
08. The inspiring placards inside the elevators--so clever. I love it.
09. Sparkle. I look at it several times a day. Like most of the time, though sometimes surreptitiously.
10. Taking off the nylons I have to wear everyday
11. Stretching after running
12. Web cam that lets me Skype with Josh and Emily

My favorite photo of the day, however?

I think it's beautiful in every way.

an announcement

Almost two months ago, on a whim, I completed the online application for an internship position with Church magazines. A week later I received an email asking me to submit a portfolio. A week after that submission I was called in for an interview, and since my interview I haven't heard anything.

On Friday I had call from a number I didn't recognize. I answered it and after talking to an HR representative with Church magazines, I am pleased to announce that I am the intern for the New Era for four months starting next May!! It's a full-time, paid internship, and I'll be mainly writing for the magazine, plus doing some editing.

I'm not sure where I'll be living next summer, whether I'll stay in Provo and commute via bus or carpool or find a place in Salt Lake somewhere. But regardless, I have a real magazine internship where I'll be doing real writing and real editing for a publication that goes out to hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people each month.

Sham. Wow. I'm still in some shock.

dirty work

At the Maxwell Institute, the FARMS Review takes an apologetic stance on many anti-Mormon issues. (And I didn't know this before I worked here, but apologetics is a defense, not an excuse or correction.) As such a publication, the Review often (not all of the Review content is apologetic) confronts anti-Mormon material and rebuts it in a scholarly and solid way. However, as the peon of the Maxwell Institute, I find it my responsiblity to complete the source checking, going through and making sure that every quote and page reference is correct. The book this one article is reviewing is quite nasty; part of me wants to take a break, refuel with Book of Mormon reading, and pick up my duties again tomorrow, but the other part of me wants to finish this source checking as soon as possible and never have to look at it again. It really is a nasty book, and thankfully, the article confronts it and reveals its many shortcomings and falsities; but I do wish that source checking weren't part of my job description today.

Before I go to class, I think I'll need to wash my hands. Today, editing really is hideous.

Glorious Grammar Girl

I think I found my alter ego. Thanks, Katelyn--Grammar Girl truly is incredible. She has a podcast every Thursday (to which I now subscribe)--love it. She covers topics from commas and usage to the subjunctive, slang, and the universal purpose of grammar. It's nice to know that there are others out there who share my passion for parallelism. Grammar Girl (aka Bonnie Trenga) wrote a book, The Curious Case of the Misplaced Modifier: it's on my summer reading list.

glimpse of a Thursday

Here's a quick glimpse of a Thursday. . . .

• I bought the books I need for my contemporary criticism class. Grand total for today: $109.50. For books for one class. One class. Thankfully I won't have to cough up any more money for books this semester.
• I went with Katie to turn in her graduate school application.
• I grabbed some donut gems and some one percent milk from the vending machines for breakfast before my literature and film class.
• I got to leave literature and film early because we just had to figure some stuff out for a group project; after we figured things out, we left!
• I read more of War and Peace for my Tolstoy class; we're reading War and Peace for the first two months of the semester! I'm looking forward to adding that read to my list of literary accomplishments.
• I hopped on over to the physics department to say hi to Emily and to borrow her meal plan: lunch from the Scoreboard Grill, courtesy of Dining-Plus-generous Emily.
• I went to my magazine editing class. We pretty much decided on a title for our magazine: Whisk. (We're making a cooking magazine--this ShamWow topic must wait for its own post, though.)
• I went to work where I proofread the typeset pages for the next issue of The FARMS Review. Check out this last issue of the Review:
  
  See any particularly awesome name in the acknowledgments? :)
  
  

In about an hour, I'll be headed back up to campus for orchestra, and then I'm going to the gym. This isn't a too exciting post; however, it is a part of the minutiae of my life, so there you have it.

being a hideous intern

I can't believe it was already a couple of months ago that I left my job at the Physics Department and started interning at the Maxwell Institute. I think it's about time for an update on the intern situation.

I'm loving it! For about the first month or so, I wasn't too sure. I always planned on sticking out these two semesters, but for a while I was pretty frustrated. I felt like I didn't do things right, I would forget things all the time, and even though I'd do a pretty thorough proofread, my boss would always find stuff that I missed and that's what he pointed out. My boss would also bring up the last intern all the time as an example of what was awesome to do. I don't think that he meant to make me feel bad, because he mention once that he didn't bring up the other intern to make me feel bad, but she was just the most recent intern and therefore, the closest reference.

After the first four weeks or so, though, things definitely picked up. I feel like I'm definitely in a groove--I know what to do, I know how far to go on my proofing and editing, and my boss and I are friends, which always makes working easier and more fun.

I like what I do, and generally, I look forward to going to work. Sometimes I feel mentally drained after work, because my brain is basically working all day now that I can't watch TV during work hours. But I like it. I think that this will be a good leg up to other internships, and I feel that I'm getting great experience.

I love being a hideous intern!