Publishing Should Be About Prose, Not Product

Publishing Should Be About Prose, Not Product Publishing Should Be About Prose, Not Product Publishing Should Be About Prose, Not Product By Mark Nichol When I’m not at my mountaintop hermitage, contorting myself into a lotus position in my capacity as a grammar guru, I do freelance copyediting. I accept just about any project offered to me, but today I rejected an assignment perhaps the first time I’ve ever done so. What was so heinous about the project that this promiscuous peruser of prose turned it down? Well, for one thing, it was a manuscript of an academic book. Not that there’s anything wrong with that except that much is wrong with it. Scholars (or the grad students or ghostwriters they delegate the actual writing of scholarly content to) are notoriously atrocious for their leaden prose and their ignorance of the fundamentals of capitalization, punctuation, and other basic elements of writing. Unfortunately, however, such inept writing is rampant in scholarly journals and academic books usually not only because their publishers seem not to expect or require anything better but also because they either pay copy editors so little that only inexperienced ones need apply or they omit copyediting from the editorial process altogether. In my case, I had done several projects for a company that some scholarly publishers outsource their editorial-production work to, but I was hesitant to take on another assignment. The first problem is that the company pays by the page, not by the hour, which discourages excellence in editing. The second is that the per-page rates for heavy, medium, and light editing are all much lower than the industry standard, and the expected rate of completion is higher. The third is that the company’s assigning editors generally evaluate projects as requiring light editing. With some types of writing much fiction, informal essays, and the like it’s fairly easy to minimize editorial intervention without shame. But when it comes to formal writing that is ostensibly to be held to a high standard, it is painful and stressful (for me, at least) to withhold treatment: I feel like a doctor applying Band-Aids to someone who’s been shot or stabbed or mauled. Nevertheless, I cautiously accepted another project from this company, and I almost immediately regretted it. The writing was not incoherent (as some content I’ve worked on for this client has been), but it was clumsy, and I bristled at the thought of earning half the equivalent of my normal hourly rate to dust the shelves when they needed sanding and refinishing. So I apologetically (but promptly) notified the assigning editor that I was returning the assignment unfinished. Back in the ancient mists of time (the mid-1980s, to be more precise), my first publishing gig was an entry-level job at a San Francisco publisher of humanities books and journals (long since, of course, swallowed up by a megacorporation, but still publishing under its own imprint). In the journals division, we worked meticulously and extensively to transform often-inept writing into prose that was a pleasure to read; one freelance copy editor, in particular, should have had his name on the cover of all the journals he worked on, so extensive was his rewriting (which no writer or journal editor, to my knowledge, ever complained about). Unfortunately, permission to indulge that pride of craft is an exception these days, and much of the trade-publishing industry has similarly compromised its integrity by valuing profit over prose. I’m fortunate to have two trade-publishing clients, one that produces mostly pop-culture titles, including a lot of movie tie-ins that are frothy and fun, and another that puts out progressive, reflective titles about making the world a better place. (And each company, in its own way, is doing great good.) What’s fortunate, above and beyond the fact that I would actually buy and read many of these books I’m paid to edit while they’re in raw form, is that the editors I work with are allowed to take pride in shepherding their projects, and I am in turn respected for my skill and given the time and the freedom to practice my craft with care. (And though the pay is not exceptional, it’s respectable.) Sorry you had to read through all that to get to the writing tip, but I think it’s worth your while. Here’s today’s lesson: If you are fortunate enough to be in a position to have your writing published in a professionally produced manner a book, a magazine or journal, a newspaper, a newsletter, or even on a Web site insist on being accorded the dignity of having it edited with due diligence. That may not be easy to do consistently, at least early in your career, but strive to get to a place where the publisher that agrees to distribute your work is one that will take care to prepare it thoroughly. So much otherwise promising, potentially compelling writing is corrupted by careless editing, or a lack of editing at all. (You’ve all seen books and other publications with writing that could easily have been improved or with embarrassing typographical errors.) Is that how you want the work that you have labored over to be released out into the world? Conduct research on publishers, read their output, and determine which companies take pride in what they produce. Let writers and readers unite to reward publishers that respect producers and consumers of the written word, and punish those that see prose as nothing more than product to move along the conveyor belt with as little expense and effort as possible. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Writing Prompts 10160 Synonyms for â€Å"Trip†50 Plain-Language Substitutions for Wordy Phrases

Energy and society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Energy and society - Essay Example Large-scale federal regulation was then enacted which allowed individuals to construct generators and encouraged the power pools into independent system operators whose supply schedule was determined through auction, a move which further complicated the grid system, though no direct regulation of individual operators was put into place. However, following erroneous actions resulting in catastrophic far-flung blackouts in 2003, the Federal Energy Regulation Commission was empowered to impose new rules and regulations on grid management by way of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation which refined the qualification requirements and licenses needed for human operators (Wald, n.p.). b) Though Professionals in energy management are highly paid, complying with federal regulations requires a refined skill set including technical engineering knowledge as well as participation in ongoing education and training while maintaining valid licensing. The strict requirement for grid management work limits the scope of recruitment and there are only currently 6,000 (approx.) qualified professional in the United States. Besides the technical knowledge and skill required, certain personality traits encourage better performance in this work. The ability to function harmoniously with a group and maintain disciplined adherence to alternating 12 hour shifts and training while performing adequately in power distribution. These personality qualities are the same as those present in people who have previous experience in military settings, as they have these attributes innately and/or have already been familiarized with regimented scheduling and team skills (Wald, n.p.). a) Technical advancements coupled with environmental concerns have led to a new area of energy consumption which electricity distribution managers have had to compensate for in the fluctuating

Access to Insurance Versus Access to Care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Access to Insurance Versus Access to Care - Essay Example However, there should be glaring distinctions. Access to healthcare must be all about the ability of Americans to obtain care for themselves whenever they get sick. And such care includes access to physicians, hospitals and others facilities and services of the medical system. On the other hand, access to insurance refers to the access and use of health plans. Essentially, hence, the lack in insurance coverage does not necessarily mean there is no access to health care. Henderson (2009) pointed this out by citing how the uninsured in America receive about 60 percent of the medical care per capita of those with insurance (p.68). So what this means is that the uninsured does get medical care. The issue about access all boils down to the term "ability". Yes, the uninsured can still avail of medical care but they do receive, in the words of Henderson, less care than the insured Americans (p.68). This is the reason why the 2010 federal health reform law was enacted. It follows the objective of universal coverage in which health care insurance participation becomes mandatory, rejecting the voluntary system in the process, and paving the way for medical care access for all. It took a long time for this health reform initiative to be realized. Different administrations have proposed different health care models aiming for nationalized and universal coverage and failed. Even as we speak, the current law, which should depict the pinnacle of these initiatives having been passed and implemented two years ago, is still in danger of getting repelled once a Republican regime is elected to the White House. This reflects the highly contentious debate about how to pursue health reform f rom two dominant political and ideological standpoints. The liberals favor the current system of universal healthcare whereas the conservatives want to cut cost and are committed to the old model typified by individualism, freedom of choice and competition. This conflict is

Gender Socialization Essay Example for Free

Gender Socialization Essay The term, gender, refers to the socially learned expectations and behaviors associated with being male or female. Gender affects socialization in many ways, and begins primarily at birth. Gender affects how parents treat their children, how the work field treats males and females, and how each gender chooses friends. The gender of a child is extremely important to the parent. The gender will guide the parent on how to raise and treat the child. Parents are more likely to be more stern and rough with a baby boy rather than a baby girl. Parents of a girl are likely to be more gentle, soft, and patient with the new baby. This gender socialization example is due to our masculine and feminine culture. The most important and obvious gender socialization example is in the work field. Gender greatly affects the socialization process between males and females. Males are considered to be strong and powerful, while females are thought to be weak and secondary. From the beginning of time, men were to work hard and provide for the family, while females were to take care of the home and children. Today, men are still more likely to be powerful leaders, CEO’s, etc†¦ however; many women are top executives and are very capable of being so. Finally, gender affects the way people choose friends and social activities. Men are more likely to choose other men as friends, and same with women. Humans enjoy spending time with people that are similar to themselves. Men will also engage in masculine activities such as hunting, fishing, and running, while women engage in feminine activities such as shopping, tanning, and reading. Gender subconsciously helps make our daily decisions. I’ve never thought about gender being such an important aspect in our daily lives. Gender affects socialization in so many different ways; parents raising their children, the work environment, and choosing friends. Gender socialization is extremely important in today’s society.

Essay --

Mekanism is a San francisco-based creative digital agency that is founded in 2000 by Tommy Means. Mekanism is derived from a company named Complete Pandemonium. Means saw a big opportunity of the internet for a great media platform that was not being deployed and understood by people and company back in 2000. Means started to grow his view to an independent integrated creative production studio to develop the branded content outside traditional marketing communication channels. Means aimed the mission to place the web media at the center of all advertising, and to make marketing more effective among all the other platforms. Immediately the agency was founded as an independent entity, he added three partners. Pete Caban as a head of digital, Ian Kovalic as an executive creative director, and Jason Harris as an executive producer. Pete Caban leads technology development, new media initiatives and business operations. Focusing mainly on projects surrounding emerging content platforms, Caban directs the technical development of Mekanism’s client campaigns by leveraging the industry’s latest innovations to deliver targeted content to the widest base. Ian Kovalic brings an artistic and creative background in design, interactive and animated storytelling. As executive creative director, he oversees most of the design execution across commercial, web and branded entertainment. Jason Harris leads the strategy and production of branded entertainment campaigns. His core focus is fostering Mekanism’s position as the premiere storyteller for emerging media. Harris represents a unique mix of strategy, management and production expertise. He works attentively with brands to help make hit content, develop community platforms, and enhance reach a... ...Super bowl, Mekanism continued engagement with the audience, with the contests where hundreds of thousands additional fans came to watch the spot frame by frame and hunt for planted easter eggs. Average times on Pepsi.com was unbelievable, 4 minutes and 35 seconds. The program garnered press eventually every outlet from USATODAY, to the New York Times to the Today Show. Through paid, owned , and earned media, it received over 5.5 billion impressions. In the end, Mekanism created a Fan-made film that looked stunning, and delivered on the creativity and passion of its audience which generated buzz long before and after the Super Bowl. But most importantly, Makanism amplified the voice of the now generation, and Pepsi put its marketing focus on the people who really matter, its consumers. http://youtu.be/a6YjAWU6_Qw>

Cat Evolution

The felids are a rapidly evolving family of mammals that share a common ancestor only 10–15 million years ago,[26] and include, in addition to the domestic cat, lions, tigers, cougars, and many others. Within this family, domestic cats (Felis catus) are part of the genus Felis, which is a group of small cats containing approximately seven species (depending upon classification scheme). [1][27] Members of the genus are found worldwide and include the jungle cat (Felis chaus) of southeast Asia, European wildcat (F. silvestris silvestris), African wildcat (F. s. lybica), the Chinese mountain cat (F. bieti), and the Arabian sand cat (F. argarita), among others. [28] All the cats in this genus share a common ancestor that probably lived around 6–7 million years ago in Asia. [29] The exact relationships within the Felidae are close but still uncertain,[30][31] e. g. the Chinese mountain cat is sometimes classified (under the name Felis silvestris bieti) as a subspecies of the wildcat, like an African variety F. S. lybica. [4][30] As domestic cats are little altered from wildcats, they can readily interbreed. This hybridization poses a danger to the genetic distinctiveness of wildcat populations, particularly in Scotland and Hungary, and possibly also the Iberian Peninsula. 32] The domestic cat was first classified as Felis catus by Carolus Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae in 1758. [1][3] However, because of modern phylogenetics, domestic cats are now usually regarded as another subspecies of the wildcat, Felis silvestris. [1][4][33] This has resulted in mixed usage of the terms, as the domestic cat can be called by its subspecies name, Felis silvestris catus. [1][4][33] Wildcats have also been referred to as various subspecies of F. catus,[33] but in 2003 the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature fixed the name for wildcats as F. ilvestris. [34] The most common name in use for the domestic cat remains F. catus, followin g a convention for domesticated animals of using the earliest (the senior) synonym proposed. [34] Sometimes the domestic cat has been called Felis domesticus[35] or Felis domestica,[1] as proposed by German naturalist J. C. P. Erxleben in 1777, but these are not valid taxonomic names and have only rarely been used in scientific literature,[36] because Linnaeus's binomial takes precedence. [37] Cats have either a mutualistic or commensal relationship with humans.However, in comparison to dogs, cats have not undergone major changes during the domestication process, as the form and behavior of the domestic cat are not radically different from those of wildcats, and domestic cats are perfectly capable of surviving in the wild. [38][39] This limited evolution during domestication means that domestic cats tend to interbreed freely with wild relatives,[32] which distinguishes them from other domesticated animals. [citation needed] Fully domesticated house cats also often interbreed with fe ral F. atus populations. [25] However, several natural behaviors and characteristics of wildcats may have pre-adapted them for domestication as pets. [39] These traits include their small size, social nature, obvious body language, love of play, and relatively high intelligence;[40]:12–17 they may also have an inborn tendency towards tameness. [39] There are two main theories about how cats were domesticated. In one, people deliberately tamed cats in a process of artificial selection, as they were useful predators of vermin. 41] However, this has been criticized as implausible, because there may have been little reward for such an effort: Cats generally do not carry out commands and, although they do eat rodents, other species such as ferrets or terriers may be better at controlling these pests. [4] The alternative idea is that cats were simply tolerated by people and gradually diverged from their wild relatives through natural selection, as they adapted to hunting the vermin found around humans in towns and villages. [4]

Essay about P4 M2 D1 - National Initiatives Unit 2

Unit 2- Equality, Diversity and Rights In this assignment I am going to design a booklet explaining of how national initiatives promote anti-discriminatory practice. I am going to explain an assessment of the influences of a recent national policy initiative promoting anti-discriminatory practice in health and social care settings. Then I am going to evaluate the success of a recent initiative in promoting anti-discriminatory practice. P4 I am going to write about 4 legislations, these are the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995, the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Age Discrimination Act 2006. Sex Discrimination Act 1975 is to protect men and women against discrimination or harassment on the†¦show more content†¦It requires reasonable adjustments to be made in various areas, so that disabled people are not being discriminated against. The human Rights and Equality commissions assist that individual to up hold their rights as set out in the DDA. The Act covers all four main areas such as; transport, housing, education and employment. Also it is unlawful under the DDA for an employer to treat a person with disabilities less favourably that someone else just because of their disability. The DDA provides a legal protection from any discrimination in employment, access to buildings or transport. Human Rights Act 1998 covers all of the Human Rights and ensures that all individuals have rights on their side and that they can take legal actions against any other individual or any organisation that disrespects their Human Rights; this includes the health and social care settings. This act came into force in England and Wales. This enables children, young people and adults to seek protection of their rights both nationally and internationally through the European court of human rights. It gives people the power to challenge perceived discrimination by public bodies. As an employee within the health and social care sector you would have to be aware of the human rights issues. You would need to know how to report any incidents. This act looks at individual’s rights. It also ensures vulnerable people are being cared for, and have rights to protection and privacy. Age Discrimination ActShow MoreRelatedBusiness Economic1655 Words   |  7 PagesLevel 3 Health and Social Care Unit 2: Equality, Diversity and Rights in Health and Social Care Assessor: Important Dates | |Assessment Criteria |Issue Date |Formative Assessment |Summative Assessment | |Task 1 |P1, M1 and D1 | | | | |Task 2 |P2 and P3 Read MoreUnit 21672 Words   |  7 PagesLevel 3 Health and Social Care Unit 2: Equality, Diversity and Rights in Health and Social Care Assessor: Important Dates | |Assessment Criteria |Issue Date |Formative Assessment |Summative Assessment | |Task 1 |P1, M1 and D1 | | | | |Task 2 |P2 and P3 Read MoreEssay on Work: Goal and Social Care949 Words   |  4 PagesUnit 6: Personal and Professional Development in Health and Social CareUnit 44: Vocational Experience for Health and Social CareBTEC NATIONAL HEALTH AND SOCIAL CAREExtended Diploma Student Name: Abigail bowes Group: BStudent Number: 20138903 | Unit 6 (P2, P5) half 1. 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For example, in transport, education, jobs etc. It promotes anti-discriminatory practice by making sure those men and women are treated equally, if this act applies didn’t exist, men andRead MoreUnit 2 - P4, P5, M2, M3, D1, D23271 Words   |  14 Pagesï » ¿Unit 2 – Equality, Diversity and Rights within Health and Social Care P4 For this task, I am going to explain how two national initiatives promote anti-discriminatory practice. Sex discrimination act 1975 This act applies for both men and women. It promotes that both men and women should be treated equally. For example, in transport, education, jobs etc. It promotes anti-discriminatory practice by making sure those men and women are treated equally, if this act applies didn’t exist, men and women