Thursday, November 28, 2013

Incorrect Word Usage Equals Lazy Thinking

"Action plan" is redundant; action is inherent in the word plan.

"Impactful" is not a word; it is slang and an example of lazy thinking. The words "effective" and "influential" are correct and should be used.

Friday, March 8, 2013

Copyediting and the Audience

Copyediting and the Audience

One thing you need to keep in mind when copyediting is the audience of the piece that you are editing. Is it a piece for anyone? Or is it targeted to a specific audience? All writing needs to be clear, but there are situations in which you must leave in industry-specific language or other idioms to ensure correct communication. If you're copyediting something and find unfamiliar terms or idioms, or words used in an unfamiliar way, ask the author before deleting or rewriting!