Too big? Nope. Looks perfect to me.

While watching an episode of Tiny House, Big Living on HGTV I mentioned I’d like to try my hand at living in a tiny home. I should mention I’m on the verge of being a hoarder. I have a hard time throwing anything away for fear that as soon as I do, I’ll need it. My husband thinks I’m insane for wanting to try this but did say that once the kids are grown he’ll let me build a tiny home…on the property of the home he’ll live in. Such a swell guy. About three minutes after this I got a new email from TheComputerBoy with this attachment…

Floorplans

Looks perfect to me.

Friday Fun

Have you gone on a blind date with a book? Was it a love it or leave it result?

blind date?

Aloud vs. Allowed

This week’s Tuesday Tip is short and sweet.

Aloud means using the voice.

Allowed is the past tense of the very allow. It means to give permission or let happen.

Here’s the picture for you visual learners.

aloud allowed

Testimonial

Nicole is nothing short of a life saver. Time and time again, she’s proven to be thorough and professional. She has both a sharp eye and a respect for style that I’ve always appreciated. I can’t imagine putting out a book without her.

-Adrienne Bell (Author of The Sinner Saints series)

adrienne

Sole vs. Soul

Working predominantly in the romance genre, I tend to see the same mistakes often. Today is an example of a common mistake. While an argument may be made that both words will work when speaking of that one true love, soul mate is the correct choice. Here is a breakdown of each word.

Sole may be used as an adjective, noun or verb. As an adjective sole means only or single. As a noun it can be an edible type of fish or the underside of a shoe or human foot. As a verb it can be used when applying a new underside to a shoe.

Soul refers to the spiritual nature of a person or the spirit of a dead human being which has separated from the physical body.

And because you know I love visuals…

sole soul

A Family Affair

I mentioned in the Tuesday Tip this week that my job has become a family affair. My poor family is stuck living with an editor and I know it’s not easy for them.

My kids hate having to write paragraphs and essays for school because they know I will go through it with a red pen. They bring their essays on scratch paper first so we can go through it together, then they write the final draft. Did I mention they’ve learned this at a really young age? They are only nine and ten.

My husband on the other hand, does not need to write essays for school. He writes reports for work and has a blog he writes for his side business. I’m not sure if he loves or hates having a wife that’s a stickler for words. But I do know there are nights when I get asked to proofread and edit an article for him.

Thankfully they’re all good sports.

The kids enjoy giving me topics for tips, sending me quotes from books they read, and pointing out errors they might come across. Even my husband sends me funny jokes or anything else he thinks might be “worthy” of posting on the site. It doesn’t hurt that he created my site either.

Because of this, I’m starting a new category on Proof Before You Publish: Living Life With An Editor. Some of these posts might be duplicates to things you’ve seen on the Internet recently, some may not apply to reading, editing and proofreading as much as you’d like them to, and others may just not make any sense at all. But everything posted in this category will have come from my family. Remember, there’s the husband (TheComputerBoy), a 10-year-old girl (Pickle) and a 9-year-old boy (Porky). Who knows what’s in store?

 

Friday Fun

This photo resonates with me because it was exactly how I felt when I was young. When I showed it to my daughter, she smiled and agreed. Being sent to our room is never a punishment.

punishment?

Stationery vs. Stationary

I try to make my job as an editor a family affair. My kids love to hear about the stories I’m working on and offer suggestions for things to add to my website. Today was no exception. When I asked my 10 year old what homophone I should use as today’s Tuesday Tip she immediately had an answer for me. I’m not sure if this is a word pair she often confuses, if they just discussed the pair at school or if this was simply the first option that came to mind. But, today’s Tuesday Tip is Stationery vs. Stationary.

Stationery is paper used for writing letters and oftentimes comes with matching envelopes.

Stationary means to stand still.

It’s fairly straightforward but easily confused. Here’s a graphic that should help as well.

Stationery-Stationary