Compulsive, Unqualified Editor
Ummmmm..... You mightn't have noticed by the quality of the grammar/sentence structure/word choices/punctuation in my blogs, but I am, in fact, a compulsive editor. I've always read the newspaper with a pencil in my hand and have one eye on the content and another on the syntax. I admit to feeling a smug little thrill whenever I catch the media in an embarassing misspelling. A) Yes, I am that dorky, thanks for asking, B) Yes, I see how this could be considered hypocritical, thanks for asking, and C) No, I don't read the Toronto Sun anymore because there just aren't enough pencils, are there?

Anyway, lately I've been editing a translation of a book on the Mayan calandar written by my fa-bu-lous friend, Magda. As far as reasons go for not regularly posting dross to this site, that's the best one I've got. Been busy. Editing. Very Busy.

Anyway, the translation is done and the book will be on a bookseller shelf near you within the year. I *probably* won't run into you there however, as my 'fee' for editing services is a few copies of the final version.

Ok, now that I've said all that, I have to admit one niggling insecurity: It's my use of commas. (Ahhhhh, we were hoping you'd bring that up at some point, you're thinking). See, although I've edited an ENTIRE text that will be published for HUMAN CONSUMPTION, I have to admit that I'm not completely certain that I've put the commas in the right places. I know there are rules governing when to use and not use them -- I've not only read the rules, but I've read books about comma rules (notably "Eats, Shoots, and Leaves), and they still don't stick. This is not a good blind spot for any respectable editor to have.
-
Ok, on this subject, sort of, but jumping a bit to the right of center.... Andre sent me a song he wrote while in Belgium. He had been working out a beautiful melody and a pretty amazing poem while here and, although it's not completely finished, it's nearly ready to be recorded. The lyrics, which start out simply and become more complex over the course of the song, are beautiful and quite heady. There's just this one thing... (no, it's not his commas)... it's his word choice in the 1st verse. It goes:

The love from the morning
has lingered till noon
The memory of our moving
swells up the room

See, I think "swells up the room" makes us seem all bloated and gassy. Why would morning love swell up a room? How would this be possible? Anyway, I'd like to suggest "still in the room", or "remains in the room" or "smokes a fag in the room" --- ANYTHING but "swells up the room".

Yikes! Late for work... must dash...

Ok, so I have two questions: 1) Is it horrible to edit a love poem that someone writes for you -- even if that poem will become a recorded song heard, potentially, by 10's of people?, and 2) If not, does anyone have suggestions for replacing "swells up the room"?