I, myself ...

I, myself, am always bothered by phrases like "I myself," "he himself," or "you yourself." I know that it is for effect, in which the emphasis is in the redundancy, but it just seems so--redundant! Also, what part of speech is the "x-self"? It is a non-restrictive clause? Or an appositive? Which would mean that there should be commas in either case but I've seen it without commas.

Paper and Ink

We learned in class that it is much more accurate to edit on paper than to edit on screen. When I check my own writing, however, I often find myself hesitating to print out a document just for proofreading. I’m always tempted to do my proofreading on screen to save paper and ink. I just hate finding one misspell on a page and having to reprint the whole page; I cannot help but be self-conscious about wasting paper and ink for careless mistakes.

Is it absolutely necessary to print out a document for accurate proofreading? Is it possible to master the art of screen proofreading to eliminate or minimize the need for proofreading on paper, thereby saving the office supplies? Is it ever possible to print out a flawless document through proofreading on screen alone?

not directly related to copyediting...

I mentioned that the Dalai Lama will be speaking on Maui this week. Here are links for the live webcast (http://www.tibetfund.org/dalai-lama-maui.html) and to the Maui Dharma Denter for a schedule of events (http://www.mauidharmacenter.org/HH_dalai_lama_.htm).
Apologies for mispronouncing his name.

Creating a template & other blabbity things

I was wondering how do you create a template? I've been putting together a chapbook using MSWord and it is no fun. I had to figure out columns and that awful odd even numbering. It's a headache to add pages and on top of that I'm doing front back printing! Grr. Any suggestions? Programs?

Also, I've been thinking about what Pat's friend asked about violence in writing. Some of my students have written violent things, okay not all of them, just one and a school therapist comes to talk to him/her about twice a month. It's school policy to report any writing or any behavior that is violent, naturally. I talk to this student; give them a lot of extra attention; talk about "general" things. However, I think what happened at Virgina Tech makes me think of Marilyn Manson's quote in Bowling for Columbine. Not a coincidence that Bravo decided to air it this week, hmm? I'm sure you all remember this, but for those of you haven't seen the documentary, Moore asked Manson, "What would you have said to those kids?" As Moore was discussing how this could have been prevented, etc. Manson answered: "Nothing. I would have listened. I would have listened to what they had to say and that's what no one did." Ok, it's not profound or anything, but do you ever feel like people have seriously forgotten how to do in a larger context? Sometimes I feel like my role as a graduate student is not to listen or understand but attack and critique; it's so tiring! Most violent acts seem to stem from one's inability to communicate or rather feeling as if what one is trying to communicate is not getting through. There are a million examples in our community, in the world. What I like about copyediting is that it allows the author/writer to communicate more effectively.

Sorry, I don't have time to proofread this! I know I switch POV!

Template & Writing

While I was watching Pat's powerpoint last week, I was wondering:

1) Who usually chooses the template for the journal? How long has Manoa had the same template for? For other newspapers or journals, will the template change under a new editor or designer? Or is it a component that remains consistent?

2) Do you think years of copyediting (experience as a copyeditor) improves one's own writing? Do you think copyediting just improves one's copyediting skills or does it actually help one become a better writer?

Creative Writing

A friend sent me this text, which he had received as an e-mail message.

I’m a reporter for the Chronicle of Higher Education and I’m working on a story about the shootings at Virginia Tech. Seung Cho, the gunman, was an English major with a concentration in creative writing. A one-act play that he wrote has become public and I was hoping to get your opinion of it (I’ve included a link below). I was wondering a couple of things, including:

—Is the writing particularly disturbing? Or is it the sort of thing you’ve read before from undergraduates?

—What would you do if a student handed in a piece of work like this?

—Do you often get students who turn in violent work? How should professors respond in such cases? Obviously writing violent stories doesn’t mean you’re a violent person, but are there warning signs?

Any other thoughts would be helpful.…Here’s the link to the play:

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2007/0417071vtech1.html

"I'm Ashamed"

In a sad way, this piece brings together the various threads of our discussion. Click on the title to see the article.