Author Archives: Vanya Wryter Consulting

Grammar, Real Language, Books, and the Movies: An Editor’s Dilemma

A copy editor’s job is to correct the grammar in a novel. But what if the grammar is wrong, yet authentic? An author whose first language isn’t English caught a mistake in his novel and asked me what the correct grammar was. I told him the translator he hired had used authentic dialogue in theContinue reading “Grammar, Real Language, Books, and the Movies: An Editor’s Dilemma”

Fashion Trends for Remote Work: What Are You Hiding?

When the pandemic disrupted commutes to work, it challenged us to rethink our wardrobes. Offices shut down and people with desk jobs found themselves working from home in pajamas, yoga wear, or “half-and-half” fashion styles. So what’s half-and-half? If you’ve attended a virtual meeting, you’ll know what I mean by half-and-half styles. You’re wearing aContinue reading “Fashion Trends for Remote Work: What Are You Hiding?”

Insights from Bestsellers: Pandas and Punctuation

Does punctuation matter? The answer can be found in this story about a panda that walked into a cafe, ordered a sandwich, ate it, and fired a gun into the air. Why did the panda do such a thing? The answer lies in a badly punctuated manual with a definition of “panda”: “Large black-and-white bear-likeContinue reading “Insights from Bestsellers: Pandas and Punctuation”