Samantha Naymark’s Post

Myth 5: Editors Are a Glorified Spell Check. Editors do more than check spelling and punctuation. Depending on the level of editing, they really could just be checking spelling, punctuation, grammar, and simple formatting. Or they could be making sure the mood in this specific scene is right, all plot holes have been filled, and the character development is compelling. Does a computer know how to do this? Nope. Even when we’re talking about simple punctuation, spell check suggests all kinds of weird things that are outright wrong. Just wrong. Leaving your manuscript in the hands of Microsoft Word or Grammarly is a gamble. You need a human to understand the nuances, pauses, and pacing of a sentence and suggest the best way to punctuate. Check out the blog posts in the comments about tricky punctuation to learn how interchangeable punctuation can be; the only difference is how you want the scene to read. A computer can’t take that into account. It’s the worst when spell check doesn’t mark a word as wrong because the misspelling actually spells another word correctly. Here are some examples of misspelled words correctly spelling other words: “Eye kneed too eat sum pi.” (I need to eat some pie.) All but “eat” are spelled incorrectly, but they might silently sneak past spell check since they are all correct spellings of other words. Do yourself a favor and hire a human!

One of the worst trends I’ve seen in design: Clients ask designers to do plagiarism checks. Guess what? You’re not responsible for: Verifying the originality of the copy. Proofreading for grammar or tone. Taking ownership of any text-related risks. Remember: You’re a designer, not a copy editor. Stick to your expertise, and let others handle the rest. P.S. What’s a task you no longer do as a designer?

Writers, what methods work best for you when organizing notes and quotes for long-form, multi-sourced content? I often use color coding, assigning a different color font to the information and/or interview transcript for each source. Then I come up with a few general themes/subheads and move blocks of copy under the appropriate ones. I do a more formal outline if an editor or client requests it but still use the color coding (for my eyes only) to make it easy to move copy around while keeping track of attribution.

🎮 Job Quest: The Wordsmith Bard ⚔️ Not Your Ordinary Role! Are you a poetic soul with a love for weaving words into magic? Do you dream of crafting lyrical landscapes and breathing life into immersive worlds? Then, dear adventurer, this might be the quest for you! Our client, a visionary team developing a super exciting game, is on the hunt for a Wordsmith Bard to join their party. This isn’t just any role—it’s a chance to turn your passion for poetry and creative storytelling into the heartbeat of a game that will captivate players worldwide. Your Mission 🪶 As the Wordsmith Bard, you’ll be the creative soul responsible for: 🌌 Writing poetic narratives, riddles, and lore that enchant and inspire. 🛠️ Collaborating with designers, artists, and developers to build a cohesive, immersive world. 🎭 Creating engaging dialogue, character backstories, and mystical incantations. 🌟 Infusing every line of text with emotion, rhythm, and personality. Your Gear 🎩 To succeed in this role, you’ll need: 🖋️ A deep love for poetry and the ability to adapt it to different tones and themes. 🎮 A passion for gaming and an understanding of how narrative integrates with gameplay. 🧙 Experience in creative writing, storytelling, or narrative design. 🗣️ A knack for collaboration and bringing ideas to life through teamwork. Your Reward 🏆 💼 A chance to work with an innovative team on a groundbreaking project. 🎉 An environment that celebrates creativity and unique ideas. 🌍 The opportunity to make your mark on a game that will inspire countless players. How to Join the Quest Ready to wield your pen like a legendary weapon? Send your portfolio, including examples of your poetic and creative work, to [email protected] (subject: Eng-Spa Translator). Let us see how you can transform words into an unforgettable experience! Adventure awaits—step into the world where your poetry becomes part of gaming history! 🎶 Share and comment! 😉

From secret message encoding to perfect text alignment, invisible characters have endless uses. Discover how our Invisible Character Tool can transform your projects and make your work shine. Ideal for developers, designers, and writers! ✨👩💻📐📝 🔗 Learn more at: https://lnkd.in/dFdBPsHS #InvisibleCharacters #TechTools #Developers #Designers #Writers #Innovation #Productivity #TechTips

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁: 𝙄𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛-𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬 Spell checkers are useful, but there are several situations where they may fall short, requiring writers to conduct a careful self-review: • 𝗛𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗽𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘆𝗺s: Spell checkers often miss errors where words sound the same but have different meanings.  Example: 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 vs. 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 or 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 vs. 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 • 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁-𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲: Words that are spelled correctly but misused in context, require human review to ensure correct usage.  Example: 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 vs. 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 • 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗿 𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀: Spell checkers don't catch all grammar errors, like subject-verb agreement or misplaced modifiers, which may lead to awkward or incorrect sentences. • 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆: In fields like medicine, engineering, or tech, spell checkers may not recognize industry-specific jargon, abbreviations, or acronyms, leading to unnecessary corrections or missed errors. • 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲: Intentional misspellings for style or dialogue (like "𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘢" or "𝘺𝘢'𝘭𝘭") are often flagged, and spell checkers may also misinterpret stylistic choices in creative writing. • 𝗣𝘂𝗻𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: Spell checkers don’t always catch issues with punctuation (like missing commas or incorrect apostrophes) or formatting inconsistencies, both of which can affect readability. • 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀: Whether words are written as one, two, or hyphenated words may be incorrectly flagged depending on the dictionary the checker uses.  Example: 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦, 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦, 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩-𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 • 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀: Spell checkers may not recognize names of people, brands, or unique places, requiring the writer to verify and correct any flagged errors. • 𝗣𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻: Errors involving plurals and possessive forms are often missed by spell checkers, which can change the meaning of a sentence.  Example: 𝘪𝘵𝘴 vs. 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 • 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Spell checkers may overlook inconsistent capitalization, especially when style guides vary or evolve.  Example: 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘵 vs. 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘵 Self-review helps writers catch these nuanced issues that spell checkers may miss, ensuring clarity, accuracy, and consistency in the final text. #spellcheker #selfreview #technicalwriting #writing #content

You know I love a good grammar or punctuation discussion! #wordnerd #onlineeducation #adultandlifelonglearning

I am working on a personal project using Design Fiction to explore Alexithymia experiences. Following a UX and Futures Thinking approach, I have gathered resources using horizon scanning to create scenarios, and I am developing a workshop for community participation. If you have any thoughts/ ideas, I would love to collaborate, please DM me. Project What if reading and writing poetry helps with Alexithymia? Alexithymia produces cognitive and physical signals for the subconscious that remain abstracts to the conscious mind, while poetry ties to describe and explore the abstract nature of emotional experiences. What if reading poetry could provide vocabulary and narrative experiences, while writing poetry acts as a reflective practice for identifying and expressing emotions. Workshop Outline Purpose - Explore Alexithymia through the Double Empathy Problem Goal - Bridge gap in adapting communication style using poetry • Activities and Outcome • Activity: Everyday Situations - Outcome: Identify shared experiences • Activity: Create Haiku - Outcome: Creative and explore abstract concepts • Activity: Grayscale Image - Outcome: Experience missing vocabulary (adjectives) • Activity: Conversation Challenge - Outcome: Experience Communication Challenge • Activity: Poem Artifact - Outcome: Appreciation for adapting communication styles

Just finished the course “Writing in Plain Language” by Leslie O'Flahavan! Check it out: https://lnkd.in/d6pfr62X #writing #plainlanguage. "Plain Language" is the UX/UI for content creation that we should strive for.

Consistency is the hill every editor will die on. No quarter given. This is your first and only warning. Our weapon of choice? An editing style guide. Containing the answer to all life's questions, including: 📄 Language use (is it 's' vs 'z'?) 📄 Spelling and punctuation (are you using single or double quotation marks?) 📄 Numbers and symbols (1000, 1,000, or 1 000?) 📄 Formatting (page formatting, visual elements, and referencing style) 📄 Examples (after all, a picture is worth a thousand words) This all good and well, but sometimes, you don't have a style guide to work with. What then? You forge your own ⚒ 🔥 In our newest blog post, we offer step-by-step instructions to create an editing style guide PLUS a free style guide template to get you started. https://lnkd.in/dUPTiYjB #blueleafediting #turninganewleaf #newblogpost #styleguide #editingstyleguide #stylemanual #stylesheet #editing #editors