March's Feature Book: Emma

            Jane Austen is one of my favorite authors. That might be a cliché for female readers, but it’s the truth. How can you not like Austen? Her novels may be about Regency era ladies hoping to marry, but the books delve much deeper than that. It is hard to say which of Austen's works is the best, but I know that Emma would be towards the top of my list. Not only is the story intriguing but this novel also showcases how brilliant Austen was as an author. When news first reached me about the new movie EMMA., I was thrilled. I haven’t had a chance to see it yet, but I intend to someday soon. In the meantime, I’ve been having a nice visit with Miss Emma Woodhouse and the other residents of Highbury by rereading Austen's book.

            Emma would go to the top of my list partially because it offers many examples of Jane Austen's writing ability. It amazes me every time that she could take someone as unlikable as Miss Emma Woodhouse and turn her into the main character that readers love. It takes a deft hand to convince the average reader that prideful, meddlesome Miss Woodhouse is worth their interest and admiration. For me, the character becomes even better because she is awakened to her flaws and is willing to change. 

            Another feature that I enjoy in Jane Austen’s writings is the lack of dialogue. Compared to modern literature, the characters in Austen’s writings do very little talking. There are far more descriptions and narration than there are actual action and dialogue. Of course, Miss Bates is an exception to that rule. Despite this lack of actual action, so much happens in Emma to keep the reader engaged. Emma is supposed to be a three-volume novel, and each volume has its set of events that takes a reader for a long, adventurous journey.

            One cannot talk about Austen's abilities without mentioning her veiled wit. On the surface, Emma appears to be a story about Miss Woodhouse and the people around her. A second look might reveal something more. Beneath the plotline are pricks at society, jokes about culture, and a great deal of sarcasm. It comes through in all the novels including Emma, though I believe it is most blatant in Northanger Abbey. For Emma, one needn't look beyond the plot of the story. A young woman who appears like she has everything is soon revealed to have nothing in the way that it matters. The story alone provides plenty of social commentary.

            I’ve read Emma more times than I care to count, but this particular trip through Highbury provided me with a few observations. First, that nothing is as it seems. I'm well acquainted with the story now and can see the clues that something is coming. When I first read it, Jane Austen managed to catch me off guard several times. I think the best part is that Miss Woodhouse does not marry the man that seems like the best match for her. Similar personalities do not mean a perfect match. Miss Woodhouse certainly proves that point. Even though she marries a man that is her opposite, it does her good because he builds her up rather than leaving her the same.

            Another observation I made is the characters’ peculiarities. Mr. Woodhouse thinks everyone is in ill health like himself and mourns every marriage. Miss Bates talks for pages and jumps around with topics in a way that makes a reader's head spin. Mr. John Knightley is insightful and wise in his blunt sort of way. Mrs. Elton does a good job of stirring everyone into action even if I do find her annoying. Mr. Frank Churchill is so easygoing and can laugh off everything… or almost everything. Each character has something peculiar about them and together they make a lively little town that readers love to visit. I believe the reason for that is the little bit of reality that exists in those peculiarities. They remind people of life and the individuals they interact with. It highlights the poetic in what has become mundane.

           If anything, I think the main takeaway from Emma is that the surface is not the same as the inner depths. Miss Woodhouse is more than the front she puts on. Each character is more than what they seem. Even Miss Woodhouse learns that lesson as she realizes she can’t read what’s in everyone’s hearts. Nothing is as it seems so one has to be willing to take a second look. It might be worth following the example of other Highbury residents too. Life is short and uncertain. It is better if we support each other and offer each other proper respect. No one wants to be bogged down with regrets.

My 2020 Book Challenge: First Quarter

            In January, I wrote about a challenge I made for myself to see how many books I can read in one year. It has now been three months and seemed like a good time for checking progress. One of the best things a person can do for reaching a goal is setting up accountability. Therefore, I intend to circle back to this topic several times throughout the year. If your book challenge has gone anything like mine, you might have gotten several surprising revelations already.

            Of course, the question we all care about most is how much progress we’ve made. To date, I have managed to finish fourteen books. That is about a quarter of my goal which means I'm staying on track so far. More than that, keeping a record of the books I have been reading has brought several trends to my attention. First is the type of books I read. I'll openly admit that I adore romance novels. What surprised me was the sheer amount of romance I read. Ten of the fourteen books I've completed fall within that category. Another interesting discovery was that novellas make up a much greater percentage of my reading than I previously thought.

            Although I am continuing strong towards my goal for the end of the year, I've now developed several smaller goals for in the meantime. The reading habits that I've noticed so far have inspired me to make changes in how I read. The first goal is to read more. I'm thrilled that I'm staying on track, but I am a little disappointed to find that I read less than I thought I did. I've always had this sense of urgency when it comes to reading. There are so many books, and I don't want to waste time. Therefore, I want to make a more conscious effort to read something every day.

            I also wish to diversify my reading. As much as I love romance novels, I think some branching out is in order. There's no telling what I have missed because of my penchant for the one genre. Going forward, I want to try to read some other types of books that will broaden my horizons and possibly give me something to think about. Books might be about adventure in a different world, but they are also about sharing thoughts and ideas. I want to be challenged, and I want to have new ideas to mull over while I drink my tea.

            I’m sure the next three months will supply me with more to consider about my reading habits and give me plenty of opportunities to read more. Are you enjoying this book challenge? Have you also discovered reading habits or trends? It’s not too late to start your own challenge. You can make a goal for reading during spring, which just so happens to start tomorrow. It is interesting to me how one thing can lead to another. Originally, counting books was all I had in mind. It has now become an exploration as I find new ways to branch out and challenge the reader in me.

Triage Editing for College Papers

            I thought college wouldn't be too difficult because I had done so well in college prep courses. By the time I had completed my first week, I was starting to get a different picture. I'm sure many of you are very familiar with the panic of looming deadlines and mounting work. It takes a good deal of organization and time management to survive college. Even the best planners can sometimes get caught off guard. I remember several research papers that went largely ignored because of more immediate deadlines. Finally, I had to rush to complete all the work within a few days.

When you’re under pressure and short on time, mistakes are more likely to creep into your writing. It can be easy to forego editing for the sake of extra hours and making deadlines. Doing so can be a mistake because it exposes you to potentially losing points on your paper. It is possible to give quality work in a short timeframe with the help of triage editing.

            The idea behind triage editing is to get enough editing done to ensure that no big problems linger without taking up as much time. For a student, triage editing can be a time and grade saver. While it is important to plan out time for fully editing your work, triage editing makes it possible to turn in better quality papers in a time crunch. Triage editing is especially popular amongst journalists who often need to get stories published the same day. There are four major areas that you should focus on when triage editing a research paper. Each area will help you catch the most noticeable mistakes that might be lurking in your writing.

            Honestly, the best way to view triage editing is as damage control. The first step then is to assess the damage. Use both computer tools and your eyes to estimate how much editing your paper is going to need. Running a grammar and spelling checker can give you an initial idea followed by skimming the writing. As you skim for errors, listen to the flow of your words to make sure that the paper reads smoothly and clearly. Correct all mistakes as you see them. Then, you won't have to go back or risk being unable to find them again. However, don't just accept all the corrections the checkers want to make. Review each correction to ensure it is what you want and follows grammar rules.

            Once you've corrected grammar, spelling, and anything else that jumps out at you, it is best to move on to the big parts of your work. Always allot time to properly edit titles and headings. Take it from someone with experience. It is going to look bad to your professor if you manage to misspell your name on the title page of your paper. Check every heading for grammar usage, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization. Once you completely edit your research paper, I suggest you go back and check the headings one more time. By then, enough moments have passed that mistakes are more likely to stand out if you missed any the first time.

            The next place you should move your focus to is the extras. Extras include pictures, graphs, tables, charts, and indexes. If you have any of these in your paper, take the time to check them both for grammar and accuracy. These extras are supposed to add to your text. Any mistakes in them are not only going to defeat the purpose of their existence but possibly detract from your paper. Look at the labels, captions, page numbers, and data to ensure that everything is as it should be. If you reference any of your pictures or tables in your text, do a quick check to make sure that each reference guides the reader to the right spot.

            Finally, move on to your footnotes, endnotes, and citations. Every college student ought to know how critical reference citations can be. Colleges make sure that everyone is well-versed in what constitutes plagiarism and what the consequences will be. To avoid this troubling turn of events, devote some of your editing time to making sure that each reference is accurate, includes the necessary information, and directs readers to the correct location. Your sources are the backbone of your paper because you use them to back up your arguments. If citations are not correct, it not only creates plagiarism problems but also weakens your arguments.

           With that and a final skim to make sure all looks well; you should have a triage-edited and turn-in ready paper. It may not be as detailed as average editing, but it gets the job done. By focusing on the most important aspects of a paper and correcting the most costly mistakes, you can turn in a good quality paper despite a short deadline.

Grammar Tips for Grammar Day

            Today is officially Grammar Day. In celebration, I'm sharing some things writers should watch out for when self-editing. Written communication increases with every year because of social media posts, emails, and text messaging. We share a great deal of information every day through the written word. Knowing how to self-edit is invaluable. Editors and proofreaders know all too well what can happen when errors are left uncorrected. It can be as simple as being misunderstood or as complicated as landing in court. As you edit your work, keep these grammar tips and style suggestions in mind.

            The first tip for writers is to never, and I do mean never, rely on grammar and spelling checkers. Simply put, they don't catch every mistake and give bad grammar advice at times. They are meant to be tools, not editors. No one knows your writing style better than you. You know which words trip you up and which grammar rules make you pause. Always start there when checking your grammar and spelling. For instance, I know that when I type I tend to misspell environment. If that word comes up, I either check every instance of it for spelling or replace it with another word.

While checking your grammar, keep an eye out for capitalization and verb tense. These are two areas that can be tricky. Make sure that proper nouns, names, and items such as acronyms are all capitalized. On the other hand, check that common nouns like business analyst are lowercase. In business, I often see words capitalized that shouldn't be. Watch your verb choices to make sure they are all the same tense. It shouldn't flip flop between past and present unless you are actually speaking about the past and the present.

            The mechanics of grammar are important, but your writing style also plays a critical role. As you edit your work, be aware of consistency, clarity, and citations. Most people are not going to be checking the Chicago Manual when writing a tweet. I certainly don't blame them because in that context it isn't as important. What is important is choosing a way to write and sticking with it. Use the same punctuation, spellings, and tone throughout a single work so that it is cohesive. Being consistent in your choices prevents the reader’s flow from being disrupted. As soon as a reader gets thrown off by something in your writing, the reader is less likely to understand your point because their focus will be on that element that upset their train of thought.

Consistency does little good if your writing is not clear. Make sure what you’re writing can be understood by your intended audience. You can never please everyone, but it is good to strive for making your work accessible. To have clarity, pay attention to word choice and count. Think about a word's connotation. It needs to imply exactly what you mean. Concerning word count, don't use five words where two can complete the same job. However, don't take that advice and cut out all extra words. Sometimes those extras are what give writing personality.

            Finally, pay attention to citations. Always cite your sources. Nothing will get you into trouble more than not citing your source. When you do cite a source, be certain that you are providing the right information. Even if you don't follow a particular style guide, be careful that you supply enough information that a reader could easily track down your source and read it for themselves. If anything, check that all hyperlinks to your online sources work properly. The citation does little good if the hyperlink either doesn’t work or directs readers to the wrong page.

            There is plenty more that goes into editing, but not all writing needs the same amount of scrutiny. As you use different forms of written communication, these tips should help you catch some common mistakes and express yourself better. If you find yourself in over your head though, don't be afraid to ask for help from an editor. Editors are writers' cheerleaders and want to assist writers in presenting their best to the world. Happy Grammar Day, folks!