Did I mention that I hosted a poetry book preview recently? It was great fun.
And this week I got to proof-read the first layout from the printers.
What a ride! I marked up a hard copy print out - I do a bit of proof-reading and poetry is a whole new world. For example, the noise-bleed section or the nose-bleed section of a rugby game? I mean it's NOSE obviously but the idea of the roaring crowd already mentioned made noise-bleed an interesting option too.
So many punctuation conventions are a case of deciding which way to go and being consistent the whole way through. Like Oxford commas, "..." or '...' for speech, using - instead of ; .
Most of us are consistent without realising it but when a body of work created over years is brought together, it can soon become clear that styles and choices can evolve too.
So from now on I am going to do a quick read, make a list of principle-based questions for the author and then proof using their chosen conventions.
Anybody needing a proof reader, hit me up. I can't type for peanuts but I'm good at reading and spotting mistakes!
I worked for a printer for a few years and one of my jobs was to proof read. I would read out loud from the manuscript as the typesetter sat and listened. I would point out errors and he would make a note. After hours of reading something, I would get to the end and realise that I had not actually absorbed a word of it. I could not tell you anything about the meaning.
ReplyDeleteYou have had an interesting life!
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