Punctuality and Punctuation Take the Cake

So many articles have been written for writers about time management that no more should be written. Ever. Here's what you need to know: An effective writer finishes on deadline. The very, very rare writer finishes ahead of deadline. Too many ignore deadlines altogether; they are the ones that give all writers a bad name.

Earlier this week I finished a fairly large project - the completely updated, second edition of a 220-page nonfiction book. I finished about 90 minutes ahead of deadline. (Whew) I am sure it's not perfect; I hope there are more punctuation errors than spelling or factual ones; and I am grateful I'll have both an editor and a chance to proofread the book before it goes to press!

Luckily, this hilarious blog entry came my way just after I met my latest deadline, when I could truly appreciate it. If there's one thing bakers and writers can agree on, it's probably that deadlines AND punctuation "really!" do matter.

Enjoy!

Book recommendation for little grammarians

Punctuation Takes a Vacation 

by Robin Pulver

Punctuation Points

You know why punctuation is such a thorn in our sides? (Besides the fact that it seems to be engulfed in an arbitrary set of really picky rules, I mean.) This is why: when you get it right, no one (except your English teacher) notices, and when you get it wrong, people point it out.

OK, not a lot of people. Mostly, people like me. But (stomping my foot) it matters!

For example....Christmas cards. (I know it's a bit disingenuous to critique holiday greetings, but goodness - such a broad target!)

Folks, "Merry Christmas from The Smith's" is wrong. The Smiths are the Smiths. Putting in an apostrophe is fine if you're referring to the Smiths' dog, but if you refer to the Smith's dog, I'm going to have to assume you mean the BLACKsmith's canine. Get it? If the dog belongs to the Smith family, also known as the Smiths, it's the Smiths' dog. Ergo, it's the Smiths' greetings. And I'm sure they were merrier than this...