Punctuation help · 4:14am Nov 14th, 2014
As most of you know, I've started using a voice dictation program.
However, punctuation with this software is tricky. In addition to it sometimes just up and eating some of your words, or writings in the completely different, you have to say each punctuation mark. For periods and commas this isn't a huge issue, and I do put those in via voice, but with a story, you also have dialogue. Saying each “quote” mark would seriously add a ton of speaking on my part, and my voice is only able to do so many words in a day as it is. (And that amount is far less than I’d like.)
I’m looking for a proof reader willing to go in and add the missing punctuation to these new documents directly. It’s a fairly boring job, but a necessary one. You’re free to point out any other issues as well via comments, but mainly I’m looking for someone to add in the punctuation via direct editing. I know this is a bit abnormal seeing as typically editors want someone to learn how to punctuate and get them to do it themselves, but this is a medical situation rather than a lack of knowledge. I can use punctuation on a keyboard just fine. The knowledge is there. But going through it myself would only either injure my hands or my voice even more.
This position, like all editing positions on the Rites team, is restricted by confidentiality agreements. The reveal of story elements ahead of their official posting is grounds for removal from the team, defenestration, and other corrective measures.
Knowledge of correct punctuation rules is a requirement, naturally.
If anyone out there is interested, let me know. I could use the help.
-Cv
I'd be down. Let me know what you need and I'd be happy to help clean up your punctuation.
Now, I have no clue what defenstration is, but revealing stuff before release would be completely assholish.
That being said, I would be interested in helping, though I suspect there are many who would be better at it than me. I could end up missing some stuff...
Then again, thats why you have a team, I'd guess, in the event someone misses something, another may catch it. lol
2594042
Defenestration is the act of being thrown out of a window.
Thanks for the help, dude. I'm the only one who's really "caught up" right now, but that's being offset by not wanting to wade through CV's current issues.
That said, I'd like to work alongside you as you go through. Talk to me later when you get that far ^_^.
edit: this applies to anyone else who may come on board as well. Both me, CV, and the whole team thank you for the help!
I took a year of journalism (both as a reporter and an editor (page and story editor)) in high school; compared to that, adding quotation marks, commas, and other missing marks would be easy. Journalism drilled the various marks into my brain, and made me into a Grammar Nazi.
I am familiar with the rules of the following marks: full stops, exclamation marks, question marks, commas, quotation marks, semicolons, colons, and parenthesizes (even if I need a spell checker to actually spell the word parenthesizes (seriously, how often does the average person have to spell that word out?)).
Edit: I also found a site that explains the differences between em dashes and en dashes.
Edit II: I may be a former editor, but I am not claiming perfection. I am merely proficient and trained to use a few clever editing tricks. I would not be able to catch every little detail on one read-through. Multiple checks are my policy.
Edit III: Even if I am not chosen, I wish to spread this one trick that helps a lot. Read the story backwards, sentence by sentence. This forces you to separate each sentence from the others and evaluate it on its own. This way, even if the sentence is next to some other sentences that support it, it is forced to carry its own weight rather than relying on the strength of the other sentences to give it meaning.
I always find defenestration kinda funny. Good luck to the one that end in the post. It is a fairly boring and painful job.
Points for using defenestration on your post.
And good luck finding someone to help, but I don't have enough time to :(
I would—I adore grammar and all its nuances—but three people have already applied. But now I'm sitting here, saying, "Oh, whatever, I'll post it anyway!" for some reason, totally lost on me.
2594110 All the time, clearly.
2594502 Did I leave a typo? Seriously, is there a typo in my message? Is that what your reply to me means?
2594532 I meant the parentheses thing (I really should have actually put in some sort of quote, in retrospect): "How often does the average person actually spell it out?"
I'm pretty terrible at making jokes on some days when I just fail miserably at speaking.
2594537 It's not your fault. Communication through a text medium can kill humor as there is an appalling lack of body language and range of vocal tones. Besides, your reply was sent at about 8:59. Some people are not awake until ten. It takes me thirty minutes to actually get out of bed after waking up.
2594545 Yeah, although I usually try to use italics to portray my joking or sarcastic tone. But sometimes I think that people will intuitively understand what I'm insinuating despite the fact that that only works in the real world, and so I neglect to use any tool for emphasis,
I would be glad to help punctuate!
I like to think that I am fairly good at it.
I've been editing for a few authors on this site, working on things like word choice and phrasing. Punctuation came with the package. To work only on inserting punctuation ought to be fairly easy.
I would do it, but I'm really busy most of the time. I only have some time on some weekends, so I guess I can't. Sorry.
...Eh, if I wasn't so tied up in both college and work during the week, I'd offer. Unless you don't mind me working on things over the weekend or something.
I do not claim to have complete knowledge of punctuation, but I believe I know enough to do you right with your story, and what I don't know I can find.
Even if you've already chosen someone or don't choose me, I wish you luck in continuing the story.
I would love to, but my computer that I normally use is down for the count until I can get it fixed. Still, if you need somebody else I would love to do it.
I love that word: defenestration.
I would be honoured to be on the rites team, but with school, work, and life in general, I barely have enough time to read stories as it is. Thank you for the opportunity, and I hope this diction program works out for you!