Editing
What's On My Desk
Written for WRA 370: Editing & Style (spring 2006). Provides a list of specific writing and editing resources that will be lined up on my desk after securing my position as a magazine editor. Includes four different publications that will be useful for my future career in editing. See the next document for a look at these resources in action.
The Elusive Ellipsis
Written for WRA 370: Editing & Style (spring 2006). Examines the ellipsis and the problematic issues that arise when using ellipsis points. Includes a brief analysis of the treatment of ellipses within selected sources and my own assessment of this problematic and controversial grammatical issue. Concentrates on the use of the ellipsis as defined by some of the resources used in the "What's On My Desk" piece.
Extra Dictionary Content
Written for WRA 370: Editing & Style (spring 2006). Explores the content of dictionaries beyond the usual pages of word definitions and compares the "other" content of two dictionaries: Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (11th edition) and the Encarta World English Dictionary (1st edition). Demonstrates my ability to avoid dangling prepositions and dangling modifiers, and displays the appropriate use of who and whom.
Foreign Languages in Writing
Written for WRA 370: Editing & Style (spring 2006). Argues against Strunk & White's "Avoid foreign languages" rule from The Elements of Style. Provides specific instances cited from several novels that use foreign languages effectively. Showcases my facility with punctuation, including semicolons and em dashes. Also displays my competence with the MLA citation style, both in the form of a works cited page and cited page sources throughout.
Copyedited Zakopane Travel Brochure
Copyedited document completed for WRA 370: Editing & Style (spring 2006) as Editing Project I. Completed with the help of a partner, this is eight pages of text from a travel brochure for the city of Zakopane, located in Poland. Demonstrates my ability to copyedit and proofread a document using editing marks (my marks are written in red). You can also view the original manuscript and the final edited copy.