The Werd Nerd Blog

Jan 3, 20224 min read

Is It Worth It? Editing Mentorship From a Mentee’s Perspective

What comes to mind when you hear the word mentor? For me, the term always elicits the image of a wise, (typically) old man, imparting his...

Dec 1, 20213 min read

Style sheets: What are they, and do I need one?

Style sheets are mini style guides, and yes, you need one. Most professional editors, like me, create style sheets for their clients.

Aug 4, 20215 min read

How The Werd Nerd Got Started

Editing is what lights my fire and puts a skip in my step.

Jul 21, 20213 min read

The Importance—and Misconception—of Editing with Empathy

Here’s what I mean when I say empathy: The ability to place yourself in someone else’s shoes and feel what they feel.

Apr 1, 20212 min read

A Writer’s Nightmare

I did not need just any editor—I needed my editor. And so, I sent The Werd Nerd an email posthaste. But what happened next was a shock—

Jan 20, 20211 min read

FANBOYS

FANBOYS (the coordinating conjunctions for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so)

Dec 24, 20202 min read

The Em Dash — How and When to Use It

Em dashes are often used during an abrupt break in thought. If you read books — pretty much any books — you’ve seen them before.

Nov 9, 20204 min read

"Is it Runned or Ran?" asks her daughter.

Do common spelling and grammar errors in a book reinforce the errors in a child's mind? Perhaps.

Oct 8, 20202 min read

How Many Spaces After End Punctuation?

Have you ever wondered why you see two spaces after a period in some instances while only one space is used in others?

Sep 7, 20201 min read

Trimming the Fat for Fiction Writers

Are you a writer who feels incredibly out of her depth? When a first-time writer gets close to completing her very first novel, the...

Jul 10, 20121 min read

Grammar Pirate Humor

Some humor for the Grammar Pirates.