The art of the rag

originally posted August 17, 2013
May 2021: reformatted; some text revised as needed

I don’t know if that raised your eyebrows or not, but unless you are an instructional designer you may not have known what “the rag” is. In simple terms, in publishing, the rag is the uneven, or ragged, edge of a block  … continue reading

One more chore off my lists!

originally posted July 7, 2013
May 2021: reformatted; all links updated; text revised as noted

So, I’ve finally finished updating my new website, and  this  is it!  After two life-changing decisions—moving to Raleigh in January to return to work at the state Museum of History and deciding to re-establish my editorial services business—several lists  … continue reading

The “frontier” between fiction and nonfiction

originally posted March 16, 2013
May 2021: reformatted; text revised as noted

One of my favorite new blogs, A Writer of History, recently posted a fascinating interview about the writing of historical fiction—or is it “creative history” or historical nonfiction?  Personally, while some argue that the terms are synonymous for the same genre,  … continue reading

Thoughts on writing, from author Ruth Rendell

originally posted March 10, 2013
May 2021: reformatted; text revised as noted

I am totally envious of the information that Alison Flood gathered from octogenarian author Ruth Rendell in her recent interview. But, I certainly couldn’t have done a better job! 

For those not familiar with her work, Rendell also writes under the pseudonym Barbara  … continue reading