Correct Verb Parking May Cause Aneurysm

The Topical Guide gave me a needed reality check. I’m a fragile writer; I crack under weight of grammatical rule. As I transition from a journalistic writing style to that of a novelist, I’ve notice my vulnerability under these rules. I’ve got possessives down well, but I struggle in the arena of passive and active voice. I feel as though I can lay these words down smooth enough; but it helps to simply know the concepts I just guess at.

The complexity of verbs gives me an aneurysm. Or is it: they’re giving me an aneurysm? Sequence of verb tense requires an alert eye. The reader must be able to follow a story as it plays out in time, verb tense helps us achieve that. Tense works to make sense of the voice; this is especially true with long-form storytelling. The building blocks of a great editor are cemented in a thorough understanding of this concept.

I’m reaching into the archives for this week’s editing mistake. I was browsing through some old photos when I came across this gem. From what I recall, the parking lot at my work was being repaved. Employees were instructed to park in the overflow lot, thus, this incredible spelling error. The proper spelling is “vehicles” not “vehicals.”