About
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Proof (v.)
As a self-confessed pedant, that’s my advice.
Proof?
As Alexander Pope never said: To err is human; to proof, less common. Everyone makes mistakes, but not everyone likes to correct them. This is why the world needs eagle-eyed, word-loving, nitpicking perfectionists, and why I aspire to be one of them.
So welcome to Proof (v.), a blog for making a fuss about punctuation, grammar and spelling; for rambling about etymology and gushing over nice typeface (Helvetica mainly); for admiring inspirational use of the English language and singing along with obscurely pleasant songs; for finding tidbits of ‘interesting’ in the deluge of boring news; and for generally enjoying the fine-print of the world through the magnifying eyes of a pedant.
The Proofreader
I am Olivia McDowell and I am a proofreading pedant, a word nerd, a grammar geek. I throw down newspapers in a typo-induced frenzy, and embargo products on the basis of incorrectly punctuated packaging.
I like these little linguistic mistakes — my own, and those of others. Poor grammar, errant punctuation, incorrect spelling and obscure syntax are grist to the editorial mill, fodder to the pedant’s blog. They keep eagle-eyes alert, and the meticulous on their toes.
Proof of Liv
I have a fancy bit of paper to confirm my graduation with First Class Honours from a 5-year Journalism/Law degree at UTS (which involved so much work it would be a shame to smother it with understatement).
In the past, I contributed to Nomenclature; edited Precinct (as a newspaper, and as a magazine); and served as proofreader (and cover artist) for the UTS Law Journal, The Full Bench. I spent my non-timetabled uni days writing features for Specifier Magazine and dabbling in editing for specifier.com.au.
And now… I am living the word nerd’s dream, as lead proofreader at Editor Group.
I also tweet somewhat prolifically; have tumblr full of nice things over at vague and nebulous; and sometimes like to share my pedant’s-eye view of the world on flickr. I also have an unquenchable daily passion for ashtanga yoga.
I’m rather busy, well, proofreading, these days… but you can still email me if you need someone to check your copy.
Lovely new look my darling.
Very streamlined and, as i would expect from you, lovely fonts.
Loves
In an age where literacy seems to be dying, I found your site. Belles Letters is still alive. Keep up the inspiration. William. Peace.
I found your site by accident while searching for fans of Air’s Virgin Suicides. I read several things, including word terms that were all new to me, like grawlix. Very cool. So, now my shameless plug (erase if you’re mad@me for this!) – i recently finished the 2nd of my 3 part series of various artist compilation podcast sequels to The Virgin Suicides, the newest one posted yesterday, called Ghosts Of The Virgin Suicides “Happy Haunting Ground”. If you’re interested here is a link to my blog:
http://musicaphenomena.com/
Hope you like it! –
michael fierce