Quick and dirty tips for better writing - Mignon Fogarty 2008

Acknowledgments

I’d like to thank The Kind Grind in Santa Cruz, California, where the idea for the Grammar Girl podcast hit me and where I did some of the early work on the manuscript, and Java Jungle in Reno, Nevada, where much of this book was written. Both coffeehouses have local art, eclectic music, and all-around wonderfully inspiring environments.

It may seem strange, but I’d like to thank Apple and the iTunes team for making it easy to buy and listen to the music that accompanied me as I wrote this book, and for providing the first platform that made it easy to freely distribute my podcast—without the podcast there would be no book. And, of course, there would also be no podcast (and therefore no book) without the podcast listeners who download the show every week and who send me encouraging notes, funny photos, interesting questions, and criticism when I need it. It’s much more fun with you around.

My parents also deserve recognition. Steve and Amy Bess, in addition to being generally supportive, helped during the crunch time when I needed to finish writing this book and finish remodeling my house at the same time. (Don’t worry, they helped with the remodeling, not the writing.) Gail and Dave Phelps provide faithful support even though they aren’t as near, and they love me even when I misplace a modifier or fall flat on my face. The late Guy and Janette Coughlin gave me a safe and happy childhood and put so much emphasis on my education over everything else that to this day I am unable to complete many household tasks that are second nature to a typical adult. (But I am Grammar Girl, so I believe they would be proud.)

Many people at Henry Holt and Company also made this book possible and helped along the way. Publisher John Sterling saw my vision for the entire Quick and Dirty Tips enterprise, including Grammar Girl, and protected my time when I needed to sit down and just write for a couple of months. In that vein, I’d also like to thank Richard Rhorer, the Quick and Dirty Tips executive producer, who time and again kept the rest of the business moving forward while I was writing this book. And, of course, Helen Atsma, my editor at Henry Holt and Company, who kept me on schedule and provided excellent advice.

Other people also worked behind the scenes to keep the business, podcast, and book on track. Although any errors remain my own, freelance copy editors Steve Thornton and Bonnie Trenga take turns copyediting the Grammar Girl podcast every week, and Muriel Jorgensen copyedited this book. It takes a special kind of person to edit someone called Grammar Girl, and I always enjoy our back-and-forth discussions about style issues. In addition, my assistant, Cherylyn Feierabend (also known as the Mighty Mommy), has proven time and again that my trust in her is well placed.

Last but not least, I’d like to thank my husband, Pat, for his unflagging support and uncanny ability to make me laugh. I could have written the book without him, but it wouldn’t have been as fun.