I've come to realize that, while my knowledge of the gazillion rules of English grammar pales in comparison to others, it can be hard to turn off the editor within. That's why my novel is still on my dreaded "Get It Done Already" list.

Currently I'm working on a project with three other editors. We all have varying skills and specialties, yet the expectation is that we will all be able to agree on a standard. Or at least pretend to. (And yes, I ended the sentence that way on purpose. Sue me.)

This has resulted in rather lengthy conversations that meander around any real decisions being made regarding word placement, split infinitives and dangling modifiers.

Sometimes I can even sort of understand what they're talking about. ;)

I guess what drives me crazy is that, at the end of the day, we all know that three committees and a group of other esteemed experts will be reviewing these documents and...wait for it...changing them. Or, as was the case the last time around, ignoring most of the recommended revisions. (We don't get red pens, only red pencils.)

It's more than that though. It also makes me kind of uncomfortable to admit that I don't know what the heck they're talking about sometimes. And what's even more embarrassing is trying to look something up in Chicago when I don't even know how to describe it in conversational terms, let alone GrammarSpeak.

Shoot, was that my inside voice?