Mindy Young
Senior Editor
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Mindy Young, an editor for Online Writing Jobs, got her start as a newspaper copy editor after earning her B.A. from Russell Sage College in Troy, NY. She spent nearly 13 years editing stories, writing headlines, and putting together pages for daily newspapers, and along the way, she also had the opportunity to write food columns and restaurant reviews. After earning a pair of Associated Press awards and a Suburban Newspaper Association award, she left journalism for the world of content marketing, where she puts her skills to work every day for OWJ clients and writers.
Mindy Young's Posts
Medial S: The Old English S That Looks Like F
Have you ever looked at a picture of a really old document or an inscription on the wall of an old building and thought, “Why are there F’s instead of S’s? Did F stand for S back then?” But no, it’s only some of the S’s that look like F’s, not all of them: You’ll see both letters right next to each other, so it’s not like they didn’t have the letter S back then. Confusing, right?
The answer lies in the fact that that’s not an F at all. It’s actually a letter called the Read more [...]
Posted in Fun Stuff
Writing in British English vs. American English
George Bernard Shaw famously said that “England and America are two countries divided by a common language,” and any American who’s ever been asked to write in British English has quickly seen why. The differences in American English vs. British English are many, and while there are a few rules of thumb you can follow when trying to adapt to British spelling, punctuation, and grammar rules, both dialects contain plenty of exceptions, contradictions, and things that just plain don’t make Read more [...]
Posted in Writing Tips
Want to Read More Books? Join the Club
We all know the benefits of curling up with a good book, both educational and psychological, and yet, like Henry Bemis, it seems like we never have enough time to do it. The to-read list just keeps growing, and in the time it takes you to finally finish one book, many more have been written that you might want to add to the list. But finding the time to read more books isn’t impossible. Sometimes, you just need more motivation to make it happen, and for that, peer pressure can help. Perhaps Read more [...]
Posted in Fun Stuff
Have it Both Ways: Words With Opposite Meanings
English can be a confusing language in many different ways, with words that are spelled the same but pronounced differently (like “lead” the element and “lead” the verb) and words that are pronounced the same but spelled differently (like “threw” and “through”). But one extra layer of confusion comes from auto-antonyms, also known as Janus words or contronyms. An auto-antonym, also sometimes called a self-antonym, is a word that means two opposite things at the same time. The English Read more [...]
Posted in Writing Tips
Deciphering the Lyrics to “Auld Lang Syne”
“Should old acquaintance be forgot” … something, something, mine? It’s easy enough to mumble your way through this traditional New Year’s song, especially considering that you might’ve had a bit too much champagne by that point anyway. But learning a little about the song that’s been referred to as “old lang syne,” “old anzine,” or “the old lang song” can help you gain a new appreciation for why “Auld Lang Syne” is such an appropriate tune to usher in a new year. Read more [...]
Posted in Fun Stuff