Scott Isaacs – Red Bow Tie Edits
@scott-rbte.bsky.social
Copy editor and narrator. Lovable curmudgeon. Certified/certifiable word nerd.
www.RedBowTieEdits.com
www.RedBowTieEdits.com
Latest love: macros for editing. When I delve into them, I realize how fun and powerful they are. They're not anything authors and writers need to know about, but they sure make editing quicker and more effective. It's the tech side of the career I love.
June 2, 2025 at 9:05 PM
Latest love: macros for editing. When I delve into them, I realize how fun and powerful they are. They're not anything authors and writers need to know about, but they sure make editing quicker and more effective. It's the tech side of the career I love.
Acquaintance: It is a truth universally acknowledged that I HATE HATE HATE Jane Austen.
Me: I cannot fathom your love of Joan Didion...that self-absorbed name-dropping recorder of SoCal minutiae and ephemera...wait. I see a parallel between the two. But not enough to entice me.
#mutualcurmudgeons
Me: I cannot fathom your love of Joan Didion...that self-absorbed name-dropping recorder of SoCal minutiae and ephemera...wait. I see a parallel between the two. But not enough to entice me.
#mutualcurmudgeons
April 3, 2025 at 10:18 PM
Acquaintance: It is a truth universally acknowledged that I HATE HATE HATE Jane Austen.
Me: I cannot fathom your love of Joan Didion...that self-absorbed name-dropping recorder of SoCal minutiae and ephemera...wait. I see a parallel between the two. But not enough to entice me.
#mutualcurmudgeons
Me: I cannot fathom your love of Joan Didion...that self-absorbed name-dropping recorder of SoCal minutiae and ephemera...wait. I see a parallel between the two. But not enough to entice me.
#mutualcurmudgeons
Currently amusing myself with the thought that as a health nonfiction narrator, I could theoretically narrate books by my namesake, a successful endocrinologist in Atlanta. Not narrated yet, so this could be fun! I would tag Dr. Isaacs if he were here...so maybe I'll take this to FB.
Scott Isaacs: books, biography, latest update
Follow Scott Isaacs and explore their bibliography from Amazon's Scott Isaacs Author Page.
www.amazon.com
March 24, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Currently amusing myself with the thought that as a health nonfiction narrator, I could theoretically narrate books by my namesake, a successful endocrinologist in Atlanta. Not narrated yet, so this could be fun! I would tag Dr. Isaacs if he were here...so maybe I'll take this to FB.
One of the biggest things I learned from my high school English classes is this: classic American literature was almost exclusively depressing. Damn puritanical influence. Classic English/British literature? So much more lighthearted and amusing. All the satire. (Of course, feel free to comment.)
March 17, 2025 at 11:23 PM
One of the biggest things I learned from my high school English classes is this: classic American literature was almost exclusively depressing. Damn puritanical influence. Classic English/British literature? So much more lighthearted and amusing. All the satire. (Of course, feel free to comment.)
Prepping "Rappaccini's Daughter" for narration to keep myself in practice. Glad I watched Amadeus yesterday...F. Murray Abraham will be one of the characters! Also, I still look askance at Hawthorne here. He has yet to get into my good graces. Why? --->
March 7, 2025 at 12:02 AM
Prepping "Rappaccini's Daughter" for narration to keep myself in practice. Glad I watched Amadeus yesterday...F. Murray Abraham will be one of the characters! Also, I still look askance at Hawthorne here. He has yet to get into my good graces. Why? --->
Past New Yorker senior editor John Bennet: “A writer is a guy in the hospital wearing one of those gowns that’s open in the back” was another of Bennet’s aphorisms. “An editor is walking behind, making sure that nobody can see his ass.”
(1/3)
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
(1/3)
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
The Editorial Battles That Made The New Yorker
The magazine has three golden rules: never write about writers, editors, or the magazine. On the occasion of our hundredth anniversary, we’re breaking them all.
www.newyorker.com
February 17, 2025 at 7:54 PM
Past New Yorker senior editor John Bennet: “A writer is a guy in the hospital wearing one of those gowns that’s open in the back” was another of Bennet’s aphorisms. “An editor is walking behind, making sure that nobody can see his ass.”
(1/3)
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
(1/3)
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
#Tea aficionado here. I just discovered #hojicha today. Roasted green tea that—hooray!—has a very low caffeine content: less than 10 mg/cup. Very happy about this. Now...to find a hojicha that I find palatable. The one I have now is...um...a start. But at least I can get my afternoon #theanine.
February 14, 2025 at 11:19 PM
Listening to audiobooks for edification inevitably involves listening to narrators whose performance you may not enjoy. And narration *is* a performance. It's also instructive. If a narrator is boring me, I'd better strive to be better than what I'm listening to. (Especially true for NF.)
February 14, 2025 at 11:10 PM
Listening to audiobooks for edification inevitably involves listening to narrators whose performance you may not enjoy. And narration *is* a performance. It's also instructive. If a narrator is boring me, I'd better strive to be better than what I'm listening to. (Especially true for NF.)
“There’s no such thing as good writing. There’s only good rewriting.” — Louis Brandeis
There's a certain liberation in that sentiment. Don't worry about getting your writing right the first time around. Let it go. Just get your words down. Refinement can come later.
#editing #rewriting #writing
There's a certain liberation in that sentiment. Don't worry about getting your writing right the first time around. Let it go. Just get your words down. Refinement can come later.
#editing #rewriting #writing
February 12, 2025 at 6:48 PM
“There’s no such thing as good writing. There’s only good rewriting.” — Louis Brandeis
There's a certain liberation in that sentiment. Don't worry about getting your writing right the first time around. Let it go. Just get your words down. Refinement can come later.
#editing #rewriting #writing
There's a certain liberation in that sentiment. Don't worry about getting your writing right the first time around. Let it go. Just get your words down. Refinement can come later.
#editing #rewriting #writing
I just finished reading "Rappaccini's Daughter" aloud, narrating to the air around me. That was a fun read —a far cry from the narcotic qualities of The Scarlet Letter. (My 15-year-old self would be aghast that I like this story now.) Maybe I should consider recording this story for fun.
#narration
#narration
February 11, 2025 at 11:12 PM
I just finished reading "Rappaccini's Daughter" aloud, narrating to the air around me. That was a fun read —a far cry from the narcotic qualities of The Scarlet Letter. (My 15-year-old self would be aghast that I like this story now.) Maybe I should consider recording this story for fun.
#narration
#narration
Just saw this commercial tonight. Ontario is pulling no punches, but nor is it being confrontational. Very impressive move on Canada's part.
CAUGHT ON CAMERA: Ontario government launches U.S. trade advertisement
YouTube video by Toronto Sun
youtu.be
February 6, 2025 at 5:50 AM
Just saw this commercial tonight. Ontario is pulling no punches, but nor is it being confrontational. Very impressive move on Canada's part.
I love #tea. I received a wonderful sample pack from Yunnan Sourcing as a Christmas gift last year, and was planning to order some more soon. It looks like that's not possible now. No, I did not vote for this. No shipping to the US until further notice. #tariff #tradewar #china
Yunnan Sourcing - The Ultimate Source for Yunnan Pu-erh Tea
Since 2004, we have been in the business of sourcing Yunnan Pu-erh Tea, Chinese Green Tea, Black Tea, Oolong Tea, White Tea, Hei Cha, Teawares, Clay Teapots, and much more! We also offer wholesale pri...
yunnansourcing.com
February 3, 2025 at 9:33 PM
Three days, three books finished. (Not started and finished, but.) First up: Trouble Boys: The True Story of the Replacements. I've skeeted about this before. Great narration job. Difficult story I'm happy to be done with. I want a happy book as a palate cleanser. (1/4)
February 1, 2025 at 6:25 AM
Three days, three books finished. (Not started and finished, but.) First up: Trouble Boys: The True Story of the Replacements. I've skeeted about this before. Great narration job. Difficult story I'm happy to be done with. I want a happy book as a palate cleanser. (1/4)
Library card procured for the Palm Springs Public Library. Then it occurred to me: I have yet to read a single book by John Irving. This will be rectified presently. Also picked up Breakfast at Tiffany's.
January 28, 2025 at 7:03 AM
Library card procured for the Palm Springs Public Library. Then it occurred to me: I have yet to read a single book by John Irving. This will be rectified presently. Also picked up Breakfast at Tiffany's.
What I wished I could be, once upon a time: a writer or humorist with the wit and cultural savoir faire of Hugh Gallagher circa "College Essay" or Rich Juzwiak circa fourfour.
Coming to terms with your métier is also admirable. Doesn't mean you're a man manqué or some other apropos French term.
Coming to terms with your métier is also admirable. Doesn't mean you're a man manqué or some other apropos French term.
January 24, 2025 at 11:45 PM
What I wished I could be, once upon a time: a writer or humorist with the wit and cultural savoir faire of Hugh Gallagher circa "College Essay" or Rich Juzwiak circa fourfour.
Coming to terms with your métier is also admirable. Doesn't mean you're a man manqué or some other apropos French term.
Coming to terms with your métier is also admirable. Doesn't mean you're a man manqué or some other apropos French term.
So...this is one great way to pursue reading. I like Ted Gioia's tortoiselike tenacity: starting a Proust book as a teenager and finishing it just before 30 is exemplary.
*glances at his book on RuPaul's Drag Race and vows to finish it and read more challenging and rewarding books from here forward*
*glances at his book on RuPaul's Drag Race and vows to finish it and read more challenging and rewarding books from here forward*
My Lifetime Reading Plan
I share some private details of how I educated myself through books
substack.com
January 24, 2025 at 8:34 PM
So...this is one great way to pursue reading. I like Ted Gioia's tortoiselike tenacity: starting a Proust book as a teenager and finishing it just before 30 is exemplary.
*glances at his book on RuPaul's Drag Race and vows to finish it and read more challenging and rewarding books from here forward*
*glances at his book on RuPaul's Drag Race and vows to finish it and read more challenging and rewarding books from here forward*
A detailed and well reasoned take on why AI is, at best, a tool for copy editors to use—but very judiciously and cautiously. Humans are still better than technology in this realm.
Has AI Replaced Editors? - Valerie Monckton
AI tools have exploded in popularity, leading many to question the value of working with an editor when software like Grammarly and ChatGPT might edit their work at a fraction of the
www.valeriemonckton.com
January 24, 2025 at 8:16 PM
A detailed and well reasoned take on why AI is, at best, a tool for copy editors to use—but very judiciously and cautiously. Humans are still better than technology in this realm.
Hey hey! My website is updated! It now reflects both editing AND narration. It also includes a social media link right here to Bluesky. How snazzy!
Check it out. You know you want to.
www.redbowtieedits.com
Check it out. You know you want to.
www.redbowtieedits.com
Home | Red Bow Tie Edits
www.redbowtieedits.com
January 23, 2025 at 7:26 PM
Hey hey! My website is updated! It now reflects both editing AND narration. It also includes a social media link right here to Bluesky. How snazzy!
Check it out. You know you want to.
www.redbowtieedits.com
Check it out. You know you want to.
www.redbowtieedits.com
Almost finished with the #audiobook Trouble Boys: The True Story of the #Replacements. It's been a harrowing look at this crazy #rock band, the patron saints of self-destruction. I'm amazed they got anything down on tape. Amazed they could function at all under the draughts of beer they consumed.
January 22, 2025 at 10:30 PM
Almost finished with the #audiobook Trouble Boys: The True Story of the #Replacements. It's been a harrowing look at this crazy #rock band, the patron saints of self-destruction. I'm amazed they got anything down on tape. Amazed they could function at all under the draughts of beer they consumed.
Reposted by Scott Isaacs – Red Bow Tie Edits
Being a person with deadly, incurable cancer who is nonetheless still alive for an indefinite timeframe gives me an interesting metaphor that helps me deal with things like large-scale corruption in government or commerce.
Bear with me for a second while I try to explain.
Bear with me for a second while I try to explain.
January 21, 2025 at 2:26 AM
Being a person with deadly, incurable cancer who is nonetheless still alive for an indefinite timeframe gives me an interesting metaphor that helps me deal with things like large-scale corruption in government or commerce.
Bear with me for a second while I try to explain.
Bear with me for a second while I try to explain.
FDR did not demand absolute power in his inauguration speech. I saw what Yarvin claims—that he did—and felt it was inaccurate. I remember orating FDR's speech for practice a few years ago, and I recalled nothing of the sort. Read it again just now, and...nope. Yarvin is being disingenuous.
literally the first thing this guy says is a bald faced lie www.nytimes.com/2025/01/18/m...
‘The Interview’: Curtis Yarvin Says Democracy is Done
The once-fringe writer has long argued for an American monarchy. His ideas have found an audience in the incoming administration and Silicon Valley.
www.nytimes.com
January 18, 2025 at 10:35 PM
FDR did not demand absolute power in his inauguration speech. I saw what Yarvin claims—that he did—and felt it was inaccurate. I remember orating FDR's speech for practice a few years ago, and I recalled nothing of the sort. Read it again just now, and...nope. Yarvin is being disingenuous.
The Washington Post now offers, per its mission statement, "riveting storytelling for all of America."
No.
We have libraries and bookstores and authors for that. We need newspapers for NEWS.
I miss Walter Cronkite. Even if I was too young to understand him. *kicks can*
No.
We have libraries and bookstores and authors for that. We need newspapers for NEWS.
I miss Walter Cronkite. Even if I was too young to understand him. *kicks can*
January 17, 2025 at 4:19 PM
The Washington Post now offers, per its mission statement, "riveting storytelling for all of America."
No.
We have libraries and bookstores and authors for that. We need newspapers for NEWS.
I miss Walter Cronkite. Even if I was too young to understand him. *kicks can*
No.
We have libraries and bookstores and authors for that. We need newspapers for NEWS.
I miss Walter Cronkite. Even if I was too young to understand him. *kicks can*
As a music fan at the ripe age of *mumblemumble*, I'm shocked to learn only now about Glenn Miller's fate.
Glenn Miller was the swing era's biggest star. Then, he vanished without a trace.
80 years later, Glenn Miller's sudden disappearance remains unsolved
Glenn Miller was the swing era's biggest star. Then, he vanished without a trace.
www.npr.org
December 14, 2024 at 9:00 PM
As a music fan at the ripe age of *mumblemumble*, I'm shocked to learn only now about Glenn Miller's fate.
For my own benefit.
A few good independent publications/newsletters/podcasts that deserve your support:
@katzonearth.bsky.social
@attackerman.bsky.social
@theprospect.bsky.social
@propublica.org
@majorityreport.bsky.social (with @samseder.bsky.social and @emmavigeland.bsky.social)
@katzonearth.bsky.social
@attackerman.bsky.social
@theprospect.bsky.social
@propublica.org
@majorityreport.bsky.social (with @samseder.bsky.social and @emmavigeland.bsky.social)
November 25, 2024 at 1:45 AM
For my own benefit.
I have an irrational aversion to misspelled words. (Which, if you know me and my past, makes total sense.) The latest occurrence: enjoying a great book on tiki culture, then seeing a misspelling of "pidgin" as "pidgeon." Like a huge scratch on an otherwise perfect brand-new luxury car.
November 24, 2024 at 11:07 PM
I have an irrational aversion to misspelled words. (Which, if you know me and my past, makes total sense.) The latest occurrence: enjoying a great book on tiki culture, then seeing a misspelling of "pidgin" as "pidgeon." Like a huge scratch on an otherwise perfect brand-new luxury car.