Writing and editing career paths can take many directions. In this new “day-in-the-life” series, experienced professionals share their personal experiences and various roles related to writing, editing and communications. If you’re interested in writing a post for this series, please email The Editors’ Weekly. What is your job? I’m an …
My parents recently sold our family home. Perched on a hill in a small Nova Scotia town, the house was the backdrop to my childhood and school years. While I hadn’t lived there for ages, it was the place I always went back to. I could navigate my way in …
Since COVID-19 came to B.C., I’ve gone through an involuntary life edit. Things have proceeded like any full edit (though let’s skip the proofread for now, shall we?). The first changes were sweeping, dramatic and structural as we paused daycare, moved to working mostly from home and navigating meetings around …
My two-and-a-half-year-old daughter has been asking for help since the day she was born. She first expressed herself, as babies do, with simple cries that left much to interpretation. Her expressions progressed from “Help!” to “Mama, please could you help me with ___.” While she clearly values doing certain things …
A recent move left my husband and me needing new furniture. Armed with an Ikea gift card, we chose some pieces online. Six flat-packs of furniture arrived a few weeks later, and we got cracking on assembly. As we pieced the furniture together slat by slat, dowel by dowel, I …
A recent family adventure took me to Phuket’s Big Buddha. As the name suggests, this marvel is a giant Buddha stretching 45 metres into the sky, overlooking the Andaman Sea. One of the top tourist sites on the island, the Buddha sits peacefully on his mountaintop, his white Burmese jade marble …
The new “essentialism” is having a moment. While many of us have been trying to cram in more — to fill every unfilled moment so that we’re more productive — some are starting to scale things back. To amble through life more slowly, focus on what’s important, take time to …
If you’re a Gmail user, you may have adopted its new Smart Compose feature. This perplexing time-saver has made me question the future of communications since it appeared in my inbox. Smart Compose uses machine learning to help users write faster, clearer emails by anticipating what they’re trying to say …
I was a late adopter of the singular “they,” once thinking its usage was down to laziness or ignorance. I’ve recently changed my tune. The singular “they” helps streamline sentences, is considerate of those who don’t identify with a gender, and can help avoid the gender-charged language that can be …
Earlier this year, we had a bed bug scare. I woke up the morning of our first international flight with baby to a smattering of red bumps on my leg. The following afternoon, as the edgy haze of jet lag settled in, I noticed how itchy my leg had grown. …