The Editors' Weekly
Official blog of Canada's national editorial association
The Editors' Weekly
Navigation
  • About the Blog
  • Contact Us
  • Articles en français
  • editors.ca
  • reviseurs.ca
You are here: Home › S. Robin Larin › Ask an Award Winner: An Interview with Naomi Racz
← What is Plain Language? Part 5: The Nitty-gritty
Editors Canada’s Professional Editorial Standards: Part 2 →

Ask an Award Winner: An Interview with Naomi Racz

February 22, 2022 | Filed under: S. Robin Larin and tagged with: award profiles, editor advice, freelance editing, freelance editors, interview, Naomi Racz, S. Robin Larin
Naomi Racz
Copyright: Spencer Cappallo

This is the final post in a series of interviews that the Editors Canada student relations committee completed last year with Editors Canada award winners.

This month, S. Robin Larin shares the committee’s interview with Naomi Racz (Cumberland, B.C.), who was the winner of the 2020 Claudette Upton Scholarship. (This interview has been lightly edited.)

What inspired you to become an editor?

Naomi Racz: My first taste of professional editing was as a student, when I did an internship with an educational NGO. I was in charge of running their bookshop, but they also often needed someone to proofread and edit various documents. I found I really enjoyed puzzling over why a particular sentence didn’t work and how I could fix it, and I loved spotting typos and errors that no one else had spotted.

Since then, I’ve done various jobs that involved editing, which confirmed for me that it’s something I love. I also founded a literary magazine called Stonecrop Review, which has given me the opportunity to work closely with writers to edit their pieces. I also signed up to do the Ryerson publishing certificate and have focused on editing courses, which I’ve gotten a lot out of — especially getting to connect with other word nerds! 

What has been your biggest challenge in your editing career? 

NR: Well, I’m still fairly early on in my career! I think the biggest challenge I’m facing is just figuring out how to break into the world of freelance editing. There’s a lot of advice out there, sometimes conflicting, and it can be hard to know where to start. I would definitely recommend watching Greg Ioannou’s Editors Canada webinar on how students and new editors can find work. Editors Canada and other editing students have been great resources for information on how to get into freelance editing. 

Who has been one of your biggest influences in the editing world? 

NR: The teachers of the editing courses I’ve taken have really inspired me. Not only are they professional working editors, so living proof that it is possible, they’ve also always been more than happy to help with references and share their own experiences of breaking into the field. 

What is one of your favourite editing-related resources? 

NR: I’m a big fan of The Chicago Manual of Style! I use it a lot and always find the guidelines clear, logical and easy to follow. I also love my paper copy of the Canadian Oxford Dictionary.

What effect has winning this award had on your editing career? 

NR: The scholarship helped me to continue with my editing studies. More than anything, though, the award has confirmed for me that editing is the profession I want to work in, and it’s been a huge boost to my confidence.

___

Previous post from S. Robin Larin: Ask an Award Winner: An Interview with Cathy McPhalen

The Editors’ Weekly is the official blog of Editors Canada. Contact us.

Did you like this article? Share it with your friends!

Tweet
Photo of S. Robin Larin

Written by S. Robin Larin

S. Robin Larin is a writer and developmental and copy editor of fiction. She lives in Ontario and runs her business, Robin Editorial, with the aid of four feline editorial assistants.

Visit my Website Follow me on Twitter
← What is Plain Language? Part 5: The Nitty-gritty
Editors Canada’s Professional Editorial Standards: Part 2 →

What we’re talking about

Aaron Dalton author-editor relationship authors book editors book publishing communication copy editing editing editing tools editor editor's role editor advice editorial skills editors editors at work Editors Canada conference français freelance editing freelance editors freelancing French grammar interview James Harbeck language letter from the editor linguistics Linguistics Frankly Marianne Grier marketing networking plain language professional development proofreading publishing Rosemary Shipton révision style translation usage Wasted Words Wilf Popoff word choice writers writing

Email subscriptions

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 1,055 other subscribers

Most recent posts

  • Editing Indigenous Writing: A Nuanced Partnership
  • Encouraging Coworkers to See the Benefits of Editing
  • Meeting “In Real Life”: Conference 2023
  • The Editors’ Weekly en français
  • Editing for Authors on a Budget

Archives by month

By author

Follow Us Online

Facebook  Twitter  Flickr  RSS Feed

www.editors.ca

The Editors' Weekly is the blog of Editors Canada.

Report an error or a typo

Email us at blog [at] editors.ca

© 2023 The Editors' Weekly

Powered by One Designs