For a quick conversation starter today, let’s talk procrastination. “Procrastination is the assassination of motivation,” goes an unattributed quote. But is it? I’ve worked with business writers who, to the contrary, become more motivated the more they procrastinate. With the pressure of an imminent deadline and the looming threat of …
“Are you a freelancer?” My answer to that question has changed over the course of my career. When I first started editing, I edited learning modules for apprenticeship trades in house at a polytechnic institution. I also wrote freelance projects for newspapers and magazines during evenings and weekends. I loved …
A few months ago, some editors shared articles on Facebook about editing and aging. I didn’t read them properly, but I saw some of the comments. I recently turned 59 and have been a professional editor for more than three decades. I’m getting quite close to an age at which …
This post is part of a new series of case studies by and for in-house editors. The focus of this series is on the personal experiences and various roles of in-house editors. A post will appear on the Editors’ Weekly every other month. If you’re interested in writing a post for this series, please …
The annual Karen Virag Award recognizes exceptional efforts by an individual or organization to raise the profile of editing in their community. A highly accomplished member of Editors Canada, Virag died in 2014. Recipients to date are Nancy Flight, Virginia Durksen, James Harbeck and Iva Cheung. Editors Canada’s awards season …
Editors make decisions all the time as they edit, but the most important judgment call of all is how to work best with each individual author. No one-size-fits-all solution will do. Most commonly, editors make their corrections with track changes, write questions and comments for the author in the margins, …
I make my living as a freelancer, which means I work pretty much every single day, all year long. My only breaks are brief visits to out-of-town family. Real holidays are rare — perhaps once every five years. Sound familiar? I suspect many of you are like me. We never …
Editors use add-ins to Word to make their work faster and more consistent. PerfectIt is one of the more well-respected add-ins for Windows users, and Intelligent Editing was kind enough to provide the Editors’ Weekly with a copy of the newly released PerfectIt 3 for review. Contributor Adrienne Montgomerie has written …
If you’re just starting out as a freelancer, whether you’re a writer or an editor, keep in mind that the only way to survive is to be brutally efficient — which means you will have no social life. You should, however, get a gym membership and use it, because you’ll …
Any profession draws certain personality types to it more readily than others. But just as there’s no single lawyer or doctor or teacher type, there’s more than one editor type. Editors come in all sorts. Editors can be achievers, caretakers, managers, control freaks, idea generators, intellectuals, entrepreneurs — and are …