THE EDITORS' WEEKLY

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Brendan O’Brien

Valparaiso

May 14, 2019 by Brendan O'Brien | 12 Comments on Valparaiso

When I was at school, I learned a poem in Irish called ‘Tháinig Long ó Valparaiso’ by Pádraig de Brún (it’s actually a translation of one called ‘The Ship’ by Oliver St John Gogarty, but I didn’t know that then). A ship from Valparaiso came And in the Bay her sails were furled; She brought […]

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Aaron Dalton

Language Resources for Non-Native English Speakers

May 7, 2019 by Aaron Dalton | 3 Comments on Language Resources for Non-Native English Speakers

I teach plain language workshops, and I was recently approached by a non-native English speaker. His language skills were excellent. He said he learned English mostly through standardized exams, and he felt there was a gap between the mode of English he was taught and the plain language approach I was preaching. His question was […]

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Marianne Grier

Editing: An Essentialist Craft?

April 30, 2019 by Marianne Grier | 2 Comments on Editing: An Essentialist Craft?

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 breathe. The new year brought […]

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Christina Vasilevski

Usability Testing From an Editor’s Perspective

April 23, 2019 by Christina Vasilevski | Leave a Comment

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 email the Member Services Committee.  […]

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Anita Jenkins

Getting Paid a Living Wage: The Editor’s Constant Challenge

April 16, 2019 by Anita Jenkins | 3 Comments on Getting Paid a Living Wage: The Editor’s Constant Challenge

I have been retired, or semi-retired, for almost a decade now. My career as a freelance writer and editor has gradually given way to new and different pursuits. But recently, a couple of projects for pay showed up in my inbox, and I succumbed. One was related to local history, a lifelong passion of mine. […]

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James Harbeck

Digital Enhancement for Numbers (Go Figures!)

April 9, 2019 by James Harbeck | 4 Comments on Digital Enhancement for Numbers (Go Figures!)

At the ACES conference in Providence, Rhode Island, in late March, the Associated Press announced changes to their recommendations for handling numbers and debated some others. About sixty percent of those present gasped when one of the recommendations was made — in fact, it might have been 70 percent. No, I’m going with 80% of […]

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Katharine O'Moore-Klopf

Editorial Self-Care: Managing Life Changes

April 2, 2019 by Katharine O'Moore-Klopf | 10 Comments on Editorial Self-Care: Managing Life Changes

As editors, we tend to comfort ourselves by thinking that we have everything under control, because what is editing? It’s controlling the words. But control is an illusion. Style guides change. Our lives change. Life changes greatly affect the quality of our editing and our lives. What life changes might you expect? Your financial situation […]

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Kate Johnson

No Perfection Unless You’re a Sunset

March 26, 2019 by Kate Johnson | 7 Comments on No Perfection Unless You’re a Sunset

Those who read are an exacting bunch. We grew up with professionally proofread books, back when publishers could still afford to pay someone to make sure no spelling mistake got by, no errant comma, sneaky typo, sloppy grammar or lazy punctuation. We had high expectations of our reading material. Now we tend to notice when […]

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Wilf Popoff

Wasted Words: The Torments of Editing

March 19, 2019 by Wilf Popoff | 3 Comments on Wasted Words: The Torments of Editing

When I began writing this article I knew, like most of you, that editing is an unhealthy occupation. It’s so fraught with hazards it’s a wonder anyone will sell us health or life insurance. We sit long hours, our work is mentally taxing, we stare at monitors, our physical effort amounts to repetitive flexing of […]

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John Cords

Reflections of a Managing Editor

March 12, 2019 by John Cords | 10 Comments on Reflections of a Managing Editor

When I started my current job managing a team of editors, I panicked. I had no idea what a manager did. Seven years on, I’ve learned a few things. Some days I feel like I’m still stumbling along, but I’d like to share some tips I’ve picked up along the way. Personality When I took […]

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