THE EDITORS' WEEKLY

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Tracey Anderson

Plain Language Resistance: Is “Plain” the Problem?

November 6, 2025 by Tracey Anderson | 14 Comments on Plain Language Resistance: Is “Plain” the Problem?

As a writer and editor who also teaches academic and business writing, I get asked a lot of language questions; it’s a regular and expected part of the job. One recent question, though, caught me by surprise: “How can I justify using plain language to my boss, who’s resistant to it?” The persistence of resistance […]

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Andrew Hodges

Substantive Editing Versus Developmental Editing

October 30, 2025 by Andrew Hodges | 4 Comments on Substantive Editing Versus Developmental Editing

Editors are notorious for having many names for subtly different kinds of editing — line editing, stylistic editing, substantive editing and copyediting. This article focuses on substantive editing. It’s my favourite service, and I believe it provides the best value to both academics and fiction authors. Developmental editing: A new name for substantive editing? Editor […]

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Deborah Cecere

Review: QuickStyle from Hazel Bird

October 23, 2025 by Deborah Cecere | 2 Comments on Review: QuickStyle from Hazel Bird

As a professional editor, I am always on the lookout for ways to increase my efficiency and improve communication with clients. So when I learned about QuickStyle — a style sheet template that can be tailored to fit any project and client — I was intrigued. Hazel Bird and I are colleagues at the Chartered […]

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Stephanie Watterson

From Editing to Writing: An Interview with Stephanie Watterson

October 16, 2025 by Stephanie Watterson | Leave a Comment

This week, we interview Stephanie Watterson about writing and publishing her children’s book, Septopus. Want to be interviewed about your editing work? Contact us.  What is your editing background? Back in 2020, during the pandemic, I took a digital and print publications program and from there I did some freelancing. My hopes were to get […]

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Allison Alexander

Six Tips for Editing Fantasy

October 9, 2025 by Allison Alexander | Leave a Comment

Authors often create whole new worlds in fantasy, which can be daunting for editors new to the genre. But the scope and creativity are also why fantasy novels are so much fun to work on. Here are six areas to consider as you dive into editing fantasy fiction. 1. Be familiar with the genre and […]

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Nicola Aquino

The Editing Journey

October 2, 2025 by Nicola Aquino | Leave a Comment

I was tempted to subtitle this post “How writing a blog led to me closing my business,” but that is only partially true. I got the idea as I was creating my just-in-case file after my post on that subject in the spring. However, the full story is more nuanced (isn’t it always?), and many […]

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Ruth E. Thaler-Carter

Tackling That First Draft: How Editors Can Help Nervous Writers 

September 25, 2025 by Ruth E. Thaler-Carter | Leave a Comment

© Ruth E. Thaler-Carter Coming up with a first draft is a challenge for almost every writer, even those with years of experience and walls full of awards. Few writers can sit down, flex those typing fingers, relax the shoulders and pour out a word-perfect manuscript on the first try. These tips for dealing with […]

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Janet MacMillan

La Rentrée

September 18, 2025 by Janet MacMillan | 2 Comments on La Rentrée

The French language has a wonderful word for this time of year: la rentrée.  Re-entering, not returning, not back to. The potential of the future. The potential to change and to have changed. The potential to develop and to learn new things. To approach things, both professional and personal, in a different way. To see […]

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Michelle Meade

From In-House to Freelance: How Editing Changes When You Leave the Building

September 11, 2025 by Michelle Meade | 2 Comments on From In-House to Freelance: How Editing Changes When You Leave the Building

When I first moved from in-house editing to freelancing, I assumed the work would feel about the same — editing is editing, isn’t it? I quickly learned I was wrong. The foundation is the same, but almost everything else shifts: the writers you collaborate with, the expectations on your time and even the way you […]

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Shane Mulligan

Why Academic Editors Should Read Thing Explainer

September 4, 2025 by Shane Mulligan | Leave a Comment

In November, the academic editing book club will meet online to discuss Thing Explainer by Randall Munroe of xkcd. This book club is run by the Academic Editing Special Interest Group (SIG), a collaboration of Editors Canada and the Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA). Francis Crick said his copy of The Children’s Encyclopaedia influenced him more […]

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