THE EDITORS' WEEKLY

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Brendan O’Brien

The Perils of Not Knowing

January 16, 2018 by Brendan O'Brien | 10 Comments on The Perils of Not Knowing

One of the downsides of freelance editing is that you’re not there (wherever “there” may be) to explain your thinking on occasions when it might be appropriate to do so. Furthermore, you’re probably unaware that such occasions have even arisen. When I had in-house jobs, I learned a lot from bosses and colleagues. In my […]

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Karen Virag

Revisiting Verbal Boobery

January 9, 2018 by Karen Virag | 8 Comments on Revisiting Verbal Boobery

In memory of Karen Virag, who passed away Jan. 11, 2014, we are pleased to republish one of her popular blog posts from November 2013. Verbal whatery? Not long ago in the Air Canada Lounge at Toronto Pearson Airport I noticed a small sign beside a tray of freshly baked cookies. It said: “For the […]

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Anna Williams

Happy Holidays and Year in Review

December 19, 2017 by Anna Williams | 3 Comments on Happy Holidays and Year in Review

Dear Readers, We’ve had some fantastic content on the blog this year, from Marianne Grier’s description of her reintroduction to Canadian English to Marion Soublière’s report after attending an editing conference in Scotland. We enjoyed Brendan O’Brien’s inaugural post about being a reluctant editor and were fascinated to learn about Dracula puzzles from Sara Goodchild. We’ve […]

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James Harbeck

A Macaronic Feather in Our Cap

December 12, 2017 by James Harbeck | 2 Comments on A Macaronic Feather in Our Cap

English is gloriously macaronic. I don’t mean that it’s like a big bowl of elbow noodles, not exactly. But I also don’t mean that it’s like a macaron — well, maybe I do, but that’s not what the word means. Macaronic, linguistically, refers to something that’s a mixture of languages. Macaronic poetry, for instance, may […]

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Wilf Popoff

Wasted Words: On the PC Front

December 5, 2017 by Wilf Popoff | 38 Comments on Wasted Words: On the PC Front

The Grey Cup eluded the Edmonton Eskimos again this year, but that’s not the worst of the team’s troubles: the political correctness refs want it to lose its name as well. The club chose its regrettable label in 1949, but it had been widely used by other Edmonton football squads for more than 50 years. […]

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Virginia Durksen

Revisiting the Inner Editor: December Is the Cruellest Month

November 28, 2017 by Virginia Durksen | 4 Comments on Revisiting the Inner Editor: December Is the Cruellest Month

Last year, we published this post on the freelancer’s holiday blues. This year, we’re following up with our readers. Have you implemented any of these ideas? Do you have other tips for avoiding the holiday lull? When projects disappear in other months, the freelance editor adjusts her schedule and cash flow projections and stoically reminds […]

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Frances Peck

The Story of Canadian English

November 21, 2017 by Frances Peck | 8 Comments on The Story of Canadian English

For those of us still grieving the defunct Canadian Oxford Dictionary, the release of the second edition of A Dictionary of Canadianisms on Historical Principles, on March 17 this year, lent some comfort. First published in 1967 to coincide with Canada’s centennial, the DCHP not only gives spellings and definitions but also tracks (and sometimes […]

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Marianne Grier

Comfort Zones

November 14, 2017 by Marianne Grier | 7 Comments on Comfort Zones

This past August, the much-anticipated arrival of my Chicago Manual of Style v. 17 was overshadowed by the arrival of my first child. My due-in-September baby decided she was more Leo than Virgo, and made her appearance in the world a month early. Her little body wasn’t quite prepared for the outside world, and we […]

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Brendan O’Brien

The Reluctant Editor

November 7, 2017 by Brendan O'Brien | 15 Comments on The Reluctant Editor

I started editing in 1988, when I was 28, with a free Dublin newspaper that never got off the ground. A stint in London followed, working first on metallurgy journals and then on civil engineering books and journals. In these two jobs I learned a great deal about editorial and production work, often under pressure. […]

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Micheline Frechette

L’Aventure de l’écriture

October 31, 2017 by Micheline Fréchette | 5 Comments on L’Aventure de l’écriture

Dans le cadre du travail du Conseil consultatif de la lecture et de l’écriture, on a sollicité mon opinion à l’égard de l’appréciation du matériel de promotion préalable à la campagne l’« Aventure de l’écriture », qui sera bientôt lancée dans nos écoles. Les ressources pédagogiques du matériel promotionnel étaient divisées en deux parties : Une affiche intitulée […]

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