THE EDITORS' WEEKLY

Filed under:

Virginia Durksen

Inner Editor: Tasks Without Edges

February 28, 2017 by Virginia Durksen | 5 Comments on Inner Editor: Tasks Without Edges

As the oft-paraphrased Leonardo da Vinci would have it, art [or poetry or writing or editing] is never finished, only abandoned. Writing is like a teenager. Eventually you have to send it out into the world to fend for itself. (Or should I say it’s like a young adult? Most North Americans freak out at […]

Read more »

Tagged

Filed under:

Wilf Popoff

Wasted Words: Respectable Stoners

February 21, 2017 by Wilf Popoff | 1 Comment on Wasted Words: Respectable Stoners

Legalizing marijuana makes it acceptable, but will it make it respectable? Jumping that second hurdle will be difficult, requiring us to forsake the vast vocabulary it has spawned. I don’t see that happening right away. While I cringe at seeing chief justices, bishops and other bigwigs described as stoners or potheads, if they come out […]

Read more »

Tagged

Filed under:

Marion Soubliere

Winning Contracts With the Government of Canada

February 14, 2017 by Marion Soublière | 3 Comments on Winning Contracts With the Government of Canada

The federal government spends between $15 billion and $20 billion annually on goods and services, including editing and writing. Communication skills are in high demand. The government’s massive web renewal project faces much work ahead in streamlining 1,500 websites into one overarching website, Canada.ca. Small businesses across Canada, including solopreneurs, can contract directly to this […]

Read more »

Tagged

Filed under:

Anita Jenkins

Quick and Dirty

February 7, 2017 by Anita Jenkins | 20 Comments on Quick and Dirty

When I was following the editors’ chat group, I often found myself silently screaming, “Who cares?” Or perhaps not so silently. The conversation frequently dealt with moving the words around in a sentence to make it “perfect” or correcting a fine point of grammar or checking what Chicago says about the em dash. Most of […]

Read more »

Tagged

Filed under:

Cathy McPhalen

Editing Niches: Grant Applications in Scientific Research

January 31, 2017 by Cathy McPhalen | 4 Comments on Editing Niches: Grant Applications in Scientific Research

Cynics call it science fiction — the planned research that is described in applications for scientific grants. But I love good science fiction, and I love reading the amazing research stories of these scientists. Luckily, more researchers are appreciating good editing in the increasingly fierce competition for research funding. What kinds of editing do researchers […]

Read more »

Tagged

Filed under:

Margaret Sadler

The Weird and the Wonderful: The Art of Selecting Clients

January 24, 2017 by Margaret Sadler | 3 Comments on The Weird and the Wonderful: The Art of Selecting Clients

What do you do when a clearly weird and off-balance writer asks for your professional services? “Run!” is the response I got from several editor colleagues, and that has been my gut reaction, too. Such projects can often feel particularly intriguing. And sometimes there’s a sense that good money is there. But then the warning […]

Read more »

Tagged

Filed under:

Marianne Grier

Eggplants and Aubergines

January 17, 2017 by Marianne Grier | 12 Comments on Eggplants and Aubergines

Before leaving Canada, I had a solid grasp on Canadian English. I knew there were differences between British and American English, and my language differed from both of these. Beyond that, I didn’t give Canadian English much thought. After finishing my BA, I ventured to Germany to teach in sleepy Uelzen, a village known for […]

Read more »

Tagged

Filed under:

Anna Williams General EAC

Year in Review: The Best of 2016

January 10, 2017 by Anna Williams | 6 Comments on Year in Review: The Best of 2016

With another year behind us, we’d like to know what you liked best on the blog in 2016 and what you’d most like to see in the new year. Let us know in the comments! Here are some of our top picks: Should You Only “Edit What You Know?” by Sue Archer. Should we only […]

Read more »

Tagged

Filed under:

Anna Williams

Happy Holidays

December 22, 2016 by Anna Williams | 14 Comments on Happy Holidays

Dear Readers, As the new year approaches, I’m embarking on my fourth year as the managing editor of the Editors’ Weekly. As always, my goal is to provide interesting, informative blog posts for your enjoyment, and this is only possible thanks to the people who graciously contribute their articles and the loyal subscribers who read […]

Read more »

Tagged

Filed under:

Virginia Durksen

The Inner Editor: December Is the Cruellest — and Shortest — Month

December 20, 2016 by Virginia Durksen | 11 Comments on The Inner Editor: December Is the Cruellest — and Shortest — Month

The little knot forming in your chest isn’t a reaction to the cold weather. It’s the freelance editor’s anxiety kicking in right on schedule, just before the holidays. When projects disappear in other months, the freelance editor adjusts her schedule and cash flow projections and stoically reminds herself that this month’s famine may well be […]

Read more »

Tagged