Author: Tracey Anderson

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Tracey Anderson

Plain Language Is Not “Dumbing Down” Writing

March 6, 2025 by Tracey Anderson | 12 Comments on Plain Language Is Not “Dumbing Down” Writing

“I want a refresher on my writing.”  “I want to improve my grammar.”  “My company sent me here.” These are the consistently similar answers I get in every writing class I teach to professionals when I ask what brought them to the course. During some recent clear, concise writing sessions I delivered to a large […]

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Writing Coaches and Writers — “A Beautiful Synergy”: An Interview with Tanya Gold

May 18, 2021 by Tracey Anderson | Leave a Comment

Tanya Gold is a book editor, writing coach, translator and literary omnivore. She’s been in publishing about 20 years and has worked on all kinds of cool books. These days, she works on fiction, creative non-fiction and poetry. It has been suggested that she reads too much for her own good. This might be true. […]

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“Editing has the power to elevate writing to a level where change is possible”: An Interview with Sheila Cameron

May 4, 2021 by Tracey Anderson | Leave a Comment

Sheila Cameron has 15 years’ experience providing style and copy editing on a wide range of fiction, non-fiction and business materials. Currently, she develops and edits content for eLeadership Academy™, an online educational platform that utilizes neuroscience insights to foster leadership growth. Editors Canada is delighted that on Sunday, June 13, 2021, at 11:15 a.m. […]

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“I have come a long way from peddling poems for pennies in downtown Winnipeg”: An Interview with Joshua Whitehead

April 6, 2021 by Tracey Anderson | Leave a Comment

Joshua Whitehead (he/him) is a Two-Spirit, Oji-nêhiyaw member of Peguis First Nation (Treaty 1). He is currently a Ph.D. candidate, lecturer, and Killam scholar at the University of Calgary, where he studies Indigenous literatures and cultures with a focus on gender and sexuality. He is the author of full-metal indigiqueer and Jonny Appleseed and the […]

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Freeing Myself from the Freelancer Title

November 19, 2019 by Tracey Anderson | 15 Comments on Freeing Myself from the Freelancer Title

“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 writing, but it was not […]

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Why Do So Many Teachers Become Editors?

March 13, 2018 by Tracey Anderson | 2 Comments on Why Do So Many Teachers Become Editors?

Someone recently asked me that question at a networking event. As an editor who came to this profession via a teaching career, I’d pondered this before, and wondered if and how my experience as a teacher shapes my approach as an editor. The Connection My teaching approach centred around two key beliefs, which I still […]

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Editing Technical Instructional Material: Do You Need to Be an Expert?

January 23, 2018 by Tracey Anderson | 21 Comments on Editing Technical Instructional Material: Do You Need to Be an Expert?

“How can you edit that? You don’t know anything about being an electrician.” I often heard that question and variations of it — carpenter, instrument technician, welder — in my years editing technical instructional materials for apprenticeship trades in Alberta. This is how I answered the question. I am the target audience The goal of […]

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A Measure of Editing Success

August 1, 2017 by Tracey Anderson | 2 Comments on A Measure of Editing Success

The term “metrics” has become a bit of a business buzzword, especially for digital enterprises. It’s a trendy word for ways to quantifiably measure success such as tracking social media metrics (followers, click-through rates) or sales metrics (monthly numbers). As editors, though, we don’t have the same kinds of reliable metrics to help us measure […]

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Check Mates: Create a Checklist as an Editing Tool

May 2, 2017 by Tracey Anderson | 3 Comments on Check Mates: Create a Checklist as an Editing Tool

I admit it: I’m a (sometimes obsessive) list maker. I make them for all kinds of things: to-do lists, grocery lists, vacation packing lists; my list of lists goes on and on. It’s no surprise, then, that I often use an editing checklist. For me, a checklist is a useful tool for staying organized and […]

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Editing the Work of Writers Whose First Language Isn’t English

March 7, 2017 by Tracey Anderson | 20 Comments on Editing the Work of Writers Whose First Language Isn’t English

Canada is a kaleidoscope of cultures and languages from around the world. As the number of residents whose native language isn’t English increases, the need for editors who can edit their writing effectively and sensitively grows, too. Before my editing career began, I taught English as a second language for over 15 years in China, […]

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Editing Technical Instructional Material: Become the Student

December 6, 2016 by Tracey Anderson | 5 Comments on Editing Technical Instructional Material: Become the Student

Creating effective instructional material for technical students can be tricky. Making it student friendly requires a balance between adequately covering the information, which is often highly technical, and presenting it in a way that a wide range of students can understand. These are some ways editors can help subject matter experts (SMEs) find this balance. Watch […]

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