Category: Paul Cipywnyk

Filed under:

Paul Cipywnyk

Basic Computer Terms for Writers and Editors

March 21, 2017 by Paul Cipywnyk | 3 Comments on Basic Computer Terms for Writers and Editors

Writers and editors ask lots of questions about computers and software but sometimes confuse basic terminology. If you have an issue with a computer or software, it helps if you can frame your questions accurately and provide enough information so that others can help. So let’s do a quick review of some basics. Hardware: All […]

Read more »

Tagged

Filed under:

Paul Cipywnyk

Where the Ink Meets the Road — Insights From Working In a Bookstore

November 15, 2016 by Paul Cipywnyk | 12 Comments on Where the Ink Meets the Road — Insights From Working In a Bookstore

I’ve recently picked up a few shifts a week at a bookstore, receiving and stocking while I think about where I want to go with my career. As a longtime editor, it’s giving me a different view of the book world. The logistics alone are impressive. Early every morning we arrive to new skids of […]

Read more »

Tagged

Filed under:

Paul Cipywnyk

Know Your Subject, Watch That Continuity

August 9, 2016 by Paul Cipywnyk | 9 Comments on Know Your Subject, Watch That Continuity

Blam! Blam! Black Sombrero fired his Colt .45 at the shadow in the barn, then spun and snapped three shots at the posse approaching across the coral. Zing! A shot from behind creased his shoulder, and he wheeled back, fanning four quick shots at the figure in the gaping doorway. Snick. Damn, he was empty! […]

Read more »

Tagged

Filed under:

Paul Cipywnyk

Zoom, Zoom: Rev Up Your Editing

June 21, 2016 by Paul Cipywnyk | 5 Comments on Zoom, Zoom: Rev Up Your Editing

How quickly can you edit and still do a good job? In another life I was an editor for a financial and business news service, and I was amazed at how quickly reporters and editors could churn out thousands of words, yet maintain high standards. I believe you can learn to write and edit rapidly; […]

Read more »

Tagged

Filed under:

Paul Cipywnyk

Basic Tools for Productive Editing

April 19, 2016 by Paul Cipywnyk | 1 Comment on Basic Tools for Productive Editing

Your computer set-up can determine whether you have a smooth editing experience or suffer headache after IT-related headache, so let’s look at some of the tools that help editors succeed. Hardware Buy a computer with lots of memory (RAM), a minimum of 8 GB and preferably 16 GB. Having lots of memory enables you to keep many […]

Read more »

Tagged

Filed under:

Paul Cipywnyk

Mourning the Demise of Newsroom Copy Editors

February 16, 2016 by Paul Cipywnyk | 5 Comments on Mourning the Demise of Newsroom Copy Editors

I was fortunate to get my initial on-the-job training in journalism in the days when writers worked with desk editors, copy editors and proofreaders. At least three sets of eyes perused every story after it had been written, and sometimes four or five. Three or more brains worked on massaging and polishing copy and checking […]

Read more »

Tagged

Filed under:

Paul Cipywnyk

Is Editing a Deadly Profession?

December 15, 2015 by Paul Cipywnyk | 3 Comments on Is Editing a Deadly Profession?

Poison pens, ego-shattering commentary, creative assassination by a thousand edits, cut, cut, slash, slash. Oh, the horror! Well, actually, I’m here to talk about “death by sitting.” Yes, editors tend to sit a lot, and sitting has been declared the new sugar. This is not news, when you think about it. We’ve long been warned […]

Read more »

Tagged

Filed under:

Paul Cipywnyk

Tips for Dealing with Freelance Isolation

October 6, 2015 by Paul Cipywnyk | 7 Comments on Tips for Dealing with Freelance Isolation

Freelance editors are a mousy, introverted, cat-loving lot. They’re pale creatures who are often confined to mouldy basement offices where they stare with glazed eyes at glowing computer monitors, barricaded from the world by stacks upon stacks of dusty tomes. Right? Ha! If that’s what you think, you’ve never been to an Editors Canada conference. […]

Read more »

Tagged

Filed under:

Paul Cipywnyk

Time, Money and the Freelance Life

March 24, 2015 by Paul Cipywnyk | 5 Comments on Time, Money and the Freelance Life

For a creative professional or craftsperson, the business side of freelancing can be challenging. “I don’t want to run a business. I just want to write!” Or edit, or photograph, or paint or sing. Yet by selling your services or products, you are running a business. Why not run it well? So well that the […]

Read more »

Tagged

Filed under:

Paul Cipywnyk

How Skype Helped Support a Family Editing Tradition

December 9, 2014 by Paul Cipywnyk | 3 Comments on How Skype Helped Support a Family Editing Tradition

Upon retirement from their teaching careers at the University of Saskatchewan, my late mother, Sonia Morris, and her sister, Roma Franko, embarked on a labour of love: translating Ukrainian literature into English. For many years they shared desk space in one another’s homes in Saskatoon. Roma focused on translating, and Sonia on editing. I provided […]

Read more »

Tagged