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Notes on Notes

Tuesday January 14, 2020

I had occasion recently to teach someone how to write effective editorial comments. It was an interesting exercise as it forced me to articulate principles I had absorbed over many years, some learned from painful experience. Here’s what came to mind: Know your place. My job is to help the author produce the best quality […]

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Marion Soubliere

Your Government Goals for 2020

Tuesday January 28, 2020

It’s 2020 and the year is still gleaming fresh. If you’re a business owner who would love to bolster your Government of Canada (GC) client revenues, the time is ripe for new goals and a motivational to-do list. (Or if you’ve never supplied services to the federal government and would like to, check out Winning […]

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business marketing efforts Canada content style guide communications consultant directed contracts editing contracts government contracts Government of Canada client revenues Jennifer Urbanski Marion Soubliere ProServices sole-sourced service contracts Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

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Barbara McClintock

The Singular “They” — Conjugations and Some Particularities

Tuesday February 18, 2020

Conjugating the singular “they” Gender-neutral writing is fairly new. The Canadian government started using the terms “gender” or “gender identity” when referring to a person’s sex (unless referring to anatomical characteristics related to reproduction or development) in Canadian legislation in 2017. Most writers in Canada already avoid using “he” and “his” because readers understand these […]

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Barbara McClintock gender identity gender-neutral grammar rules singular “they”

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James Harbeck

Sure-fire Opening Lines

Tuesday April 7, 2020

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a novel in want of readers must be possessed of a good opening line. A book is a relationship — many of us spend more intimate time with books than with people — and it is important to start the relationship off on a good foot. So, naturally, […]

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discourse James Harbeck Tinder

Six people of varying ethnicities and genders thinking (expressed by question marks surrounding each of their heads).

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Aaron Dalton

Empirical Editors: Fluency

Tuesday June 9, 2020

This article is part of a series that looks at lessons one can draw from some of the research collected in Aaron Dalton’s “Empirical Research for Editors” list. “Fluency” refers to how easy or difficult it is to do or process something. I interpret the science in this area through the lens of plain language, […]

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Aaron Dalton empirical editors perceptual fluency plain language typography vocabulary

Illustration of an open laptop with a sheet of paper coming from it (like an old typewriter). Laptop surrounded by a smartphone, notebook, crumpled up paper, a cup of coffee on a saucer, and a couple of pens.

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Rosemary Shipton

The Editor’s Letter

Tuesday July 14, 2020

The editor’s letter — the first substantive communication you have with a client — is the most important task in any editorial project. It provides the opportunity to give your assessment, raise questions and establish a relationship. If this exchange is successful, the myriad other tasks should follow seamlessly. In this scenario, you’ve been hired […]

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client-editor relationship communication copy editing Rosemary Shipton structural editing stylistic editing

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Sangeeta Mehta

Three Online Diversity-Focused Writers’ Events to Attend This Summer and Fall

Thursday July 23, 2020

Last month, I had been scheduled to speak at the Editors Canada conference about how developmental editors can help writers balance cultural sensitivity with craft. It would have been an incredible experience to exchange ideas with other editorial professionals who also want to work more effectively with writers whose culture and experiences are different from […]

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book publishing conferences cultural sensitivity diverse voices Sangeeta Mehta

Person wearing headphones, working at a desk with a desktop computer. There's an floor lamp to their right and a potted plant on the ground to their left.

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Anita Jenkins

Do Freelance Editors Know How to Work at Home?

Tuesday September 1, 2020

Many thousands of office employees who were forced to work from home because of COVID-19 will continue to do so. Only 36 per cent of Canadians anticipate returning to their “place of work” when the pandemic subsides, according to an Angus Reid study. Freelance editors have been working from home for years and, by and […]

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Anita Jenkins COVID-19 freelance editors home office pandemic productivity work-life balance

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Aaron Dalton

Learning from History

Tuesday October 6, 2020

This post is part of a series of case studies by and for in-house editors. The focus of this series is on the personal experiences and various roles of in-house editors. If you’re interested in writing a post for this series, please email the Member Services Committee. One of the reasons our species has flourished is that […]

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Aaron Dalton case studies in-house editing resources style style guides

Colourful illustration of a living room with a couch with a laptop on it, an armchair, bookcase, side table, painting, and vase with flowers.

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Marianne Grier

The Times They Are A-Changin’

Tuesday October 13, 2020

My parents recently sold our family home. Perched on a hill in a small Nova Scotia town, the house was the backdrop to my childhood and school years. While I hadn’t lived there for ages, it was the place I always went back to. I could navigate my way in the dark, identify family members’ […]

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book editors COVID-19 editor's role editors at work Marianne Grier