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A circle of white chairs with one red chair

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An Editor in a Three-Day Writer’s Boot Camp, Day 1

Tuesday July 15, 2014

Novelist’s Boot Camp Travel Writing Boot Camp Dissertation Writing Boot Camp Resume Writing Boot Camp Children’s Picture Book Boot Camp Okay, STOP. Right there! Seriously? What could be less suited to boot camp than a kid’s picture book? What’s next? And when did the words “boot camp,” i.e., “a military training camp for new recruits, […]

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Cy Strom

Because … It’s Time!

Tuesday August 19, 2014

“Whatever the current term for ‘hip’ is, that’s what we want to be …” This, I’m told, was the EAC Rebranding Task Force brief to the bilingual design team chosen to look into the organization’s midlife crisis, the youthful Costa Leclerc. “That’s a startling design — it will be fun to write about it.” This […]

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brand design editing editors rebranding

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Melva McLean

An Editor in a Three-Day Writer’s Boot Camp, Part 3

Tuesday September 16, 2014

Later that afternoon, I arrived home and plunked myself down in front of a blank screen. It felt like I’d joined the ranks of such writers as Hemingway and Faulkner, Ludlum and Michener, and many others who’d lost manuscripts and had to start over from scratch. Of course, in this day and age, you don’t […]

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authors critique editing feedback manuscript review workshops writing

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Wilf Popoff

Getting Rid of Death

Tuesday September 23, 2014

Okay, I understand. Most of us simply do not want to die. And over the last two centuries the western world has managed to postpone the occasion: we’ve doubled our lifespan. Postponement, however, is not eradication. Die we must, eventually, although there now appears to be a workaround. Many people are attempting to defeat mortality […]

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death euphemisms language obituaries reporting Wasted Words word choice writing

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Lori Burwash

Don’t Tick People Off, and Other Tips for Writing and Editing Web Copy

Tuesday October 14, 2014

If you’re writing or editing copy destined for the web, know this: People don’t read. They don’t even finish what they’re not reading. Instead, they scan for answers and, with any luck, take action based on what they find. It’s less about the journey, more about the destination. Your mission, then, is to pave and […]

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copywriting editing readability scannability usability user experience web content website navigation websites writing

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Rosemary Shipton

Twelve-Step Editing

Tuesday November 4, 2014

One project, one editor — that’s the norm in Canada today. Only a few large trade publishers and a small number of government departments still divide editing between structural/stylistic editors and copy editors, while the rapidly dwindling group of educational publishers distinguish between developmental editing and copy editing. Almost all the other publishers, institutions and […]

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copy editing editing editing checklist editing steps editor's role editorial skills structural editing stylistic editing substantive editing working relationship

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James Harbeck

What’s English? | Linguistics, Frankly

Wednesday November 12, 2014

Here’s a quick quiz. Tell me which of the following are English and which aren’t. For each one, say why it is or isn’t English and, if it’s not, what language it is. There’s no place to plug your car in in the parkade. A wha dat dey dem people deh nyam ih smell sweet. […]

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language linguistics Linguistics Frankly usage word choice writing

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David Ritchie

Do You Need That Adverb?

Tuesday November 18, 2014

Readers with long memories may recall Tom Swiftie jokes from the early 1960s. Named after the hero in the Tom Swift series of juvenile adventure novels, Tom Swifties relied on a corny use of adverbs. Here are examples: “We’re travelling faster than sound!” said Tom, swiftly. “The temperature is 200 degrees!” said Tom, heatedly. “It’s […]

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adverbs writing

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Sue Archer

Four Guidelines for Editing Your Way Through the Corporate Jungle

Tuesday November 25, 2014

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what it means to be an editor. Unlike many of my editing colleagues who work in publishing, I ply my trade within a corporation. Although my official title is not “editor,” editing is a large part of what I do. I’ve worked for years in information technology, where […]

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business writing corporate editing editing editor's role editorial skills editors at work Facets of Editing

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Wilf Popoff

Wasted Words: A Compulsion to Exaggerate

Tuesday February 24, 2015

Frank McKenna, a San Diego photographer, complains that all photos displayed on the web are described as stunning. “What’s going on here?” he asks. “When did every picture become stunning?” McKenna sees this as word inflation. I agree to a point. Certainly it’s almost insulting nowadays to simply say something is delightful or charming; we […]

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adjectives language superlatives usage Wasted Words word choice writing