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Wasted Words: The Phantom Client

Tuesday July 18, 2017

For many editors positive client engagement is central to a project — a good work relationship, frank feedback and response, and, finally, appreciation. Such pleasures, alas, are seldom part of my grind. Often I don’t get close enough to an actual client to cultivate such a connection. Communications agencies or consulting engineers who outsource projects […]

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Brendan O’Brien

The Perils of Not Knowing

Tuesday January 16, 2018

One of the downsides of freelance editing is that you’re not there (wherever “there” may be) to explain your thinking on occasions when it might be appropriate to do so. Furthermore, you’re probably unaware that such occasions have even arisen. When I had in-house jobs, I learned a lot from bosses and colleagues. In my […]

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Brendan O'Brien communication freelance editors freelancing in-house editor in-house work long-distance editing remote communication

Illustration of a long-haired person in red heels and a tight red dress over a white collared shirt walking a tightrope. They hold a long bar for balance: a clock is hanging from one side, and a dollar sign from the other.

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Anita Jenkins

Getting Paid a Living Wage: The Editor’s Constant Challenge

Tuesday April 16, 2019

I have been retired, or semi-retired, for almost a decade now. My career as a freelance writer and editor has gradually given way to new and different pursuits. But recently, a couple of projects for pay showed up in my inbox, and I succumbed. One was related to local history, a lifelong passion of mine. […]

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Anita Jenkins business business of editing editing editing fees freelancing living wage

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Letitia Henville

Top Three Fixes for Academic Research Grant Applications

Tuesday March 24, 2020

As a former in-house grants facilitator in a small health sciences department, and now as a freelance academic editor, I see a lot of the same issues recurring in applications for academic research funding. If I only had an hour or two to review a grant, these are the top three things I’d be looking […]

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academic editing funding grants Letitia Henville research

Illustration of five people (diverse genders and ethnicities) each holding a large gold star on a blue background.

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Ilana Reimer

Editing Young Writers

Tuesday September 15, 2020

Sometime before I turned 10, my parents “published” my first story at Staples. When I held this spiral-bound, laminated book with my own words and illustrations inside, I felt like an author. Looking back on my progress as a writer, I see my journey dotted with people who believed in me. They pushed me to […]

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editing gentle editing Ilana Reimer mentoring writer’s voice writers

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Gael Spivak

Running Out of Words: It’s Not a Slippery Slope

Tuesday January 19, 2021

It’s almost inevitable. People who say “we’ve gotten too PC” about language will, at some point in the discussion, claim that if we stop using certain words or phrases, we’ll run out of words to write and talk. Arriving at this spot Who is having these discussions and how does this line of thinking work? […]

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English language Gael Spivak lexicon linguistics vocabulary

A blue ballet shoe guides tourists at the Reichstag, Berlin

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Jennifer Glossop

Following Katherine Barber

Thursday May 6, 2021

Last week, the editing community lost one of its finest contributors: Katherine Barber died on April 24. Katherine’s works and words were often quoted in Editors Canada discussions, and she was a keynote speaker at the 2015 conference. Author, editor and friend Jennifer Glossop remembers Katherine’s passions. A blue ballet shoe on a stick — […]

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Canadian Oxford Dictionary English language Katherine Barber lexicographer

Illustration of two hands typing on a typewriter. The paper in the typewriter says “New Chapter.”

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Peter Erikson

Going Solo: Choosing to Freelance After Layoffs

Thursday October 19, 2023

The fateful call from the largest newspaper in the San Francisco Bay Area, where I worked as an editor, left me unprepared. It was the same for the other 17 people who were laid off this year, almost all of whom, like me, were over 40. It felt as though a door had been slammed […]

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editing niches freelance editors networking Peter Erikson

A pen lies on top of a form, and across the top of the form is the word, "Application."

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Kay Pettigrew

Reflections from a 2023 Equity Fellow

Thursday March 7, 2024

I have been getting a lot of mileage out of telling everyone who will listen that I am one of the recipients of Editors Canada’s 2023 Equity Fellowships. It’s a bit of a weird thing to brag about, since essentially, I am outing myself as a member of equity-seeking groups. But I have felt proud […]

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editing awards equity equity fellowship inclusion Kay Pettigrew

Illustration of an array of salad ingredients falling into the pages of an open book.

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Kay Pettigrew

Customer Service for Editors: “Saving the Table” When You Make a Mistake

Thursday September 12, 2024

Before striking out on my own as a freelance editor and writer, I worked in maybe 10,000 restaurants. I’ve since found there’s quite a lot of overlap between hospitality and editing — especially when it comes to making a mistake. In both industries, our job is to finesse things to the point where the work […]

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customer service editing advice Kay Pettigrew new editors