Tag: editing

Filed under:

Anita Jenkins

A Promising New Editor

June 12, 2018 by Anita Jenkins | 2 Comments on A Promising New Editor

Letitia Henville of Vancouver, B.C., is the recipient of the Editors Canada 2017 Claudette Upton Scholarship,* which recognizes promising emerging editors. The “promising” part of the description definitely applies to Letitia. The “emerging” part, not so much: she has hit the ground running. Like many editors, Letitia entered the profession in a roundabout way. In […]

Read more »

Tagged

Filed under:

Sue Archer

Review: Elements of Indigenous Style: A Guide for Writing By and About Indigenous Peoples by Gregory Younging

May 29, 2018 by Sue Archer | 3 Comments on Review: Elements of Indigenous Style: A Guide for Writing By and About Indigenous Peoples by Gregory Younging

When I heard an Indigenous style guide was being published this year, I was excited by the opportunity to learn a framework for approaching the works of Indigenous authors. I am a non-Indigenous editor — a settler — and in recent years I have become very aware of my long-standing ignorance regarding the perspectives of […]

Read more »

Tagged

Filed under:

Frances Peck

A Little Strategy, a Lot of Satisfaction

May 22, 2018 by Frances Peck | 8 Comments on A Little Strategy, a Lot of Satisfaction

Now that I am officially middle-aged, I can say that the most pressing urge is not the need to buy a convertible or meditate under the moon or urinate (thankfully). It is the desire to Pass Along Advice. Here is the top tip I wish I’d stumbled across when I was a novice editor/writer: Income […]

Read more »

Tagged

Filed under:

Marianne Grier

Eating Frogs and the Tomato Technique: The Art of Getting Things Done

May 1, 2018 by Marianne Grier | 6 Comments on Eating Frogs and the Tomato Technique: The Art of Getting Things Done

There are many ways to get things done. Given the nature of our work, productivity is crucial for editors; many of us grapple with multiple projects in fluid, distraction-filled environments. The passage of time and how to manage it has preoccupied me since the arrival of my daughter, as I’ve struggled to get things done […]

Read more »

Tagged

Filed under:

Standards Communication Task Force

Standards at Work: Academic Editing

April 24, 2018 by Standards Communication Task Force | 4 Comments on Standards at Work: Academic Editing

Editors Canada’s Professional Editorial Standards (PES) describe the responsibilities of an editor. The scope of PES is broad; this series explores how the standards apply to a variety of editing contexts. I edit academic papers in preparation for submission to journals. My clients are researchers, and have usually settled the structure and content of their […]

Read more »

Tagged

Filed under:

Rosemary Shipton

An Academic Rock Star’s Advice for Editors

April 17, 2018 by Rosemary Shipton | 12 Comments on An Academic Rock Star’s Advice for Editors

Recently I was asked to speak at the memorial service for Francess Halpenny — a true powerhouse in Canadian publishing. In the course of her long life, she was head of the Editorial Department at University of Toronto Press (UTP) during its “golden years,” general editor of the Dictionary of Canadian Biography, dean of the […]

Read more »

Tagged

Filed under:

Brendan O’Brien

The Perils of Blabbing

April 3, 2018 by Brendan O'Brien | 6 Comments on The Perils of Blabbing

As a freelance editor, I’m lucky to work on some interesting books and journal material as well as dull and tedious stuff. I sometimes come across something that I would like to share, but resist the temptation, as publishers and authors naturally don’t like the contents of books, etc. to be disclosed before publication. I […]

Read more »

Tagged

Filed under:

Wilf Popoff

Wasted Words: Salvaging a Thesis

March 20, 2018 by Wilf Popoff | 18 Comments on Wasted Words: Salvaging a Thesis

In the past I refused students seeking a thesis editor — mainly for ethical reasons. The preamble to the Editors Canada “Guidelines for Ethical Editing of Theses / Dissertations” states: “In part, academia uses theses as a way of testing the ability of students, especially graduate students, to use written words for communicating ideas and […]

Read more »

Tagged

Filed under:

Tracey Anderson

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 […]

Read more »

Tagged

Filed under:

Standards Communication Task Force

PES in the Field: Raising (the Topic of) Our Standards

February 27, 2018 by Standards Communication Task Force | 3 Comments on PES in the Field: Raising (the Topic of) Our Standards

“I’m talking about making something less boring.” This was feedback from an Editors Canada member on a draft of the latest update to Editors Canada’s Professional Editorial Standards (PES). The 2016 update was a year-long process that incorporated feedback and comments from many members. When a draft of the new text was circulated for final […]

Read more »

Tagged

Filed under:

Tracey Anderson

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 […]

Read more »

Tagged

Filed under:

Suzanne Purkis

Interview with Cherie Dimaline

May 16, 2017 by Suzanne Purkis | 3 Comments on Interview with Cherie Dimaline

On Saturday, June 10, Métis writer and editor Cherie Dimaline will kick off the 2017 Editors Canada conference with a keynote address. Conference co-chair Suzanne Purkis interviewed Cherie about writing, editing and some of the challenges facing Indigenous writers in Canada. 1. Does your experience as an editor influence your approach to writing? If so, how? […]

Read more »

Tagged

Filed under:

Marianne Grier

German Lessons With Mrs. Cheese

April 4, 2017 by Marianne Grier | 9 Comments on German Lessons With Mrs. Cheese

At the feisty age of 16, I was given an opportunity to study in Switzerland to improve my French language skills. After committing, I found out that the only exchange spot was in Bern, the country’s German-speaking capital. My teenage determination told me I could learn the language quickly enough to complete my school year […]

Read more »

Tagged

Filed under:

Susan Glickman

Time to Put the “Free” Back in “Freelance”

July 26, 2016 by Susan Glickman | 7 Comments on Time to Put the “Free” Back in “Freelance”

I make my living as a freelancer, which means I work pretty much every single day, all year long. My only breaks are brief visits to out-of-town family. Real holidays are rare — perhaps once every five years. Sound familiar? I suspect many of you are like me. We never know when the next job […]

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:

Virginia Durksen

The Inner Editor: Friends, Readers, Editors

June 23, 2015 by Virginia Durksen | 4 Comments on The Inner Editor: Friends, Readers, Editors

Being an editor is easy compared to being a friend. Confusing the two is a sure path to flawed editing and fraught friendships. So what should you do if a friend or family member asks for your opinion of their latest novel? Or — a more daunting and delicate task — to read the stack […]

Read more »

Tagged

Filed under:

Sue Archer

EAC Conference Speaker Profile: Brendan O’Brien

May 12, 2015 by Sue Archer | Leave a Comment

Editing Goes Global is just one month away! This week, the Editors’ Weekly is holding a conversation with one of our international conference speakers, editor and writer Brendan O’Brien. Brendan will be co-delivering the session “Editing at the Edge” on how to thrive as an editor from an isolated location. From science degree to freelance […]

Read more »

Tagged

Filed under:

Rosemary Shipton

Should Editors Be Able to Write?

April 28, 2015 by Rosemary Shipton | 15 Comments on Should Editors Be Able to Write?

We editors talk at length about different kinds of editing and who does what, and we generally assume that we’re working on a text written by someone else. Together with the author, we massage the content, the structure and the presentation into the best possible shape for its intended readers. But should we also be […]

Read more »

Tagged

Filed under:

Tanya Procyshyn

Editing Goes Global Speaker Profile: Vanessa Ricci-Thode

April 21, 2015 by Tanya Procyshyn | Leave a Comment

With Editing Goes Global mere months away, now is the perfect time to get better acquainted with our conference speakers. This week, Tanya Procyshyn from the Editors’ Weekly caught up with “word sorceress” Vanessa Ricci-Thode by email to chat about her upcoming sessions in Toronto and the world of self-publishing. Tanya Procyshyn: It seems you’ve had […]

Read more »

Tagged

Filed under:

Virginia Durksen

Myth: Editors Read With Their Eyes

April 7, 2015 by Virginia Durksen | 12 Comments on Myth: Editors Read With Their Eyes

If there’s a cliché image for our profession, it’s eyeglasses. Editors and librarians, it seems, should always have a pair handy, preferably hanging from a chain around the neck. We earn this image, as we earn our reputation, when we limit editing to what the eye sees. Editing is not just an eye thing. It’s […]

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:

Roma Ilnyckyj

Editing Science: Mechanics and Beyond

March 10, 2015 by Roma Ilnyckyj | 2 Comments on Editing Science: Mechanics and Beyond

I work for a science communications company called Talk Science to Me. Our goal is to help scientists communicate their research effectively, and we offer writing, editing, design and project management services, among others. As an associate editor, I mostly copy edit and proofread research reports, articles, books and websites. Many of our clients are […]

Read more »

Tagged

Filed under:

Sue Archer

Review: The Editor’s Companion by Steve Dunham

March 3, 2015 by Sue Archer | 10 Comments on Review: The Editor’s Companion by Steve Dunham

When I first read the title of this book, I thought it would be a comprehensive “how to” guide for people learning how to edit, like The Copyeditor’s Handbook by Amy Einsohn. The focus of this book is somewhat different. The Editor’s Companion is aimed at professionals who already know something about communications, but are […]

Read more »

Tagged

Filed under:

Dwain Richardson

English Editing in Quebec: Local Realities — Quebec City and Area, and Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean

February 17, 2015 by Dwain Richardson | Leave a Comment

♪♫ À Québec au clair de lune. Comme il fait bon… ♪♫ On those first few words of Marius Delisle’s 1959 hit, I make my way to Quebec City and the surrounding area to find out how language professionals fare with English on a daily basis. Of the more than 700,000 inhabitants of the Quebec […]

Read more »

Tagged