Gael Spivak Archives - The Editors' Weekly

Illustration of three people putting together large pieces of an arrow like a puzzle to form a single image. Each piece is pointed on the end so that when viewed independently, they look like three process symbols suggesting sequential steps.

Filed under:

Leading a Team in a Corporate Workplace

May 11, 2023 by Gael Spivak | 1 Comment on Leading a Team in a Corporate Workplace

I’ve been leading a small team of writers and editors since 2014. Here are some tips I’ve figured out over that time. Play to people’s strengths Let people do what they enjoy and are good at (as much as possible). In my workplace, writers and editors are usually assigned subject areas. That makes sense, in […]

Tagged

Tagged

corporate editing editor advice Gael Spivak in-house editing

Illustration of two people using oversized pencils to cross items off a giant checklist.

Filed under:

Using Volunteer Work to Make Yourself More Marketable

March 22, 2022 by Gael Spivak | 2 Comments on Using Volunteer Work to Make Yourself More Marketable

I didn’t volunteer with my editing association to get things out of it for myself. But over the years, I noticed that I was getting a lot out of it beyond feeling good about giving back to my community. This post summarizes what I learned so that you can use it to shape your own […]

Tagged

Tagged

editing community editor advice Gael Spivak networking professional development volunteers

Illustration of a text document with a rosette adorned with a star at the bottom of the page.

Filed under:

Update on the International Plain Language Standard: An Interview with Gael Spivak

October 26, 2021 by Merel Elsinga | Leave a Comment

Gael Spivak, a previous president of Editors Canada, works in-house for the federal government as a writer and editor. Part of her job is her involvement in creating an international plain language standard for the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). At the Editors Canada conference on June 13, 2021, Gael gave us an update on […]

Tagged

Tagged

communications editing standards Gael Spivak interview Merel Elsinga plain language writing

Illustration of a happy woman wearing headphones and listening to an audiobook

Filed under:

Summer Reading/Listening Series 2021: Part 1

July 6, 2021 by Lucy Payette | 4 Comments on Summer Reading/Listening Series 2021: Part 1

Some of the best book and podcast recommendations come from fellow editors. It’s no surprise — we learn and refine our skills by reading and listening to content. We also read and listen for pleasure (or to make use of those long periods in lockdown). In the spirit of learning, summer and escape, we asked […]

Tagged

Tagged

Adrineh Der-Boghossian Gael Spivak podcasts reading resources

Filed under:

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

January 19, 2021 by Gael Spivak | 6 Comments on Running Out of Words: It’s Not a Slippery Slope

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? […]

Tagged

Tagged

English language Gael Spivak lexicon linguistics vocabulary

Internet discussion forum

Filed under:

Grammar Matters

August 25, 2020 by Gael Spivak | 8 Comments on Grammar Matters

Antecedents and gerunds. En dashes and ellipses. Gripping topics for editors, right? Well, it turns out they’re not gripping for all of us. As one of the admins for the Editors’ Association of Earth groups on Facebook, I read almost every post and comment (one group alone had 310 posts and 5,611 comments in a […]

Tagged

Tagged

copy editing editing Gael Spivak grammar punctuation spelling types of editing

Speech bubble with the text "Top 3: Rules, Tools, Channels" on a red background.

Filed under:

Gael Spivak: An Editor’s Top 3

May 5, 2020 by Gael Spivak | Leave a Comment

In this series, experienced editors reflect on their Top 3 tools, rules and suggestions for clients and colleagues. Gael Spivak works in communications for the Government of Canada, where she specializes in plain language writing and editing. An editor for 13 years, Gael has worked on topics that include food safety and food labelling, biotechnology, […]

Tagged

Tagged

authors clients editing Editor’s Top 3 freelance Gael Spivak plain language proofreading writing

Networking, introverts and squirrels

Filed under:

Networking, Introverts and Squirrels

January 21, 2020 by Gael Spivak | 4 Comments on Networking, Introverts and Squirrels

I used to think I didn’t like networking because I detest small talk and won’t walk into a room of people all by myself. But a few conversations and experiences changed my mind. Connections A friend told me that I’m one of the best networkers she knows. This caught my attention, especially since this friend […]

Tagged

Tagged

editing communities Gael Spivak introverts networking professional development Riça Night social media networks

Filed under:

Client Relationships for the In-house Editor

February 19, 2019 by Gael Spivak | 4 Comments on Client Relationships for the In-house Editor

This post is part of a new 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. A post will appear on the Editors’ Weekly every other month. If you’re interested in writing a post for this series, please email the Member Services Committee. […]

Tagged

Tagged

client relationships credibility Gael Spivak in-house editing in-house editors relationship management relationships resources