Étiquette : writing

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James Harbeck

“Pay No Attention to That Man Behind the Curtain”

août 30, 2022 by James Harbeck | 2 commentaires sur “Pay No Attention to That Man Behind the Curtain”

What’s missing from this sample text? A set of subjects, n = 180, were surveyed using a predetermined questionnaire. Statistical analysis of the responses revealed a statistically significant pattern of association of low-frequency polysyllabic lexemes with greater intellectual value. It’s not short on words, nor on syllables per word, nor on grammatical complexity. It’s an […]

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Laura Bontje

On Editing an Editor: Margaret Kingsbury and Laura Bontje in Conversation

juin 14, 2022 by Laura Bontje | 2 commentaires sur On Editing an Editor: Margaret Kingsbury and Laura Bontje in Conversation

Editing a first-time author calls for a blend of sharp-eyed clarity, cheerleading and hand-holding. What if the author is also an editor? As part of a series of blog posts featuring conversations between author-editors and their editors, The Editors’ Weekly asked two editors to reflect on their experience of working together as critique partners. Laura […]

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Frances Peck

On Editing an Editor: Leslie Vermeer and Frances Peck in Conversation

mars 8, 2022 by Frances Peck | 6 commentaires sur On Editing an Editor: Leslie Vermeer and Frances Peck in Conversation

Editing a first-time novelist calls for a blend of sharp-eyed clarity, cheerleading and hand-holding. What if the novelist is also an editor? As part of a series of blog posts featuring conversations between author-editors and their editors, The Editors’ Weekly asked two editors to reflect on their experience of working together. Frances Peck is a […]

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Aaron Dalton

What is Plain Language? Part 5: The Nitty-gritty

février 15, 2022 by Aaron Dalton | 3 commentaires sur What is Plain Language? Part 5: The Nitty-gritty

This is the fifth and last in a series of articles discussing the basic principles of plain language by Aaron Dalton. I offer two half-day workshops: the first is all about the why and then we look at some document-level issues like tone. This is the workshop that I am most passionate about and try to get […]

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Aaron Dalton

What is Plain Language? Part 4: Craftsmanship

novembre 16, 2021 by Aaron Dalton | Un commentaire sur What is Plain Language? Part 4: Craftsmanship

This is the fourth in a series of articles discussing the basic principles of plain language by Aaron Dalton. Most of the writing that happens in an office is stream-of-consciousness. We fire off dozens of quick emails and texts a day with little thought. But the writing we do for external readers requires more care. Effective writing […]

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Lucy Payette

What’s New in the Canadian Press Stylebook

novembre 2, 2021 by Lucy Payette | Un commentaire sur What’s New in the Canadian Press Stylebook

Since its inception in 1940, The Canadian Press Stylebook has changed “cautiously,” as stated on its website, with a motto of “evolution, not revolution.” Nonetheless, if you’ve followed Canadian Press style, you know it isn’t enough to commit to memory the style standards and leave it at that. Language and usage changes — and style […]

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Merel Elsinga

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

octobre 26, 2021 by Merel Elsinga

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 […]

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Aaron Dalton

What is Plain Language? Part 3: When You Assume …

octobre 12, 2021 by Aaron Dalton | 5 commentaires sur What is Plain Language? Part 3: When You Assume …

This is the third in a series of articles discussing the basic principles of plain language by Aaron Dalton. You’re preparing a speech for a community association. You disagree with a particular policy, but you moderate your language because you “know” that most people disagree with you. What nobody realizes, though, is that actually, most people disagree […]

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Aaron Dalton

What is Plain Language? Part 2: Reading is a Skill

août 31, 2021 by Aaron Dalton | 3 commentaires sur What is Plain Language? Part 2: Reading is a Skill

This is the second in a series of articles discussing the basic principles of plain language by Aaron Dalton. Defining literacy Literacy is not just about being able to read and write; it’s also about being able to understand and use what you read. In an earlier blog post, I mentioned a standardized measure called […]

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Vaani Sai Nagallapati

My Neuroscience Thesis Helped Me Find My Dream Career… in Editing

juin 30, 2020 by Vaani Nagallapati | 3 commentaires sur My Neuroscience Thesis Helped Me Find My Dream Career… in Editing

I remember, at six years old, an aunty visited our house. In an attempt to make conversation with me, she turned mid-chai, and asked, “So, dear, do you know what you want to be when you grow up?” At my young age, there were no real consequences to this question. I could have told her […]

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Gael Spivak

Gael Spivak: An Editor’s Top 3

mai 5, 2020 by Gael Spivak

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, […]

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Barbara McClintock

The Language of Political Commentary: From Nadir to Zenith

avril 28, 2020 by Barbara McClintock | 2 commentaires sur The Language of Political Commentary: From Nadir to Zenith

Jean-Paul Sartre, author of Huis Clos, wrote L’enfer, c’est les autres (Hell is other people). Maybe that’s true in a pandemic. However, in this period of social distancing and self-isolation, we still have the luxury of reading. In particular, I’m rereading the excellent book titled The Mother Tongue – English and How It Got That […]

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James Harbeck

But Is It Art?

février 11, 2020 by James Harbeck | 3 commentaires sur But Is It Art?

Is writing art? And if it is, what is editing? If we say writing is “artful,” or “artistic” or “an art,” we mean that we appreciate it aesthetically and admire it for the skill it evinces. But if we say not “writing is an art” but “writing is art” — or “this text is a […]

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Tracey Anderson

Freeing Myself from the Freelancer Title

novembre 19, 2019 by Tracey Anderson | 15 commentaires sur Freeing Myself from the Freelancer Title

“Are you a freelancer?” My answer to that question has changed over the course of my career. When I first started editing, I edited learning modules for apprenticeship trades in house at a polytechnic institution. I also wrote freelance projects for newspapers and magazines during evenings and weekends. I loved writing, but it was not […]

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Aaron Dalton

Empirical Editors: Acronyms

juillet 16, 2019 by Aaron Dalton | 13 commentaires sur Empirical Editors: Acronyms

Background I’m an in-house editor for the Alberta Energy Regulator. Authors are required to work with our group as they move towards publishing their documents. It’s essential that we cultivate and nurture relationships of respect and trust. One element of that is always being able to rationalize and justify our recommendations. There’s no room for […]

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Christine Beevis Trickett

Even Nature Needs an Editor

juin 18, 2019 by Christine Beevis Trickett | 2 commentaires sur Even Nature Needs an 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 Sara Promislow.  I am a […]

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Wilf Popoff

Wasted Words: The Risks of Reading

mai 21, 2019 by Wilf Popoff | 3 commentaires sur Wasted Words: The Risks of Reading

Because I was a confirmed reading addict when television appeared, it failed to dislodge my teenage obsession. Like Groucho Marx I found the idiot box “very educating”:­ “Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.” It’s been a relentless dependency. I still find it difficult to […]

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Christina Vasilevski

Usability Testing From an Editor’s Perspective

avril 23, 2019 by Christina Vasilevski

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.  […]

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Frances Peck

Freedom to Read, Willingness to Edit

février 26, 2019 by Frances Peck | 13 commentaires sur Freedom to Read, Willingness to Edit

Good stories, for me, have never been treacly. My father, an RCMP officer, put people in jail; my mother, a halfway house director, put them back into society. My childhood was one of sensational publications and limited adult supervision. By age 11 I’d read Jaws, Helter Skelter and The Eden Express, a memoir of schizophrenia. […]

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Marianne Grier

Google as the Editor

janvier 22, 2019 by Marianne Grier | 6 commentaires sur Google as the Editor

If you’re a Gmail user, you may have adopted its new Smart Compose feature. This perplexing time-saver has made me question the future of communications since it appeared in my inbox. Smart Compose uses machine learning to help users write faster, clearer emails by anticipating what they’re trying to say and suggesting text they can […]

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Virginia Durksen

Interview With Dr. Suzanne M. Steele

novembre 27, 2018 by Virginia Durksen | 3 commentaires sur Interview With Dr. Suzanne M. Steele

Part 3: Suzanne Steele, Librettist and Multimedia Artist In 2012, the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and One Yellow Rabbit theatre company commissioned Suzanne Steele to write the libretto for Afghanistan: Requiem for a Generation. Suzanne’s work with composer Jeffrey Ryan is one example of the collaboration she has pursued in her career, between artists and across […]

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Rosemary Shipton

Working With Authors

novembre 6, 2018 by Rosemary Shipton | 8 commentaires sur Working With Authors

Editors make decisions all the time as they edit, but the most important judgment call of all is how to work best with each individual author. No one-size-fits-all solution will do. Most commonly, editors make their corrections with track changes, write questions and comments for the author in the margins, and describe their overall approach […]

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Virginia Durksen

Interview with Dr. Suzanne M. Steele

octobre 9, 2018 by Virginia Durksen | 4 commentaires sur Interview with Dr. Suzanne M. Steele

Part 2: Suzanne Steele, War Poet It takes courage to be a poet, although not the kind of courage needed on literal fields of battle. For two years (2008–10), Suzanne Steele was Canada’s “war poet,” the first official Canadian war artist poet to be embedded with a Canadian battlegroup — Task Force 3-09 (Afghanistan) — […]

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Sue Archer

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

mai 29, 2018 by Sue Archer | 3 commentaires sur 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 […]

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