Reading time: About 5 minutes Do you write relatively easily but find yourself overwhelmed when it comes to editing? Here is a complete self-editing checklist to make the job easier… I do many different kinds of work, but I have one favourite job. Editing a 750 to 1,200-word piece written […]
Your complete self-editing checklist Read More »
Reading time: Less than 1 minute This is my weekly installment of “writing about writing,” in which I scan the world to find websites, books and articles to help other writers. Today I discuss a Grammarly blog post about the Oxford comma… Where do you stand on the Oxford comma? If
Do you use the Oxford comma? Read More »
Reading time: Less than 1 minute This is my weekly installment of “writing about writing,” in which I scan the world to find websites, books and articles to help other writers. Today I discuss a blog post written by Cal Newport… I discovered Cal Newport (pictured above) five or six years ago via
Beware of attention residue when you’re writing Read More »
Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Usually, taking vacations means having less work. But my recent editing vacation has been highly productive… I write this column from British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast, in a little cottage overlooking the ocean. I’m alone and it’s blissfully quiet. Right now it’s a cool rainy day
Why I’m taking an editing vacation… Read More »
Reading time: Less than 1 minute This is my weekly installment of “writing about writing,” in which I scan the world to find websites, books and articles to help other writers. Today I discuss an article on brevity in writing that appeared recently in the Prospero blog… From 1992 until 1999 The Economist published a
Lauding brevity in writing Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes Some writers feel as though they’re working in a black hole. Ask them the question, ‘Are you getting enough writing feedback?’ and they’ll answer with a resounding no… Back in my freelancing days, I used to write the occasional piece for national magazines. I didn’t
Are you getting enough writing feedback? Read More »
Reading time: Less than 1 minute If you’ve ever felt that you can’t afford a copy editor, here’s a suggestion that may work for you. Copy editors — people who fix spelling and grammar mistakes and double-check dates — are not expensive. Especially when you consider the cost of the material
Can’t afford a copy editor? Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minute Are you afraid of self-editing? Here’s how to make editing less daunting. Instead of vaguely aspiring to make your text perfect, pass through it many times looking for specific problems…. One of my clients used to find writing horrifying, frightful and nerve-racking. But as a
How to make editing less daunting Read More »
Reading time: About 1 minute This is my weekly installment of “writing about writing,” in which I scan the world to find websites, books and articles to help other writers. Today I discuss an article written by Amy Klein….. I’m not a big supporter of most writing groups. In brief, I
If the story does not move forward, there is no story… Read More »
Reading time: Less than 1 minute This is my weekly installment of “writing about writing,” in which I scan the world to find websites, books and articles to help other writers. Today I discuss an article about 10 words to cut from your writing… I like editing techniques that are really easy
