What’s up with “that”?
Whether writing or editing, I’m consciously aiming for a smooth experience for readers—which means avoiding potholes, bumps, and other obstacles that momentarily distract them, pulling them out of the flow of the text.
Managing decision fatigue: Some tools for editors
It’s 4:00 p.m., you’ve been working since 8:30 a.m., and you’ve got to finish editing a document that’s due at the end of the day. You’ve taken a couple of short caffeine breaks, and you did have lunch, but you…
A welcome new resource: Demystifying Disability
Every once in a while, a new resource, or a new edition of an old resource, comes along that gets those of us who work with words very excited (think Chicago Manual of Style, Publication Manual of the American Psychological…
Superlatives in the age of GOAT
As a writer and editor—and a former gymnast who competed internationally in the 1970s—I’m fascinated by the language that is used to describe what gymnasts do. Well, to be honest, having left the sport completely when I retired in 1978…
A nuanced look at Nature Out of Balance
Congratulations to our partner Merrie-Ellen Wilcox on the launch of her new book, Nature Out of Balance: How Invasive Species Are Changing the Planet. Merrie-Ellen’s third book, and her second in the Orca Footprints series, looks at how invasive species—humans…
“You are not a To Do list”
I recently finished reading The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right, by one of my favourite authors, New Yorker staff writer Atul Gawande. I’ve been interested in using checklists since the book was first published, in 2009—and increasingly find…
Celebrating Canadian children’s literature
We at West Coast Editorial Associates regularly edit and proofread books created in Canada. And, yes, some of us write them too. Immersed as we are, it’s easy to assume that everyone reads Canadian books. But a 2018 report by…
Serendipities
As I get older (and I’m feeling rather “senior” these days), I’m increasingly fascinated by serendipity—the way a chance encounter can lead to happy discoveries both small and large, from a great book to a great life adventure. For us…
Fact-checking: More art than science
A 2018 article in the New Yorker describes actor Daniel Radcliffe going undercover as a fact-checker to prepare for his role in the Broadway show The Lifespan of a Fact. Peter Canby, head of fact-checking at the New Yorker, tells…
Romancing the pen (and pencil)
As soon as the “Back to School” signs go up in store windows in late summer, I get that special feeling. Even though I haven’t started a full slate of classes since I finished university, lo those many years ago,…
