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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
Ever wonder what editors do in their retirement? Does an armchair, along with a large pile of books, a steaming cup of tea, and a purring cat or two, come to mind? That might be the dream for some, but…