Is it real or is it ChatGPT? (and does it matter?)
Over the past several months, every day seems to bring news of another leap forward in artificial intelligence (AI).
Frances Peck, novelist
Writing informational prose, training others how to write and edit, and working with other people’s words is a great way to make a living, as most writers and editors will agree. But for some of us, like our recently “retired”…
“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…
Diversions
As editors and word enthusiasts, we pay close attention to new entries in the various dictionaries we use to do our work. But in these weird and worrying days, it’s hard to be enthusiastic about the new terms that not…
Georgina Montgomery’s painterly debut
Almost two years ago, when our partner Georgina Montgomery retired, we said: When she wasn’t meeting writing and editing deadlines, teaching, or parenting, she was dancing around the edges of art, dabbling in things like stained glass and collage. In…
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,…
Four decades of Room
It’s a year for anniversaries. As we mark our 25th, we raise a collective glass to Room, celebrating four decades of literature, art, and feminism. Three partners—Audrey McClellan, Lana Okerlund, and the newly retired Yvonne Van Ruskenveld—have been members at…
Cheers for the holidays!
The WCEA partners know how to have fun, but navigating deadlines through the holiday season can be a challenge. Here are some suggestions to help you gain some semblance of work-life balance during the dark days of December. Books and…
Words and play
When I was a kid, I was certain I’d be a writer. I wrote constantly: poems, stories, plays, cartoons, newspapers, magazines (including the cover and fake ads), and novel beginnings—many, many beginnings. I didn’t care about quality or completion. I…
Mastery in action
Every once in a while, a writing or editing project provides an opportunity to work with a person who is a master in his or her field. Most often, it’s someone who works with words—another writer or editor—but not always…