The value of style sheets
Style sheets are a fundamental tool for editors.
Consciously choosing our words
One of our responsibilities as editors is to be on the lookout for discriminatory language, hidden bias, and stereotypes in the text we’re editing. We want to use words and phrases that promote inclusivity, respect, and justice. But this process…
Death knell for the apostrophe?
It’s a tiny mark that spawns immense confusion. The beleaguered apostrophe has been in the spotlight since December, following the announcement by John Richards, founder of the Apostrophe Protection Society, that after 18 years of defending the mark, he was…
Reflecting the world we live in
At the beginning of May, I donned my children’s book author hat and attended the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators’ Marvellous Midwest conference in Chicago. I attended many informative sessions, but particularly thought-provoking was a panel discussion titled…
Our evolving language
As we have celebrated the 25th anniversary of West Coast Editorial Associates in 2017, we’ve looked at our past, present, and future, as well as a few editorial highlights of 1992, the year WCEA was formed. I have recently been…
Seven challenges for the word lover
What’s not to love about a short quiz on some favourite head-scratchers in the English language? Answers are at the end. Award yourself a chocolate truffle for every question you answer correctly. 1. Which is correct? a) I’ve been racking…
Spooks, zombie rules, and the singular “they”
’Tis the season for spooks, so what better time to talk about zombie rules? First, a little background. The term “zombie rules” was coined by Stanford linguistics professor Arnold Zwicky in a 2005 blog post: In the process of dissemination,…
My personal style sheet
As editors, we regularly make style sheets for our clients, documenting the decisions we’ve made about spelling, capitalization, and so on that aren’t covered in the larger style guide we’ve been directed to use. Sometimes clients actually ask us to…
What’s in a name?
In March, mature coastal Douglas-firs are 12 months into their 17-month reproductive cycle. March is the time of pollen making, and in April the pollen-bearing cones burst and pollination of the seed cones begins. Pseudotsuga menziesii was first discovered on…
No foolin’
Posting a blog entry today, I am, of course, tempted to write something farcical, outrageous, or dare I say, even foolish, it being April 1. But humour can be a dangerous thing when shared with readers unknown. Some so-called jokes…
