Author: WCE Editor

Meet the Instructor: Lisa Manfield

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Written by Carl Rosenberg; copy edited by Meagan Kus

Lisa Manfield

On Saturday, March 28, Editors BC will present a full-day seminar by Lisa Manfield on how to write effective web content.

This seminar will give you an understanding of what readers want from your copy, how to apply the latest web writing best practices, and how to optimize for search. 

Lisa is a writer, editor, and content strategist with 20 years’ experience creating print and web content that engages a variety of target audiences. Currently the senior editor at Forge and Spark Media, Lisa has also been the founding editor of BCLiving and marketing manager at The Tyee. She has developed print and web content, marketing collateral, and courseware for tech companies, small businesses, non-profit organizations, government agencies, and educational institutions. She also teaches web writing principles at SFU and Capilano University.

Carl Rosenberg, a volunteer on Editors BC’s communications and social media committee, spoke to Lisa about her work and forthcoming presentation.   

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March 18, 2020: Editing Children’s Books

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What: Editors BC monthly meeting
When: Wednesday, March 18, 2020, 7:00–9:00 pm
Where: Room 920, 9th floor, Central Library, 350 West Georgia Street, Vancouver | map
Cost: Free for Editors BC members, non-members, and students.

Join us at our upcoming monthly meeting for a presentation by Paula Ayer and Tiffany Stone on editing children’s books, including levels from picture books to young adult, and genres from sing-along books to graphic novels and series.

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Rows of desks face a projection screen in a classroom-like environment.
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March 28, 2020: Writing Effective Web Content

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What: Editors BC professional development seminar
When: Saturday, March 28, 2020, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Where: Room 400, 4th floor, BCIT Downtown Campus, 555 Seymour Street, Vancouver | map
Cost: $165 for Editors Canada members ($135 early bird), $230 for non-members ($200 early bird), and $100 for student affiliates. Advance registration required. Registration closes March 25; early-bird rates are in effect through March 10.

Capture reader attention and engagement with web content that attracts visitors, boosts click-throughs, and converts readers into customers. Crafting compelling web content requires an understanding of reader expectations, an application of best practices, and a commitment to experimentation. This seminar will give you an understanding of what readers want from your copy, how to apply the latest web-writing best practices, and how to optimize for search.

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A minimalist map of BC shows that 62% of Editors BC members live in the Lower Mainland, 20% live in Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands, 11% live in the Okanagan and the Kootenays, 3% live in the Sunshine Coast, 2.5% live in Northern BC and Yukon, and .8% live in the West Coast of the U.S.
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Getting to Know Our Members from All Around BC: Marianne Sprague

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Written by Liz Warwick; copy edited by Annette Gingrich

Marianne Sprague

Editors BC is a big chapter: in fact, we currently have 246 members.

In this series, Social Media Executive Liz Warwick interviews some of these members to find out what editing life looks like in this spacious province.

Today, she interviews Marianne Sprague.

Marianne resides on the unceded territory of the Lheidli T’enneh (Prince George, BC). She has been an Editors BC member since 2017.

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Meet the Instructor: Frances Peck

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Written by Carl Rosenberg; copy edited by Katie Beaton

Frances Peck

On Saturday, February 29, Editors BC will present a full-day seminar by Frances Peck on usage woes and myths. For anyone intent on preventing (not avoiding) word errors and avoiding (not preventing) usage myths, this seminar will be of great help. People attending will get an up-to-date look at some of the most misunderstood and contentious points of English usage, and identify helpful guides and other resources. 

Frances Peck is a Certified Professional Editor (Hon.) and writer who has worked with words for nearly 30 years. She has taught at the University of Ottawa, Douglas College, SFU, UBC, and dozens of organizations across Canada. She prepared the Canadian edition of The St. Martin’s Workbook, a university grammar exercise book; co-authored the popular HyperGrammar website; and wrote Peck’s English Pointers, a collection of articles and quizzes available on the Language Portal of Canada. Frances lives in North Vancouver and is a partner with West Coast Editorial Associates.

Carl Rosenberg, a volunteer on Editors BC’s communications and social media committee, spoke to Frances about her work and forthcoming presentation.   

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February 19, 2020: Peer Group “Ant”-ics

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What: Editors BC monthly meeting
When: Wednesday, February 19, 2020, 7:00–9:00 pm
Where: New room | Room 920, 9th floor, Central Library, 350 West Georgia Street, Vancouver | map
Cost: Free for Editors BC members, non-members, and students.

Are you a solitary worker ant, dealing with professional isolation in your office, freelance business, or region? Do you want to discuss victories, challenges, and resources with others in your field? Would you like to create a colony of support and learning? Join us at our next monthly meeting for a panel discussion led by Editors BC member Lynn Slobogian on how peer groups can help you.

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Rows of desks face a projection screen in a classroom-like environment.
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February 29, 2020: Usage Woes and Myths

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What: Editors BC professional development seminar
When: Saturday, February 29, 2020, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Where: Room 400, 4th floor, BCIT Downtown Campus, 555 Seymour Street, Vancouver | map
Cost: $165 for Editors Canada members ($135 early bird), $230 for non-members ($200 early bird), and $100 for student affiliates. Advance registration required. Registration closes February 25; early-bird rates are in effect through February 11.

You’ve sorted out imply and infer. You know it’s not all right to use alright. Hopefully, you accept impact as a verb (not to mention hopefully as a sentence adverb). But what about more troublesome usage points, like the difference between may and might? Or such commonly misused words as dilemma and fulsome? Do you always have to change though to although, till to until? For anyone intent on preventing (not avoiding) word errors and avoiding (not preventing) usage myths, this seminar will help. 

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Book Review: Dreyer’s English

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Written by Frances Peck; copy edited by Annette Gingrich

Review of “Dreyer’s English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style” by Benjamin Dreyer (Random House, 2019).

"Dreyer's English" by Benjamin Dreyer

Dreyer’s English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style hit the shelves a year ago. Or perhaps I should say it briefly touched the shelves, seeing as copies sold as fast as they could be printed. Repeating the improbable success of the book Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss, Benjamin Dreyer’s guide sold umpteen copies and topped bestseller lists.

I’ve long followed Dreyer on Twitter, where he is natty, chatty, and sometimes catty. The same irresistible combination makes his book, from cover to cover, a trove of delights.

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Rows of desks face a projection screen in a classroom-like environment.
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January 25, 2020: The Art of the Query and Style Sheets with Substance

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What: Editors BC professional development seminar
When: Saturday, January 25, 2020, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Where: Room 555, 5th floor, BCIT Downtown Campus, 555 Seymour Street, Vancouver | map
Cost for both seminars: $165 for Editors Canada members ($135 early bird), $230 for non-members ($200 early bird), and $100 for student affiliates. Advance registration required. Registration closes January 21; early-bird rates are in effect through January 13.

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January 15, 2020: Peer Group “Ant”-ics

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Our January meeting has been cancelled due to bad weather and travel warnings from the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure and from Translink. We hope to re-schedule the meeting for February. In the meantime, please stay safe and warm!

What: Editors BC monthly meeting
When: Wednesday, January 15, 2020, 7:00–9:00 pm
Where: New room | Room 916, 9th floor, Central Library, 350 West Georgia Street, Vancouver | map
Cost: Free for Editors BC members, non-members, and students.

Are you a solitary worker ant, dealing with professional isolation in your office, freelance business, or region? Do you want to discuss victories, challenges, and resources with others in your field? Would you like to create a colony of support and learning? Join us at our next monthly meeting for a panel discussion led by Editors BC member Lynn Slobogian on how peer groups can help you.

Continue reading →