Written by Lola Opatayo; copy edited by Meagan Kus
Did you finish everything on your reading list this summer? Maybe you did, or maybe you didn’t really have one to begin with. Whatever the case, I’ve compiled a list of 10 books you can plan to read before 2021 ends.
Written by Janis Cleugh; copy edited by Meagan Kus
The email came at the right time.
Written by Marta Orellana; copy edited by Meagan Kus
Editors find comfort in the stable predictability of grammatical rules, of univocal styles and definitions—with some exceptions to keep us on our toes. We turn to these to balance the everyday chaos in the world beyond the word. But what happens when the thread in the fabric of our daily lives is so forcefully yanked that our safety blankets are completely torn at their seams? Is our respite in linguistic structures enough to offset the surrealness of a world dizzied by a viral outbreak?
Written by Carl Rosenberg; copy edited by Meagan Kus
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.
Written by Emily Salja; copy edited by Meagan Kus
When we think about editing poetry, we first have to think about what poetry is. This is something that poets and critics have debated for decades—what is poetry?
All writing, to an extent, comes from the heart—creative writing in particular—and poetry is one of those strange, elusive creatures that is stitched together mostly by heartstrings. Poetry is the least efficient way of conveying a message. It is the language of trauma and inarticulable feelings. In poetry, we write around things instead of at them. How do we edit something so personal?
Written by Janine Harker; copy edited by Meagan Kus
I am terrible at making choices, especially between good things. Put a menu in front of me and at best, I’ll have narrowed my choices to two or three equally desirable options by the time the server arrives.
Imagine my trepidation, then, when asked to participate in the selection of the 2019 Karen Virag Award recipient. I can barely manage to choose what to eat—how was I going to help select an award recipient?
Written by Maggie Clark; copy edited by Meagan Kus
Every year, Editors Canada presents the Tom Fairley Award for Editorial Excellence to an editor for their outstanding contribution to a work published in Canada. A highlight for Editors BC this year was learning that Dania Sheldon, a member of Editors BC, was the award’s recipient. Dania won this award for her editorial work on Charles Gretton: Clock and Watchmaking Through the Golden Age by Dennis Radage, Warner Meinen, and Laila Radage.
Maggie Clark, West Coast Editor’s new managing editor, asked Dania about her experiences with editing and publishing.
Written by Carl Rosenberg; copy edited by Meagan Kus
On Saturday, April 22, Editors BC will present Frances Peck, who will give a full-day seminar called “The Secrets of Syntax.” In this seminar, participants will look at syntax from various angles and explore how to shape it for different kinds of texts, styles, and readers.
Frances is a Certified Professional Editor (Hon.) and writer who has worked with words for over 25 years. She prepared the Canadian edition of The St. Martin’s Workbook, a 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. A partner with West Coast Editorial Associates, Frances teaches at Douglas College and UBC and gives workshops across Canada. She is also a sometime blogger and a fiction writer.
Carl Rosenberg, a volunteer on Editors BC’s communications and social media committee, spoke to Frances about her work on language and syntax.
Written by Carl Rosenberg; copy edited by Meagan Kus
On Saturday, February 25, Editors BC will present Trena White, who will give a three-hour seminar on editing non-fiction book proposals. In this session, participants will learn how to help authors assemble book proposals that will open doors with agents and publishers.
Trena is co-founder of Page Two, a Vancouver-based publishing agency specializing in non-fiction books, and an associate agent of Transatlantic Agency. Before launching Page Two, Trena was publisher of Douglas & McIntyre and Greystone Books, and a non-fiction editor at McClelland & Stewart. She is an adjunct professor in publishing at SFU.
Carl Rosenberg, a volunteer on Editors BC’s communications and social media committee, spoke to Trena about her advice on book proposals.
On April 25, EAC-BC co-hosted PubPro 2015, an unconference for managing editors and publication production specialists. We previously featured a recap of the event and part 1 of the session summaries. Part 2 of the session summaries follows.
Written by Amy Haagsma; copy edited by Meagan Kus
Chantal Moore is communications manager at the BC Council for International Education, a Crown corporation that facilitates international student exchanges. She was interested in discussing best practices for managing change.
West Coast Editor 