Wouldn’t we all love to have a fairy godperson swoop over our work, sprinkle some magic dust and transform it into something readable, accurate, consistent and cogent, every time? Do we gnaw on our fingernails,...
I remember the first time I received cruel feedback from a client. I’d been freelancing for a few months. Although I could see the client was belittling me because they were confused by the tracked changes, their...
Have you ever wondered what impression you make on potential clients when they first see anything about you, the editor? First impressions In Gauteng, a few of us were keen to find out a little more about making a good...
I signed up for a grammar course. I know my English isn’t perfect and I can edit fairly well, but I also know that if someone asked me to explain each and every edit, I wouldn’t be able to do that effectively. I cannot...
Being a top-notch editor isn't just about red pens and grammar rules. It's about emotional intelligence, understanding our authors and making the editing journey a valuable experience for everyone involved. In the...
Plagiarism on the grand scale has been made more and more tempting and easy for lazy [writers] by people who provide whole essays on all manner of subjects on the web. – Manning Murphy (2019) To understand the nature...
Debating accreditation: This was the title of a contribution by the PEG newsletter editor at the time, André Snyders, in the edition dated November 2007. How far we have come. And how long it has taken! Sixteen years...
I recently came across Alexis Grewan’s four-part series, which was posted between November 2021 and January 2022. This post will add my contribution as a follow-on to Alexis’ excellent series. For those who missed her...
Editors and websites This straightforward guide by Debbie Emmitt certainly helped me improve my editor website. Debbie is a copy editor and author with over 20 years of experience in web content. She brings together...
I tried to find points of reference for this topic (the author's voice) and there were not any in my usual go-to sources. This suggests that the author’s voice is something that cannot be easily quantified or taught in...
Your first few jobs as an editor can feel daunting and you may have questions about how best to tackle the initial paperwork so that the project starts without a hitch. Below are six tips to help you to quote...