Category Archives: Editing

Books, Editing, Writing

Know Your Subject, Watch That Continuity – My Latest Editors’ Canada Blog Post

Blam! Blam! Black Sombrero fired his Colt .45 at the shadow in the barn, then spun and snapped three shots at the posse approaching across the coral. . .

My latest blog post for The Editors’ Weekly on why factual accuracy and plausibility are important even in fiction.

UPDATE: Aug. 26 — and this is why the world needs editors, lots of them! I don’t know how many sets of eyes went through this without noticing that “coral” should be “corral.”  Blushing. . .

Business, Editing, Streamkeeping, Writing

Basic Reporting for Concerned Citizens

Hi folks, here a few tips for effectively sharing information, or reporting on things that concern you, be it via social media, email, phone, snailmail, etc.

Learn and remember the journalist’s question prompts of 5WH.

5WH?

Who
What
Where
When
Why
How

Answer those questions as best you can before you start sharing information, before you start writing, calling, Tweeting, posting to Facebook or blogs, emailing… and you’ll be miles ahead in clarity, conciseness, accuracy, and so on.

For a fleshed-out guide to 5WH see the Wikipedia entry here.

This applies to streamkeepers reporting spills or fish kills, to citizens reporting crime, to folks contacting their local papers, to students posting on blogs, to. . .

Books, Business, Editing, Writing

Shifting Volunteer Hours to Work-Related Endeavours

I’m rejiggering my volunteer time. Pulling back a bit from some of the fishy/enviro stuff, and shifting over to more work-related volunteering.

First step, meet the new Program Chair for the Editors Canada BC Branch :-).

I really enjoyed meeting lots of folks and renewing many acquaintances at the Editors Canada BC Branch Annual General Meeting tonight.

Thank you for your confidence in accepting me into the executive fold, and here’s to having more great programs for 2016-17 starting next autumn! And thanks to Kyra and Marianne for also joining the program committee.

I have some big shoes to fill, but I’m happy that everyone is happy to help.

Business, Editing, Photography, Writing

Never Work for Free

Cleaning my office today I ran across some words of wisdom posted to the Society of Writers, Editors, and Translators (Japan) mail list back in 1996 by Fred Uleman, quoting “Hugh Gigante of MktgMavens”:

1. I never work free of charge
2. I never work cheap
3. I charge more than others because I am better than them
4. I never get paid based on performance, only deliverables
5. I define deliverables
6. I always have more of the client’s money than he has of my time
7. Rates go up every six months
8. People who want work free or on spec must first show that they are working on the same basis, and are a legal charity
9. Every client can be fired, any day
10. Repeat number 1.