Some things I checked in my last copyedit:
-song lyrics (as in listening to the actual song)
-spider anatomy (ew)
-whether certain planets are aligned on a future date
-whether said architect designed X
-Japanese names
-math
Do you work on a text #editing project? Then consider submitting a proposal to our 2024 #symposium, "The Impact of Scholarly Editions on a Global Scale". It will take place 13-15 June 2024 in Göttingen. Travel and accommodation to Germany will be covered for all speakers.
When you have to google "biggest spider in the world" for the copyedit you're working on, so you wince and brace yourself for the inevitable image results as you hit Enter.
You know you're an editor when someone asks whether "anyone's familiar with Chicago" and your first thought is The Chicago Manual of Style, not the city.
Granted, this question was in a group of editors, but I still laughed at myself.
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A haunted house for editors: zombie rules, hills that editors have died on, manuscripts that suck the life out of you, ghosts of uncaught errors past, and people who insist something's wrong when it's really a style choice.
I find it very rude that an author would write something in their story that makes me cry while I'm trying to proofread their novel. It's hard enough to check for typos, bad breaks, layout issues, and the like when it's not through tear-filled eyes.
As a copyeditor, I find that few things are as satisfying as finding an entry or example in the style guide that matches what I'm looking for to a T. No ambiguity, no guesswork, just "this is what you do in the exact scenario you're dealing with."
Checking into the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) Self-publishing Conference #SelfPubCon this weekend for top tips to inform myself and help support my lovely indie authors!
You can too: it's completely free, replays are available for three days 👇
It's funny how quickly my brain can go from "Yay, editing! I've got this!" to "Do I even know English?" when I come across a usage that may be totally valid and common but that I've never seen before.
I haven't tracked the hours, but I'm pretty sure that ever since I became a freelancer, I've spent half my work days staring at my calendar and thinking either "Oh no, there's a gap in my schedule" or "Oh no, what have I done?"
I love it when something I learned in a previous edit comes in handy. I just queried the use of "poisonous" where "venomous" seemed more appropriate, which I had learned about years ago for another edit, and I may or may not have squeed when I spotted it this time.
FYI:
venomous = toxins are injected
poisonous = toxins are ingested
Bite, sting, or barb? Venomous.
Dangerous to eat or touch? Poisonous.
AI is a problem for editors and authors – and it's serious.
There is a dark side to this technology, with major long-term consequences for authorship and editorial work that we're only just beginning to discover – not least copyright theft.
Learn about the whys and hows of inclusive language ... on your own time! Topics include race, gender, sexuality, body size, disability, socioeconomic status, religion, age, & more.
This class is for intermediate and beginner inclusive language explorers including fiction and nonfiction writers, communications professionals, editors, and students.
@SparkleTea@edibuddies Preach! It’s one of the reasons I pivoted from #writing to #editing a decade ago. I get my jollies from polishing other people’s copy.
As an editor, I'm supporting authors against AI scraping of their work without consent.
I'm publishing a no-holds-barred blog post next week on why AI is a serious problem for editors, and why authors have every right to be concerned about AI use in publishing.
Do look out for it – will post a link here on Monday 🔗
As an editor, I'm 💯 supporting authors against AI scraping their work without consent.
I'm publishing a no-holds-barred blog post next week on why AI is a serious problem for editors, and why authors have every right to be concerned about AI use in publishing.
Do look out for it – will post a link here on Monday 🔗