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A Glimpse Into the Work Process of a Copyeditor

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Some people seek the spotlight. Me? I’m more of a behind-the-scenes kind of person, which makes me particularly suited to be a copyeditor. I really enjoy helping people build and clarify ideas until they morph into a nicely structured, publishable piece.

I know that you’ve poured your heart into that document. Whether it’s a magazine article or sell sheet, you need that piece of writing to showcase who you, your products or services are. Copyeditors don’t take that lightly. With that in mind, my goal as a copyeditor is to make the document work for you as best as possible. Continue reading → A Glimpse Into the Work Process of a Copyeditor

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A Glimpse Into the Work Process of a Content Writer

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What does a content writer do?

Ok, this one really is fairly self-explanatory. But, since I’ve committed to explaining a bit about my work process as a freelance content writer, I’m going to go ahead and expand on it.

A content writer writes … well … content. In my case, I specialize in blog posts, white papers, business marketing materials, web pages, training manuals, general interest and niche magazine articles (print and online), and quite a bit more. I was that university student who absolutely loved writing essays.

I loved essay writing because it’s a clearly structured format. As long as you stick to that structure, you can argue anything you’d like (backed up by logic, of course). Continue reading → A Glimpse Into the Work Process of a Content Writer

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Does Your Company Need An Editorial Guide?

Editorial Guides
Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

Maybe you’re a business owner who knows that you really should get around to writing an editorial guide. But you’re not sure how or why you should bother. You’ve probably noticed that a lot of businesses – even small and medium-sized ones – go to the trouble of producing some kind of guiding document. Let me just say that there’s tremendous value in an editorial guide. It will save you money, help you promote your brand, and provide an easy way of dealing with a lot of problems that might pop up.

what are editorial guides, anyway?

You know all of that stuff companies write – email newsletters, website landing pages, blog posts? Oh, and don’t forget all of the internal communications and marketing materials. All of that copy has to be produced according to a plan. Editorial guides are that plan. Continue reading → Does Your Company Need An Editorial Guide?

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Case Study: How To Write An Award-Winning Travel Article

freelance travel writing
Image: Jill Wellington

“Rosemary really cared about my goals, and her editorial guidance brought out my best work.”

Case Profile

Tod Stewart is a Toronto-based wine, spirits, food, travel, and lifestyle writer with over 35 years of industry experience. He contributes to newspapers, periodicals, and trade magazines. He is also a consultant to the hospitality industry.

At A Glance

Problem

Tod Stewart was tasked with writing a high-quality article about his trip to Italy that would be entered into an international competition. But, time was short, and Tod needed help streamlining his experiences into an engaging and winning story. Continue reading → Case Study: How To Write An Award-Winning Travel Article

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4 Tips on Managing Your Online Reputation

summer-1501608_1920Sadly, the Toronto Film Festival (TIFF) has come and gone without me darkening the doorstep of any of the venues showing the films. I did, however, get to see Snowden when it went into wider release a week or so after its festival screening. The movie is Oliver Stone’s dramatic interpretation of whistleblower Edward Snowden. In 2013, Snowden released to journalists at The Guardian documentation proving that the national Security Association in the US (and other security departments in other countries, including Great Britain and Canada) was illegally spying on regular citizens. Continue reading → 4 Tips on Managing Your Online Reputation

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How To Edit A Thesis

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I’ve received a number of requests from clients asking me to edit a thesis. My first response is always to accept. I love reading theses. It takes me right back to my university days full of ideas and long theoretical discussions. The theories and solutions we devised over pints of beer or cups of coffee may not have stood up against a reality check, but they were fun nonetheless. Even writing my own thesis, though definitely arduous at times, was fun. Taking an idea and tracing its possible routes to a variety of logical conclusions is not something I get to do very often today.

When it comes to editing a thesis, however, a whole different set of skills is involved. The most important is communicating what role exactly the editor plays. More so than for any other type of writing, putting expectations down on paper, in a contract, is of supreme importance. Continue reading → How To Edit A Thesis

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Why Do I Need An Editor?

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I guess the “I” in that question should really be “we” because everyone needs an editor, even editors!

The issue is that after a while, we become blind to our work. Our eyes skip over the words because our brains know it so well. Having someone else read your work, especially aloud, will bring problems to the forefront really quickly.

I know it’s really hard to let someone see your work before it’s done. So, you don’t have to if that’s a real problem. You can keep working on it till you reach a point of comfort. There are, however, some key times that I really do recommend you hand it over. Continue reading → Why Do I Need An Editor?

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This Might Be the Hardest Part of the Writing Process

 

What part of the writing process is the hardest?

Fleshing out the original idea with enough detail is no easy task. Then again, writing draft after draft until said idea is clear and concise can also send a writer scurrying to find that happy place. Putting your pride and joy into the hands of an editor who might change this or that for whatever reason is pretty nerve-racking, too. Make it through all that, though, and you’re ready for a cool drink and an afternoon in the hammock.

Wait. What? Left something out, didn’t I? Continue reading → This Might Be the Hardest Part of the Writing Process