Who Needs an Editor Anyways?

In collaboration with Editors Barrie

Have you ever wondered what it takes to be an editor? Perhaps you've written something. Asked if you need an editor? In the age of spell checkers and grammar checkers, could this be automated?

Come and learn a little about the world of editing. If you love words, this workshop is for you.

It turns out that it takes a trained eye to see mistakes and that all mistakes are not considered equal. Much depends on the nature and sensitivity of the document. Imagine a banking document with a misplaced decimal. Imagine a medical report which states “most patients experience side effects” versus “all patients”. Words matter. Punctuation matters. Remember the book, “Eats Shoots and Leaves”? For the sake of a comma or two, meaning can change.

Interested participants are welcome to try their hand at editing in this interactive workshop. The exercise will be used as a sample to discuss substantive editing through to proofreading.

Why an Editor?

Editors Canada has been the national organization for freelance and in-house editors since 1979. Providing professional standards, national certification, as well as intellectual and legal support, Editors Canada is an organization that seeks to solidify and empower its members.

Writers can search the online database available through Editors Canada to find a suitable editor who matches the genre and skill set required. Individuals are encouraged to use our freelance legal contract to ensure agreements are met.

Clients arrive with projects in various stages of completion. Sometimes an author will seek a quick copy edit and proofread to ensure that the final copy is free of mistakes and imparts the intended message. Often a client is looking for an editor who can add clarity and precision to a well-crafted message. Business communication requires careful wordsmithing to meet expectations in a limited word count. Everyone knows the power of plain language text for delivering fast and effective messages, especially in advertising.

We’ve spent the last decade learning a new awareness in language sensitivity, gendered pronouns, and investigating inclusivity. Many clients look to an editor to ensure they’ve got this right. It’s new territory and a complicated new landscape that requires diplomacy and care. Mistakes in this arena can be costly and lasting.

Occasionally, a client is really looking for a writer. The client may present a series of specific parameters or steps and that need to be written. Imagine a client who manufactures medical devices. Here is a company that needs to write an instruction manual, a list of safety specifications, and a maintenance guide for an appliance. This is something a substantive editor can do.

Editing is such a specialized field unto itself. There are editors who only work on cookbooks, some who edit geographical maps for accuracy and content, others who edit only foreign languages.

About Editors Barrie

Editors Barrie was founded in 2018 by JJ Wilson as a twig connected to Editors Canada. Too small to be called a branch (yet), our organization aims to serve editors and freelance writers at all points north of Toronto. Whether your message is short and in need of a quick fix, a pithy novel, or a long and involved series of parameters that must be met, freelance writers and editors can handle these sorts of tasks.

Editors Canada offers a searchable online database for editors and writers. A typical client can search using filters based on genre, expertise, location, or   cost. The purpose of the  database is to connect interested individuals although it makes no money from this  connection. Ultimately, the interested parties must decide on their own contract.

As coordinator for this local organization, JJ believes that the role of Editors Barrie is to foster professional business relationships within the community while maintaining standardized editorial guidelines, ethical practices, and building mentorship.

Questions? Please call 705-728-1010 or email askus@barrielibrary.ca

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