Writing / Writers Support Group / Language & Editing / Guest Blogger

Though I can agree with the adage that anyone can write, we seldom take the time to unpack how people come to the writing process. In my world of academia, writing is not a choice but an expectation. Because of this, one has to quickly find their flow and stick to it. Everyone has their own style when it comes to writing. I’ve had the good fortune to be able...

Publishing

Independent Canadian publishers help define the Canadian literary scene. In 2019, we published the first listing of 5 such publishers for emerging authors. In this post, we are introducing another 5 publishers.   Much like Invisible Publishing, founded in 2007, some of these publishers have been publishing for a decade or more, broadening their mandates periodically by launching new imprints. But, whether brand-new or well-established, all of the...

Editing / Grammar / Usage

We thought we would repost former TEC Editor Melissa’s blog this week to help us review four of the most common punctuation-related errors or inconsistencies that we see here at TEC.   Keeping these punctuation tips in mind will ensure that you apply them correctly and consistently in your writing.       THE SERIAL COMMA   Also called the “Oxford comma,” this is a comma that follows the second-last item in a list of three...

Technology

Every year, I get a much-needed break from the city when my family rents a cottage in the country. We thought the COVID-19 outbreak had made that impossible this year, but in June the Ontario government announced Stage 2 of its reopening strategy and allowed short-term rentals to resume. Although we still waited a few months to see how things went, ultimately we chose to follow through with...

Publishing

When Toronto declared a lockdown and I knew I’d be working at home indefinitely, I realized I had a problem — I would still be doing editing work, but the reference manuals I use to accomplish that work, such as Chicago 17th ed. and APA  7th ed. (APA 7), were no longer accessible to me. We kept copies at the TEC office, so I hadn’t really needed...

Editing / Usage / Business

Your business documents are vital to getting your message across, differentiating your organization from others, and reflecting your brand. Never before has the need for clear and compelling content been greater.   Optimizing your business reports, proposals, marketing materials, and website copy will ensure they are persuasive and geared to your intended audience.   In my first blog for The Editing Company, I have put together a toolkit of online editing...

Publishing

If you've had some extra time on your hands lately, you might be using it to finally finish that manuscript you've been working on! In this blog from the archives, here are five publishers on the rise in Canadian publishing. Maybe one would be a great fit for your work!   *****   New Canadian authors working without the benefit of representation are probably familiar with House of Anansi and Douglas & McIntyre...

Editing & Technologies

This article was originally posted in 2016, but the tips within still apply! Plus, we've learned a new tip and added it to the post below.     *****   Editing using Microsoft Word’s Track Changes function is a fairly standard practice today, and it’s easy to see why — it’s neater, faster, and easier for authors to see what changes you’ve made. Using Track Changes also gives authors a level of control...

Technology / Editing & Technologies

In this blog from the archives, former TEC Editor Chris Cameron teaches you the ins and outs of working with page numbering in Microsoft Word. Read on to learn more!   *****   An author recently asked me how she could keep the page numbers in her document from appearing on the title page. She didn't want the actual numbering to start until after her table of contents and introduction.   When we...

Usage / Technology / Language & Editing / Editing & Technologies

In this archived post from 2017, TEC Blogger Michael Bedford muses on how editors deal with an unending stream of technical and internet lingo, with new terms that seem to appear every other day. If you get stuck on what to do with terms like google and Wi-Fi, read on!   *****     Leafing through a copy of The Editorial Eye, Vol. 17, No. 9 from September 1994, I noticed a helpful article...

Social Media / Editing & Marketing

This week on the TEC blog, we're re-sharing a well-liked post from our archives! Former Social Media Coordinator Jean Mathew shares four great tips you can use to help gain more traction on Twitter. Read on for more!   *****   Being good at social media is important for everyone. And I mean everyone. From Starbucks to The Editing Company to your own personal account—recognizing the potential of a robust social media...

Technology / Editing & Technologies

This week, we're revisiting a blog from the TEC archives! Did you know that Editors Canada members actually receive a 30% discount on PerfectIt for Word (learn more about this benefit here)? This software is used by hundreds of Editors Canada members, so if it sounds like something you would find useful, read on to find out more about how it can help your editing practice.   *****   A large manuscript has...

Business / Writing / Writers Support Group / Language & Editing

Writing in a business environment can often be tricky, but throw in the uncertain times of a global pandemic and a rapidly changing market? Things just got a lot trickier.   However, there are simple tips you can remember to ensure your writing is always clear and concise and that can make your professional life easier. When your business communications are well-explained and easy to understand, your clients and your employees...

Business / Technology / Social Media / Editing & Marketing

We’ve all had to adjust to the twists and turns of the continually fluctuating “new normal” we find ourselves in during the COVID-19 pandemic. And even though many of us more seasoned editorial professionals are already old hands when it comes to providing our services and promoting ourselves online, certain public health guidelines are now encouraging many luddites to change their ways and adopt some of the promotional tools...

Business / Book Reviews

Avery Swartz is the founder and CEO of Camp Tech, and the author of See You on the Internet: Building Your Small Business with Digital Marketing (Page Two Books, 2020), a clearly explained how-to guide that demystifies digital marketing for small business owners. It introduces concepts, terminology, and practices that make up the digital world we work in and how you can set goals to build your website and kick-starting...

Editing / Editor/writer

At TEC, we work with our clients to organize, edit, and lay out their documents – which are short publications like information guides, professional CVs, and resource/information booklets. But how exactly does that work? How can we translate their idea of what they want into something that we can understand and thus recreate? Well, we have a system that helps us do that.   Model Mentoring Guide: A Case Study   We...

Publishing / Editing & Marketing / Social Media / Editing & Marketing

You may find yourself with a little extra time on your hands these days — but how can you spend it productively? In this blog from TEC's archives, former TEC Editor Nina Hoeschele muses on how authors can approach blending marketability with their writing.   *****   Nothing has ever shaken my editorial self as much as this comment did. It came from an influential editor from a successful publishing company who was telling...

Writing / Writers Support Group

As I write this, we’re three months into the worst global pandemic in over a century. The world we live in is unprepared and unequipped to run smoothly. Some of us can keep working from home; some of us can’t.   Productivity during a stressful time can be an especially difficult feat for those of us who spend our time writing. Trying to focus and create when the...

Editing / Usage / Style / Writing / Writers Support Group

There’s never a bad time to refresh your writing skills, and now is as good a time as ever (especially if you’re finding yourself with some extra time on your hands)! Here are some common writing habits to unlearn or avoid if you want your writing to be as clear as possible for your readers.     “Sardine sentences”   Attempting to cram too many facts into one sentence results in what we call...

Publishing / Writing / Writers Support Group

Completing the first draft of your book can be the most daunting thing about writing a book — the revising and editing can be difficult, but first getting the whole draft on the page can be even trickier. How can writers ease this process? We’ve got some tips to help you check that task off your to-do list.     Commit to It   Finishing a first draft is a great accomplishment, but...

Writing / Writers Support Group / Technology / Books And Reading

Some writers may be able to fill their manuscripts with inspired text without any outside help but, thankfully, in this age of apps and user-friendly software, we writers who need a little help organizing our thoughts have some options. Gone are the days of having to rely on sticky notes and bulletin boards to keep track of the countless structural changes you’ve made to your manuscript. Now, like...

Publishing / Editing & Marketing

Here at TEC, we receive calls from potential clients who are new to the writing process. The usual questions are about our services and rates, and about the work we do. In explaining what we do, we naturally ask the caller about their projects. Since we only work on nonfiction content, this is important for us to know. We have noted with some curiosity a rather...

Technology / Social Media / Editing & Marketing

Originally, this week we had scheduled a blog on social media trends. However, given all that is happening in the world today and, especially, how social media is being used in new ways during the COVID-19 global pandemic, we thought it might be better to take a different approach. We especially want to look at how Twitter can connect us in the moment and how it can be...

Technology / Editing & Technologies

The QWERTY keyboard: You may have heard this term before, or said it (FYI, it’s “kwerty”) — but where did this specific layout of keys come from?     QWERTY: An Origin Story   Well, it all started in the 1860s. An amateur inventor/politician/printer/newspaper man in Milwaukee by the name of Christopher Latham Sholes often spent his spare time tinkering with and creating new machines to make his businesses more efficient. One of...