Category: Skills

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Of Interest: License to Edit: Techniques for Technical Editing Success

On 7 July 2020 at 2 pm EDT, Ann Marie Queeney will present a webinar titled License to Edit: Techniques for Technical Editing Success.
Click here to register: https://stc-techedit.org/tiki-index.php?page=License+to+Edit

In this fascinating, multi-communities event, we will explore how the editing of the iconic James Bond series can help technical editors sharpen their skills. Ann Marie will draw upon Ian Fleming and his editing team’s witty and insightful letters for an interactive discussion about technical editing issues, such as technical accuracy, jargon and clichés, and consistency. There will also be time for a few James Bond fun facts.

Ann Marie Queeney is a director on the STC board and a member of the Technical Editing and Policies and Procedures SIGs. She is the owner of A.M. Queeney, LLC a consulting business specializing in procedures and other process documents used in the healthcare industry. She is available for webinar and in-person training on a variety of technical communication topics.

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This Worked for Me: Live Editing – A Helpful Exercise

by Paula Robertson, STC Associate Fellow

Have you ever wished for a “quick-and-dirty” way to impart all of your editing expertise to a recipient of your edits without having to explain and comment and rewrite and suggest and explain some more, back and forth, in written edits? If only there was a way for your thought process and rationale to be magically conveyed along with your detailed words, rewrites, and deletions. (Why isn’t it obvious to them anyway? Alas, but our education systems didn’t train us to write clearly.)

You might say editors are just wired differently from writers. Rather, writers have different goals than editors do. But isn’t there some easy way for us to come together of one mind toward the common purpose of clearly communicating to our mutual target audience? I believe the answer is Yes. Yes, there is.

Continue reading “This Worked for Me: Live Editing – A Helpful Exercise”
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Of Interest: Free Editor Training Webcasts from ACES

The American Copy Editors Society (ACES) is the United States’ leading organization of editing professionals, educators, and students. They are dedicated to improving the quality of the written word and the working lives of editors. They set standards of excellence and give a voice to editors in journalism, government, business, and beyond through top-notch training, networking, and career opportunities.

During these difficult COVID-19 times, when resources and training are incredibly valuable, ACES is offering training webcasts at no cost, through 31 July 2020.

To see the list of available training webcasts and register, go to: https://aceseditors.org/training/webcasts?fbclid=IwAR09lkBm8cVAdL-fN_CjUdsfDTsu6hK9PNQfDEXOBxkgojWkChpy4pE1L5Q

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Brush Up Your Punctuation and Grammar Skills

With more and more of us stuck at home because of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, or out of work because of it, this might be the perfect time to brush up on some basic (and sometimes forgotten) rules of punctuation and grammar.

Leah Guren, an experienced TechComm trainer and presenter, has started a new online series of quick tips for technical writers, editors, and content developers.

Follow Leah’s informative (and always entertaining) mini-presentations on her LinkedIn page.

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From Around the Web: Do Editors Make Mistakes?

Are technical editing practitioners infallible? We might like to think we are, but we also make mistakes.

UC San Diego Extension copyediting instructors Lourdes Vernard and Christine Steele have complied a list of what they consider to be the top ten most common mistakes made by copy editors.

Do you have anything to add to this list? Write it below in the comments!