There are as many kinds of editor as there are species of butterfly – or at least three main types. Often, people don’t distinguish between proofreading and copyediting. Proofreading is reading the proofs, to make essential changes to the final version before publication. Copyediting is editing the or copy or raw material, to make sureContinue reading “Do I need a developmental editor?”
Tag Archives: training
Starting a social writing group?
Are you based in Finland and want to set up or improve your own social writing group? Do you want to meet others who help writers put writing first, together? Your group could be a regular hour a week on Zoom, or a one-off writing retreat in person. You might invite people on your corridor,Continue reading “Starting a social writing group?”
Writing for Research and Academic Practice with the WRAP Network
What do you want from a place to write? I want quiet, a good desk, an armchair to read in, lots of natural light, space to move around, somewhere nice and green to go for a walk and listen to the birds. And a comfortable bed and lots of lovely veggie food to eat inContinue reading “Writing for Research and Academic Practice with the WRAP Network”
Prove you wrote it yourself
Recently, I had to prove that I’d written 300,000 words myself. Why? I’m now a qualified member of the UK Institute of Translation and Interpreting (MITI) for all my three source languages: Finnish, German and Polish into English. If you translate into or out of the “big four” languages, or FIGS (French, Italian, German andContinue reading “Prove you wrote it yourself”
Writing round the table
Helsinki’s poetry moon festival, Runokuu, is in the last week of August. I spent it with a dozen colleagues, translating Finnish poems and listening to some of the poets. That was the perfect way to mark ten years of living in Finland. As I’d hoped, the poetry translation workshop made me think hard about aContinue reading “Writing round the table”
Pitch your book
You have a great idea for a book, you’ve begun writing it, you’re sure your readers will appreciate it. You only have to convince a publisher. Where on earth do you start? I’m going to talk about non-fiction here, particularly about creative non-fiction. That means bringing ideas out of academia to a wider readership. I’llContinue reading “Pitch your book”
Rhetoric for Writers
Facilitating writing retreats is a bit like being a yoga teacher. I was remembered this at my last retreat. At the end of our first day, one participant said “I feel tired, but in a good way, like after a great yoga class.” Which is all you could hope for. But Like yoga teachers, writingContinue reading “Rhetoric for Writers”
View post to subscribe to site newsletter.
How plain is your English?
Clear writing has clear results. And I love helping writers say exactly what they mean so readers can understand. But I was sure I could write better myself. Then I started mentoring someone who specialized in plain English and I wanted to learn more. If you’re interested in it, too, do the CIEP Plain EnglishContinue reading “How plain is your English?”
New year, new skill: copywriting
In a “normal” year – remember those? – I would go to Helsinki about once a month and abroad about every other month to meet colleagues and authors. Not doing this has been an enormous loss, professionally but above all personally. But it’s been good for my carbon footprint, and in 2020 I had timeContinue reading “New year, new skill: copywriting”
Unravelling Unconscious Bias
Check your privilege is easy to say, but are you doing it? When you’re a queer immigrant woman like me you can get complacent, until you – I – remember that you’re a white, middle class “native speaker” of the language everyone feels they have to communicate in, which gives you power. To put itContinue reading “Unravelling Unconscious Bias”
Ridge Writing Retreats 