Editing

Most weeks on Copyediting we feature an “Error of the Week,” which is usually a howler that an editor caught out in the wild or a common error that we tracked down for illustrative purposes. To stay sharp, writers and editors both need occasional reminders and cues about what to fix and how to fix it, and we’ll be returning to that general program soon.

I was given a file to proofread and noticed it was a .PDF file. These files are not meant to be changed, so I had to find a way to track changes and make comments so the author could tell where my edits could be found within the document. A positive with tracking changes on a PDF is no other program is needed, either paid or free.

Follow these easy instructions to show track changes on a PDF:

Copyeditings are familiar with the idea of feeling “too cold”, especially in this winter season. Here in Ohio, it is sleeting and rainy this week. After the past few weeks of a spring teaser with warm weather, we Ohioans are forced to break out the winter coats.

Definition

Frigophobia:  a fear of being cold, or a fear of cold things.

Etymology

Frigophobia comes from the latin word frigus, meaning “too cold”

So far in this series on how to improve your editing skills, we've looked at the first two of three Ps: the Pros to Your Cons (Professionals and Your Continuing Education) and Peek, Pique, Peaking Your Interest. But no advice on editing skills would be complete without a decree regarding reading.

The Old Editor says, "Be suspicious of all one-sentence injunctions about writing and editing."

Rhode Island College is seeking a writer/editor to join its communications and marketing team in Providence. RIC is a nationally ranked, state-supported, comprehensive college that was founded in 1854 and currently serves about 9000 traditional and nontraditional students.

Social media has been buzzing about this headline misstep in the Mankato (Minn.) Free Press on Tuesday, March 5.

Good lord. RT @jeffemanuel: Well, THIS is some unfortunate graphic design: twitter.com/BuzzFeedAndrew…

In part 1 of this series on how to improve your editing skills, we looked at my favorite method, something I call the Pros to Your Cons (Professionals and Your Continuing Education). Access to editing archives isn’t the only way to hone your red-pen craft.

Another method I recommend:

Peek, Pique, Peak Your Interest

Whether it’s one of your serious New Year’s resolutions or simply a method to keep boredom at bay, sharpening your editing skills is always a good idea. Always. Even thoroughly trained and experienced editors can be lulled into seeing only a limited field of errors and applying a limited set of fixes. Over the next few weeks, we’ll look at some ways you can hone your red-pen craft.

Stan Carey continues to be an editor after my own heart. On his Sentence First blog, and around the Web, he fights the good fight against empty, peeving editing, but fuels that fight with good sense, humor, and an obvious love of language and great writing.