And the recent etiquette mistake I made even though I knew better Let me tell you about a recent mistake I made as an editor. I was doing a developmental edit of a 3,000-word blog post for a tech startup. This startup did not have its own writers; instead, it…

There’s an unspoken pact between writers and editors. Recently I rewatched Mary Norris’s Ted Talk—for possibly the 20th time—and, as always, a new gem stood out to me. Norris, former New Yorker copy editor, touched on the writer-editor relationship: There is a pact between editors and writers. The editor never…

Yes. Here’s why being a “sometimes writer” makes me a better editor. Acquaintance: “What do you do?” Me: “I’m an editor and sometimes writer.” That’s been my response for a few years now. Editing is my main gig. Most of my work over the past decade has been focused on…

Finding the right freelancer to work with can be a grueling process with a lot of unknowns. Will this person be able to deliver what I need? Is she actually an expert in copyediting and proofreading? …

Recently I saw a tweet that broke my copyediting heart: This comment is a perfect illustration of why many people fear copy editors. Writers, journalists, and others think copy editors are too strict, too critical, too literal. …

When I became aware of how many editors offer combo line and copy edits, I was aghast. Because combo line and copy edits are the worst. And I am suspicious of editors who tout them as a quality offering. This is a controversial opinion, I know. When I recently shared…