Editing Other Writers: Editing Skills and Techniques - Line Editing

Editing the work of writers is a careful act of collaboration. In this series of monthly workshops, you will learn how to communicate effectively with writers at each stage of the editorial process to ensure a positive and encouraging experience for everyone involved. 

Each week, participants can bring along a piece by another writer to workshop their feedback as we work our way through the various stages of the editorial process. 

This is a hands-on inclusive experience, providing all participants with the opportunity to discuss the ins and outs of each weekly topic together, while guided by a professional editor. 

In this two-hour class and workshop on copy/line editing, we will discuss common writing mistakes covered by this kind of edit, useful resources for editing, and what language rules are before we break them. The workshop will include:

Writing Technique

· Dialogue tags and their variations

· How to use semicolons, and whether or not they are needed

· A spirited defence of the Oxford Comma

· The appropriate use of adverbs

Online Tools and Referencing

· Online editing aids

· Referencing and how to find style guides

Workshopping

· Giving Feedback - critiques, suggestions, and compliments

· Accepting mistakes as character voice, reading and editing an excerpt from a selected text

· Exchanging and workshopping individual pieces brought to class