Rachel Toor talks about college admissions essays
Rachel Toor is professor of creative writing at Eastern Washington University in Spokane. Her new book is Write Your Way In: Crafting an Unforgettable College Admissions Essay.
Joli Jensen talks about “taming” your writing projects
“Writing, no matter how much we like our project or use various productivity techniques, can trigger all kinds of emotional baggage. . . . Acknowledging—rather than suppressing or talking yourself out of—whatever project-related feelings are coming up helps . . .”
Philip Gerard talks about research as the act of re-imagining
Philip Gerard’s new book is The Art of Creative Research (University of Chicago Press, 2017). He teaches in the Department of Creative Writing at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Shop Talk invited Gerard to talk about an example of what he means by “creative research.”
Your Editing Stories: A Reluctant Editor
Today we launch a new series written by . . . you! If you have a story about your editing life, send it to us here and we’ll consider it for posting. Gael Spivak works in communications for the Government of Canada. She specializes in plain language writing and editing. Gael sent us her editing story.
Erin Brenner and Laura Poole talk about getting a start in copyediting
Today CMOS Shop Talk launches a new occasional series called “Getting a Start in . . . ,” in which we ask publishing professionals how they came to do the jobs they do. In this post, editor Carol Saller talks to Erin Brenner and Laura Poole, who own and operate the Pilcrow Group, Inc., which includes Copyediting newsletter and its training division.
Year-End Favorites from CMOS Friends
This year, Shop Talk asked some trusted colleagues in publishing to introduce us to a favorite book or website. We hope you find a new love among them!
Brooke Borel talks about The Chicago Guide to Fact-Checking
Brooke Borel, author of The Chicago Guide to Fact-Checking, is a science writer and journalist. She is a contributing editor to Popular Science, and her writing has also appeared in such places as the Atlantic and Slate. She teaches fact-checking at the Brooklyn
Bryan Garner talks about The Chicago Guide to Grammar, Usage, and Punctuation
Bryan A. Garner is the author of the new book The Chicago Guide to Grammar, Usage, and Punctuation as well as the author of the “Grammar and Usage” chapter of The Chicago Manual of Style. His other best-selling books include
Sarah Grey talks about inclusive language
CMOS: When we talk about using inclusive language, who are we talking about including? SG: Everyone—but especially readers from groups that have historically been excluded by the conventions used and the assumptions made in publishing. One of the earliest and most obvious examples would be
Helen Sword talks about trimming your prose with The Writer’s Diet
CMOS: How did you come to think about writing as “flabby”? HS: Many years ago, I read Richard Lanham’s book Revising Prose, which influenced me deeply as a writer. Lanham teaches you to identify the “lard factor” in your writing, based on the percentage of words that you could omit without significantly changing its meaning. The Writer’s Diet follows similar principles, but with