For many authors of academic papers, the specific rules of Chicago style may be some of the only straightforward guidance they get during a perplexing publishing process. Papers seem to disappear into a submission system only to mysteriously reappear with a decision. What is it that journal editors are really looking for?
Author and Chicago Sun-Times columnist Neil Steinberg works both on daily columns and full-length books. In this month’s Shop Talk, he offers some insight into his writing process, how he approaches each medium, and how he knows when he has truly finished with a piece of writing.
The editors of The University of Chicago Spanish–English Dictionary talk about their process creating the sixth edition of the decades-old dictionary, and how they decided what words make the cut (hint: this year’s additions included Ponzi scheme, streaming video, and Heimlich maneuver).
Jack Hart is a former managing editor and writing coach at the Oregonian. He is the author of A Writer’s Coach: An Editor’s Guide to Words That Work, and his most recent book, Storycraft: The Complete Guide to Writing Narrative Nonfiction, was published by the University of Chicago Press in 2011.
