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.”
Yes, the rumors are true: there will be a new CMOS in September! In the seven years since the 16th edition’s debut we’ve seen large shifts in the way we read, write, edit, and do research. The 17th edition will address these changes as well as incorporate many of the suggestions and queries we’ve received over the
One of the primal joys in life is to do good work. When the suit fits, the accounts balance, or the pie crust is flakey, someone takes pride in it.
In editing, it feels good to make corrections, tidy things up, and serve the reader. It feels good to put knowledge into practice. And—admit it—it feels good to spot an error! . . . Problems arise when
This workout centers on paragraph 12.7 of CMOS<.em> 18. Of course, any change to a quotation of someone else’s work must be made with extreme care. Even advanced editors might wish to take a look at CMOS before answering the questions.
Many quotations end with a period or comma:
“He’s gone.” She turned away.
“Indeed,” he said.
Others end with a question mark or exclamation point, in which case
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.
Some lessons are harder to learn than others. Unfortunately for new copyeditors, sometimes the only way to recognize bad habits is to get slammed a few times by writers pushing back or by supervisors writing stet all over the copy. So let me save you some grief and humiliation! Here are three bad habits I identified the hard way as a young editor.
Do you know Chicago style for number ranges? Is it 142–3, 142–43, or 142–143? This month’s workout, “Inclusive Numbers,” covers paragraphs 9.60–64 in CMOS 17.
Can you spy anything wrong with the following sentences?
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.
