EVENT LISTINGS: October 2012

Do you have an event planned (or know of one) that you’d like to appear in these listings? Send us the details.

October 13, 2012: International Plain Language Day

Are you a Plain Language advocate? Mark your calendar for October 13, 2012, the date of the International Plain Language Day virtual conference. Several Canadian-based organizations are planning online events to mark the day. See online program.

  • Location: online

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October 16–21, 2012: The Vancouver Writers Fest

This year marks the 25th anniversary of The Vancouver Writers Fest, a great reason to purchase tickets to attend readings by your favourite local, national, or international authors. As always, Writers Fest needs volunteers to help stage the six-day festival. If you can help, fill out this online registration form.

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October 17, 2012: EAC-BC meeting: What Editors Need to Know about ebooks

What goes into making an ebook, and what do editors need to know about it? Find out at EAC-BC’s October 2012 meeting.

At the meeting, speaker Lara Smith will review different ebook formats and the kinds of content best suited to each, discuss different conversion methods, and compare in-house and conversion-service workflows.

She will also:

  • review a typical conversion and explain what kind of work is required after export, particularly to accommodate various e-reading devices,
  • review the inside of an EPUB file and metadata requirements,
  • discuss digital rights management options,
  • discuss how deciding to produce an ebook can affect the editing process.

About the speaker: Lara Smith is the print and digital coordinator at D&M Publishers, where she focuses on production for print-on-demand and ebook conversions. She is fluent in traditional and digital printing technologies, passionate about workflow, and amazed at how fast the digital world is evolving.

  • Time: 19h00–21h00
  • Cost: free for EAC members; $10 for non-members; $5 for students with valid ID
  • Location: YWCA on Hornby, 535 Hornby Street, Welch Room, 4th floor, Vancouver
  • Registration: at the door

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October 19, 2012: Planet Earth Poetry Reading Series

Love poetry? Live in Victoria? Check out one of the Planet Earth Poetry readings, held each Friday, September through May. The readings are billed as a “launching pad for the energies of writers and poets established and not” and as a place where “all manner of poets and writers are welcome; a place for excellence, innovation, collaboration, diverse projects and experiments.”

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October 19–21, 2012: Surrey International Writers’ Conference

The Surrey International Writers’ Conference attracts authors, editors, and agents from across North America. Once again, EAC-BC will be providing editors for the popular editor/agent/producer interviews; if you’d like to be considered, please contact PR chair Jessica Lowdon.

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October 20, 2012: PEAVI seminar: Advanced Proofreading

This exercise-based seminar, hosted by the Professional Editors Association of Vancouver Island, will be helpful to you if you wish to advance your proofreading skills, prepare for job advancement, or study for EAC’s proofreading certification test this fall.

Course material will be supplied, but you should bring a current dictionary, pencils and pens, a calculator, and a ruler or other measure that you now use on the job.

This seminar will focus on beyond-the-basics proofreading skills, offering you the opportunity to examine excerpts from complex documents and to learn how to fine-tune your proofreading eye to catch every error. With documents ranging from recipes to journal articles, you will be challenged to use your judgment to weigh the pros and cons of making changes, querying authors, or making no changes at all.

Instructor Ruth Wilson will spend time discussing the process a proofreader must follow when part of a larger production team. She will also provide examples of process checklists from publishers and organizations.

About the instructor: Ruth Wilson has more than 25 years’ experience editing and proofreading trade books, professional journals, association publications, and corporate materials. She worked for many years with Vancouver book publisher Self-Counsel Press, but in 1997 she decided to spread her wings as an independent consultant. She is now a partner in West Coast Editorial Associates.

Ruth is also a respected instructor in the Writing and Communications Program and the Summer Publishing Workshops at Simon Fraser University, where she teaches proofreading, editing, and Plain Language skills. She has also served on several national committees of the Editors’ Association of Canada. In 2011 she was honoured as a recipient of EAC’s President’s Award for Volunteer Service.

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October 26, 2012: Planet Earth Poetry Reading Series

Love poetry? Live in Victoria? Check out one of the Planet Earth Poetry readings, held each Friday, September through May. The readings are billed as a “launching pad for the energies of writers and poets established and not” and as a place where “all manner of poets and writers are welcome; a place for excellence, innovation, collaboration, diverse projects and experiments.”

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October 27, 2012: EAC-BC seminar: Structural + Stylistic = Substantive Editing

Substantive editing brings order to chaos and breathes life into moribund manuscripts. By reorganizing and revising, you can help authors reach their readers effectively. But facing a disorganized, incomplete, or overstuffed manuscript can be daunting.

In this seminar, instructor Yvonne Van Ruskenveld will discuss techniques for assessing non-fiction manuscripts, identifying problem areas, creating solutions, and working with authors. Whether you edit newsletter articles or full-length books, you will learn strategies and techniques that can enhance your substantive editing skills.

Here’s what people who attended this seminar in March 2012 had to say:

  • “Yvonne was a fantastic speaker—very practical with a great sense of humour.”
  • “Well organized, well paced, offered opportunities to practice and to ask questions.”
  • “Felt confident I was getting solid info.”
  • “A nice mix of discussion, lecture, and hands-on material.”

About the instructor: Yvonne is an experienced editor and writer who enjoys transforming sprawling, jumbled manuscripts into interesting, readable publications. She has worked both as a freelancer and as managing editor for an educational publisher. Her clients have included publishers large and small, other businesses, governments, a commission of inquiry, non-governmental organizations, and academics. She has worked on manuals, reports, brochures, websites, trade books, and textbooks. Yvonne is a partner in West Coast Editorial Associates.

  • Time: 9h00–16h00
  • Cost: $120 for EAC members who register by October 5, 2012 (after: $140); $180 for non-members who register by October 5, 2012 (after: $200)
  • Location: SFU Vancouver, 515 West Hastings Street, 2925 Hemlock Printers seminar room, Vancouver
  • Registration

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Changes to EAC-BC seminars: pricing and scheduling

FROM: Tina Robinson and Eva van Emden, professional development co-chairs

As we head into the fall, we’re looking forward to another season of great seminars. To start off, we’re offering another chance at two seminars that sold out last year: Advanced Proofreading in September 2012 and Stylistic + Structural = Substantive Editing in October 2012. We’re working on a schedule of seminars for the rest of the 2012–2013 year, which we will announce soon.

This year, we are making a couple of changes to the way we run seminars.

  • Seminars will be one hour longer, running from 9h00 to 16h00. Seminar participants and instructors told us that it was hard to fit the course material into our old schedule. Adding an hour will let the instructors teach a more complete course at a more relaxed pace.
  • The cost of seminar registration will go up $20 to $120/$140 for members and $180/$200 for non-members (early bird/regular). Fees for half-day seminars will be half the full-day fee. The earlier start means that the per-hour cost of attending is almost the same, but raising fees means that we can pay our presenters more and offer partial compensation for their travel costs. We also expect to attract a wider range of presenters. Our registration fees, which haven’t gone up since 2008, are still lower than other EAC seminars across Canada.

If you have questions or feedback about these changes, please contact us.

Tina and Eva

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Overwrought writing wins prize

The contest that awards overwrought writing is back: the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest. Since 1982, the English department at San José State University has sponsored the contest, one that challenges writers to compose an opening sentence to the “worst of all possible novels.”

The entry categories for the 2012 contest were as follows: Romance, Adventure, Children’s Literature, Crime, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Purple Prose, Science Fiction, Vile Puns, and Western.

Canadians take (dis)honours

Three Canadians were singled out for their particularly turgid efforts: Guy Foisy (Ontario), who won the Purple Prose category; Emma DeZordi (Quebec), who received a Dishonourable Mention in the Romance category; and James Macdonald (Vancouver), who received a Miscellaneous Dishonourable Mention.

The sentence that launched the contest

The Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest is the brainchild of Professor Scott Rice, who, when a graduate student, wrote a paper on Victorian novelist Lord Edward Bulwer Lytton (the Bulwer Lyttons do not hyphenate their surname but the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest does), author of the English language’s (arguably) most infamous opening sentence: “It was a dark and stormy night …”

Here’s the sentence in full bloom:

It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents—except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness.

Paul Clifford, Edward Bulwer Lytton, 1830

Years later, after having judged numerous writing contests, Professor Rice “struck upon the idea of holding a competition that would be honest and—best of all—invite brief entries.”

Selection of 2012 winners

2012 Purple Prose: runner-up
“Corinne considered the colors (palest green, gray and lavender) and texture (downy as the finest velvet) and wondered, ‘How long have these cold cuts been in my refrigerator?’”

Linda Boatright, Omaha, NE

2012 Purple Prose: Dishonourable Mention
“The drugged parrots pelted the village like a hellish rain of feathered fanny packs stuffed with claws and porridge, rendering Claudia’s makeshift rabbit-skin umbrella more symbolic than anything else.”

Jeff Coleburn, West Chester, PA

2012 Western: runner-up
“He got down from his horse, which seemed strange to him as he had always believed that you got down from a duck or a goose.”

Terry L. Johnson, Tularosa, NM

Read all the 2012 winning entries.

How to enter the 2013 contest

For information about entering an opening paragraph of your own into next year’s contest, go to www.bulwer-lytton.com/contact.html. The submission deadline is April 15, 2013.

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TEST: Are you a hopeless bookworm?

Editors are bookworms. Hopeless bookworms. Take this 13-question self-diagnostic test, created by hopeless—but happy—bookworm Frank Karabotsos, to determine exactly how “hopeless” your book-loving condition is.

You know how it is. You approach a bookstore and resolutely tell yourself, I’ll only go in for five minutes, buy the book I want, and make my escape. Yeah, right. When does it ever happen that way? I used to feel guilty about this, but my only worry now is, how bookish am I, really? Perhaps you’ve asked yourself the same question. Well, you’re about to find out.

If you answer Yes to more than 11 of the following statements, you’re a Bibliolater: you’d sell your house for a first edition; between 6 and 10, you’re a Bibliomaniac: you’d read a book while skydiving; between 1 and 5, you’re a Bibliophile: you probably carry reading material with you into the bath.

Only if you answer No to all of the questions are you truly safe, able to resist the temptation of books when circumstances warrant.

Take the test to find out how “hopeless” your book-loving condition is.

DOES THIS DESCRIBE YOU?
You judge a book by its spine, that is, by how well it will look sandwiched between other books on your shelves.
You change the arrangement of the books on your shelves to give them a refreshing new look, the same way others rearrange their furniture.
You wince when you hear a crack after someone bends a hardback more than 180 degrees.
You have at least three copies of War and Peace (or another famous work) in three different translations.
You know the difference between bibliophily, bibliomania, and bibliolatry.
You have an urge to remove the dust covers from your books and display them as posters in your office.
You use a steam iron to smooth out the wrinkles in the satin ribbon markers of your books.
You purchase two copies of the same book: a paperback for reading on the beach, and a hardback for reading at home.
To avoid your spouse’s cry of “Not another book!” when a parcel arrives, you have your orders sent to your work address or to a sympathetic non-bookish friend (someone who won’t be tempted to open the box).
You have multiple copies of a favourite novel, one with a cool cover, one with illustrations, and one with scholarly notes.
You buy Brodart plastic covers to protect your books, just as libraries do.
You start reading a paperback in the store, but then order the hardback since you want a copy with nicer paper and wider margins for notes.
You wish you had never heard of The Folio Society.

Now it’s your turn. What other symptoms of obsessive bookishness do you (or others you know) exhibit?

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CONTEST: poetry and short story

Contest sponsor: The Vancouver Writers Fest
Contest deadline: October 21, 2012

Calling all poets and short-story writers—The Vancouver Writers Fest is holding its annual poetry and short story contest. Entries are being accepted for unpublished work in two categories: poetry (up to 500 words) and creative short fiction (up to 1500 words).

Prizes will be awarded (first prize: $500; second prize: $350) for the top two entries in each category. First-place winners will be published in subTERRAIN magazine, and all winners will be published on The Vancouver Writers Fest website.

  • Entry fee: $15 for each story or poem submitted
  • Deadline: October 21, 2012; 17h00
  • More information

Editing diversions

A sign of spring: cherry blossoms! Photo by John Hannah.

A sign of spring: cherry blossoms! Photo by John Hannah.

A sign of spring in the BC backcountry: when pet turkeys from neighbouring properties stroll over to your garden--just because they can. Photo by John Hannah.

A sign of spring in the BC backcountry: when pet turkeys from neighbouring properties stroll over to your garden–just because they can. Photo by John Hannah.

A sign of spring: crocuses! Photo by John Hannah.

A sign of spring: crocuses! Photo by John Hannah.

THE BOOKSHELF
Editor Joy Tataryn reviews a book of writer- and editorcentric essays by Marcia Riefer Johnston.

COPY EDITORS TAKE TO THE STREETS?
Yikes! Have stressed-out copy editors turned to violence?

WINTER WORD ART
Word Art gets into the advice business, sharing a tip on what to do if you ever find yourself buried under an avalanche.

BOOKSHELF: MORE MINI BOOK-REVIEWS

More three- to five-word book reviews of Christmas gift-worthy books.

“HARK! THE HARRIED EDITORS SING!” (LYRICS)
It’s time for West Coast Editor’s annual, editing-themed Christmas carol. This year’s panegyric to editors is sung to the tune of “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing!”

OED CROWDSOURCING REDUX
In 1859, the British and American public was called upon to crowdsource what would eventually become the Oxford English Dictionary. The call has gone out again.

Winter sky. Photo by John Hannah.

Winter sky. Photo by John Hannah.

MACMILLAN STOPS PRESSES
Starting next year, Macmillan’s range of dictionaries will only be available online. Could the Oxford English Dictionary—still available in print—be far behind?

BOOKSHELF: MINI BOOK-REVIEWS
Three- to five-word book reviews of Christmas-gift-worthy books.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! (SLIDE SHOW)
Check out this Halloween-themed slide show. Conceit: pumpkins love punctuation.

“THE HISTORY OF ENGLISH” (VIDEO)
Love history, the English language, surreal comedy, and voice-over artists with Oxford English accents? Check out this video: “The History of English in Ten Minutes.”

Autumn is here. It’s time to nap. Photo by John Hannah.

Autumn is here. It’s time to nap. Photo by John Hannah.

SEMICOLONS: AIDS OR AFFECTATIONS (POLL)
West Coast Editor wants to know your opinion about semicolons and their place in online writing. Are they essential aids to understanding or mere affectations?

BUYING TWITTER FOLLOWERS: A PENNY A PERSON
Psst! Have you heard? Many people, including politicians, celebrities, and reality-show hopefuls (but, we hope, not editors), are buying “large blocks of Twitter followers.”

TROUBLING TRENDLET: GROUPING BOOKS BY COLOUR
In what can only be a sign of the decline of Western Civilization, there’s “a trendlet … kicking up dust on decor sites: grouping books on the shelf according to hue.”

Photo by Cheryl Hannah.

“THE APOSTROPHE SONG” (VIDEO)
In honour of National Punctuation Day, we present “The Apostrophe Song,” a song that aims to “put the apostrophe back in its place.”

CONTEST: POETRY AND SHORT STORY
The Vancouver Writers Fest is holding a poetry and short story contest. Entries are being accepted for unpublished work in two categories: poetry and creative short fiction.

TEST: ARE YOU A HOPELESS BOOKWORM?
Editors are bookworms. Hopeless bookworms. Take this 13-question self-diagnostic test to determine exactly how “hopeless” your book-loving condition is.

OVERWROUGHT WRITING WINS PRIZE
The contest that awards overwrought writing is back: the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest. Since 1982, the English department at San José State University has sponsored the contest, one that challenges writers to compose an opening sentence to the “worst of all possible novels.”

Editing events
Drive-by editing
Letters & News

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Editor pens press release in style of King James Bible

The Storm on the Sea of Galilee, Rembrandt, 1633 (or possibly, the Bowen Island ferry).

TO: West Coast Editor

FROM: David Harrison

Earlier this year, I attended an EAC-BC stylistic-editing seminar. I enjoyed the writing exercises, especially one requiring each of us to write a press release announcing that the next sailing of the Bowen Island ferry would be cancelled due to bad weather. We were given several styles to choose from, including that of Jane Austen and the King James Bible. I chose King James …

David

CHAPTER I
A message comes down from on High to the waiting hordes, &c.

AND an Herald came down from on High to the fearful crowds, assembled by the boats on the shore of the Salish Sea.

2 O ye of little faith! saith the Herald. Ye, who dwelleth in the dank wildernesses of Bowen Island, who yearn to see the nether reaches of the Salish Sea: hearken now unto the voice of those who go down to the sea in ships and occupy their business in great waters!

3 Behold, as this day dawned, there arose a great tempest, insomuch that the ships were covered with waves: and the sea captains were sore afraid.

4 But the wind abateth not.

5 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and they who prophesy about such things hear the sound thereof but cannot tell whence it cometh, nor whither it goeth.

6 It is enough, saith He: we have given up the ghost: verily, the peoples that live in the Land of Cristy shall not set forth upon the seas this day.

7 We do earnestly repent and are heartily sorry, quoth the Herald.

8 And there was weeping and gnashing of teeth.

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