Some writers may be able to fill their manuscripts with inspired text without any outside help but, thankfully, in this age of apps and user-friendly ...

After writing about mixed metaphors last month, it was brought to my attention that I had peppered that post with malaphors. And, although malaphors a...

This week, we're revisiting a blog from our archives, asking an important questions for editors everywhere, but especially business editors in particu...

You’ve likely heard it’s best to write in the active voice whenever possible. This is good advice. In this week’s blog, I’ll explain why by answering ...

You may have heard the terms “trope” and “cliché” before, but do you know what they are? Contrary to what many people think, these terms are not synon...

I’ve always been a fan of finding examples of humorous misapplications of grammar or usage guidelines in writing. One source of such grammatical humou...

We’ve all heard it before: “Words are the building blocks of language.” Writers understand this better than anyone, as they are all too aware – someti...

If you’re a regular reader, you may already be familiar with book genres and what your favourites are. Maybe you like thrillers, or horror! Or, perhap...

Writing of any sort—whether it’s fiction or non-fiction—can be tough.  Self-doubt can make an already difficult task even harder, and it’s easy to put...

There are no secret tips that make writing easy but there are things one can do to get things off to a good start. So, here are a few pointers on sett...

It’s November, and while for many people that might mean the lead-up to the holiday season is beginning, for thousands of people around the world, Nov...

Going only by the title and back blurb, my very first impression of Kiss My Asterisk by Jenny Baranick (Skyhorse, 2014) was that I am its ideal reader...

There’s never a bad time to refresh your writing skills, and now is as good a time as ever (especially if you’re finding yourself with some extra time...

Summer is just around the corner, and in addition to higher temperatures and long-awaited vacation time, many editorial professionals are looking forw...

Writing can mean spending a lot of time on your own, but that doesn’t mean a writer’s life should be a solitary one! There are lots of ways you can ge...

What is a publishing plan? Honestly, a publishing plan is exactly what it sounds like! It involves scheduling and planning for the writing and publish...

Segues are an important part of writing in any genre, and knowing how to use segues well can be the difference between a successful or not-so-successf...

A synopsis—what is it, really? Well, to put it simply, a synopsis is a brief overview of your larger work. For a nonfiction manuscript, a synopsis cou...

In southern Ontario, where I live, winter tends to be long and cold, and spring tends to be chilly and wet—find some more of my thoughts on Canadian w...

It’s 2023, and lots of people are making resolutions for the new year – spend less, save more, eat more vegetables, get in shape, declutter…the list...

Although the holiday season is meant to be a festive diversion, for some writers the holidays serve as yet another roadblock on the journey to pub...

There are no secrets tips that make writing easy but there are things one can do to get things off to a good start. So, here are a few pointers on set...

So, you’ve read TEC’s blogs on how to get a writing project underway, and after many hours of hard work, you’re finally nearing the finish line. Good ...

Are you struggling with your writing? Are you worried about grammar and punctuation or structure and flow? Are you battling procrastination? Or have y...

Writing of any sort—whether it’s fiction or non-fiction—can be tough.  Self-doubt can make an already difficult task even harder, and it’s easy to put...

Are you trying to get your writing underway? Are you not sure where to begin? Why not create an outline? If you’ve never worked with one before, you m...

It’s 2022, and the start of a new year may be enough for you to feel inspired to tick off some of the items on your to-do list. If one of the items on...

There’s never a bad time to refresh your writing skills, and now is as good a time as ever (especially if you’re finding yourself with some extra ...

Although there are some who would advocate for a world free of passive-voice constructions, an all-out ban on this wrongfully maligned verbal form wou...

Self-publishing opportunities allow authors to reach their audiences on their own schedules and through their own publishing initiatives. An important...

It's still the beginning of a new year, and that usually means lots of new authors are out there working on the first draft of that book they've been ...

When I first wrote this blog, we were just three months into the worst global pandemic in over a century. It is November and we have been living in th...

Emphatic writing allows writers the opportunity to drive home the importance of letters, words, phrases, sentences, and ideas. Aside from mechanical c...

Though I can agree with the adage that anyone can write, we seldom take the time to unpack how people come to the writing process. In my world of acad...

Writing in a business environment can often be tricky, but throw in the uncertain times of a global pandemic and a rapidly changing market? Things jus...

As I write this, we’re three months into the worst global pandemic in over a century. The world we live in is unprepared and unequipped to run smoothl...

Completing the first draft of your book can be the most daunting thing about writing a book — the revising and editing can be difficult, but first get...

Some writers may be able to fill their manuscripts with inspired text without any outside help but, thankfully, in this age of apps and user-friendly ...

Although in-person writing circles and book clubs will eventually reclaim their rightful places in public libraries and diners across the land, online...

We use different tenses all the time: I am listening to music. I went to the store on Saturday. I will make broccoli tonight. I am waiting for the tel...

Writing can be an incredibly rewarding career, but it can also be, at times, a lonely one. If you are like most writers, you probably work from home (...

Chances are good that you will have to do some writing at some point in your business career. And regardless of your field, your writing will have to ...

So, you’ve done your years of studying. You’ve written countless essays and papers and exams. You know enough about a specific subject that you could ...

There are plenty of different approaches to writing. Some writers like to let the words pour out on the page and clean and shape them later; some outl...

November has rolled around again, which can only mean one thing (for students, anyway): midterms and papers are coming up and will be due before the w...

When a writer shows her/his work to someone and asks them to read it, there is the inevitable dread that she/he might hear those infamous words, “This...

As anyone who edits (or writes) non-fiction knows, few things are as frustratingly difficult to keep straight as acronyms and initialisms. Two weeks a...

For academics across disciplines, writing and publishing journal articles is an unavoidable part of professional life. Anyone who’s been or been close...

Though I can agree with the adage that anyone can write, we seldom take the time to unpack how people come to the writing process. In my world of acad...

Our blog series on confusables (a.k.a., easily mixed up words) has remained popular throughout the years, so we thought we’d revive it and take a look...

When I first considered this blog post, I had a brilliant idea. I’d compare it to Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up! I’d call it “Th...

What is a publishing plan? Here at TEC, we’ve created many publishing plans for our non-fiction authors who have contracted us for our Publishing Cons...

Starting an editorial career can be a complicated undertaking. Whether pursuing a career as an employee at an established company or starting out on o...

  One of our more popular blogs is 3 Ways to Avoid Repetition in Writing, in which I discus how repetition in writing can disengage your reade...

I'm open to reading almost anything ­– fiction, nonfiction – as long as I know from the first sentence or two that this is a voice I w...

Segues are an important part of writing in any genre, and knowing how to use segues well can be the difference between a successful or not-so-successf...

  Strunk and White's The Elements of Style is a classic, a compendium of pithy advice for writers who want to get their ideas across clearly and...

Well, it's February 2017! We're solidly in Canadian winter, but we'll also be transitioning into spring soon (we can hope). In the spirit of great tra...

  Imagine you have been asked to write an article for the Rotman Management, the Magazine of the Rotman School of Management at the University o...

Have you ever sat down to write a business article for a journal or a magazine and wondered what the editorial style of the publication was? Perhaps t...

  An editor is an expert at revising collections of written words. In fact, one French term for editor is "réviseur." As a prof...

  While drafting the February edition of the TEC newsletter, I found myself flipping through Beth's collection of Editorial Eye back issues, sea...

When reading a document, there are any number of writing errors or distractions that can take you out of the moment and interrupt the flow of your rea...

The Challenge I am a perfectionist.   I realize this might not be the most shocking admission for an editor to make. Still, while it ser...

In the spring of 2010, two authors agreed to become our inaugural writers for The Editing Company’s Writers Support Package. Ann Eyerman and B...

  We have been editing and proofreading a number of manuscripts over the past few weeks that have made us here at TEC come to realize just how...

When a writer shows her/his work to someone and asks them to read it, there is the inevitable dread that she/he might hear those infamous words, &ld...

The Editing Company is introducing a new support package for writers. Currently in its trial run, The Editing Company’s Writers Support Package ...