This morning I was FAFFING about on the intertubes and read an article that tried to justify shark FINNING and watched a video about FLANGING in music production. I also did a little research on wool FULLING for a project I want to try that also involves GAFFING tape.

The hatred I have for key phrase notes is deep and abiding, both as a reader and as a publishing professional who has to wrangle them. They do no one any favors.

Easing into the new year — I have just one project to work on this week, but a whole bunch of paperwork and personal stuff to catch up on after a crammed-full 2024.

TIL that the default spelling in MW for the drink is SLUSHY, not SLUSHIE. This feels so wrong.

The January episode of The Editor's Half Hour podcast, featuring yours truly, is now available for viewing/listening. www.piquepublishing.com/podcast has all the podcast service links, or skip right to YouTube: youtu.be/fqudtASFB4k We had a blast chatting, and I hope you enjoy it.

Just signed on to do a crash copyedit: ~90K wds in 48 h. Yes, that's… ambitious. And nuts. And definitely not recommended. But it is what it is. I'm pregaming by prepping some macros and search routines. The manuscript likely won't be pretty, but it will be better than it started out. #amediting

Hello, Monday! I'm wrapping up a nonfiction edit and starting a fiction edit this week, and I'll be working hard to clear the decks to take most of next week off. What's on your desk this week? #amediting

I love that feeling when you open up a manuscript and it ends up being half the size you remember it being. Yay for a Friday afternoon off tomorrow!

The state of my brain: This morning, I came very close to microwaving my yogurt instead of my oatmeal. I turned in the things that were due today, and I think it's time for an afternoon off.

I streamlined my Systems & Shortcuts presentation for #ACESVCON24 to leave more time for questions, so I'm doing a couple of run-throughs today to get the timing down.

Any other editors with a 13" MacBook Air: Do you find the screen size adequate for occasional mobile work / backup? Or do you desperately wish you had the 15"? I'm moving from a MacBook Pro to a Mac Studio for my main machine, but I need a laptop, too, for working elsewhere and travel. #amediting

Gorgeous weekend here in NE Ohio. I've got the windows open as I clean up my office and prep for the week ahead.

@debamlen.bsky.social 's keynote for #ACESVCon23 has been fantastic! Such a great choice to open the conference.

Here we go! #ACESVCon23 Hot tip: There are two chat streams going on, one on Whova and one on Zoom. If you're watching on Whova, click the chat icon in the Zoom bar to open the second one. #amediting

Happy Monday, editor & writer friends? What's on your plate this week? I have a website to unbork, but once that's done, I can move on to the thriller and the nonfiction book I'm copyediting. #amediting

Halfway through the week, editor & writer friends. How is it going? I turned in the proof and am wrapping up the UP copyedit now while running PerfectIt on the thriller. #amediting

Going to the CIEP 2023 conference? Interested in seeing what attendees have to say about it and other editing events? We have a new feed! Check out the latest and give it a follow. Tell your friends don't forget to use #ciep2023 .😀 #AmEditing #WritingCommunity bsky.app/profile/did:...

I'm so very proud of my colleague and fellow Quadling @ebrenner.bsky.social for this upcoming book! Let's get the preorders rolling, shall we?

Happy Monday, editor & writer friends! What are you working on this week? I'm starting out with a much-needed office cleaning, then a proof and an edit to finalize, and a UP edit and a thriller edit to start. Also finalizing my newsletter relaunch for next week. #amediting

And… breathe. I normally take a reentry day or two with nothing scheduled after a conference, but a plum rush project came along that I did not want to turn down, so I hit the ground running Sunday. All caught up now. Time to unbury my desk & email. #amediting

It's EFACON week! I'm nose-to-grindstone today clearing my desk, doing another run-through on the brand-new Styles from the Ground Up presentation, and preparing to travel. What's on your plate today, editor & writer friends? #amediting

Heartbreaking. Parts of the Big Island have wildfires as well. Maui — especially Lahaina — is one of my happy places. Aloha nui loa to everyone affected. https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2023/08/09/coast-guard-joins-brush-fire-response-lahaina-where-crews-continue-battle-wind-whipped-flames/

Thank you, fellow Ohioans!

Wrapping up planning and slides for my EFA presentations week after next: my signature Systems & Shortcuts, the new Styles from the Ground Up, and a panel titled What We Wish We’d Known Before We Started Freelancing. Roll call: who will I see in Alexandria? #amediting

My schedule is finally starting to lighten up a bit as the EFA approaches; just a couple of things to wrap up. But first, the slides for my presentations. #amediting

Day 2 of mucking around with phrase notes. Editors, if you're stuck with this backward system in which the phrases are pulled out *before* editing (why oh why would anyone do this???), you HAVE TO edit the phrases attached to the notes to match what you did in the text. #amediting

I really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, REALLY hate phrase notes — and I hate them ten times more as an editor, especially when the process of creating them is done inefficiently. #amediting #amtearingmyhairout

The final rite of adult passage: getting rid of the post-college-era futon that has been lurking in a guest room for [mumble-mumble] years.

Got through most of a Monday without getting waylaid by social media as I finished up a few loose ends on projects — maybe this is a new strategy? (social) Media-less Monday Mornings? #amediting

If you ever want to have me reaching for the Advil at noon and the wine at <checks watch> 6:44, start adding and deleting notes at proof stage. #amediting

Editor friends: I made a feed! You can't find it under "discover feeds" because they list only those with >100 likes, but go here to add it: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:thqvmqvxhwkmz7sxwsy2yqfy/feed/aaada7tt2g4sy Use #amediting in your post to be included in the feed. Spread the word!

I love ending the workweek with an offer for a juicy new editing project.

What are you working on today? My plans for a fun day imploded, so I'm getting ahead on a couple of projects and trying to figure out if I can build a feed of just edibuddies. Testing that out now with a hashtag that is not a hashtag #amediting

I love a good holiday, but I have no clue what day it actually is or why I have only three days to finish this proof that's due at the end of the week.

Nothing like spilling a brimming glass of iced tea on the kitchen counter to initiate a total cleanout and scrub of three lower cabinets and a drawer and a not-the-usual-day load of towel laundry.

Spent a good chunk of yesterday wishing Apple Photos had a way to batch resize photos while I resized* 1,164 vacation photos I shot as square.* But I'm grateful my phone captured more than I thought I was capturing, and it was a nice walk down memory lane. *because [reasons]

Am I the only one who keeps mentally pronouncing Bluesky to rhyme with "brewski"?

Every video I see from a Cure concert makes me kick myself harder for not grabbing tickets when they were here. They are amazing live and sound better than ever.

I love it when I can help a fellow editor sort out a weird Word problem — especially when I thought it might be another weird GDocs/Word conversion thing I'd have to macro-ify, but it's just an obscure setting.

I like the Simon Says nature of yoga classes. I'm not there to think. When the instructor leads a long, new-to-me sequence and then says merely "Do that again," it brings out all of my line dancing anxieties: Wait, what? Left? Right? Now what? Why am I not doing what anyone else is doing?

Starting my Monday off just the way I like it: a clean desk, intake and prelim work on a handful of new projects, and inspiration for some writing to reboot the blog and newsletter. Accompanied by a large glass of iced tea and a kitten helper.

Cat tax: This is a very sleepy 9-month-old Marley. She wore herself out chasing her own tail and practicing parkour all around the whole house.

Self-employment perk #2: When someone asks you to edit their book on [repugnant subject redacted], you can unceremoniously send them away — and, if you get *that vibe* from the author, filter their address to the trash.

It's cloudy and chilly and threatening rain today, so I elected to work today and add another fun day to next week instead. Wrapping up one proof and doing intake on a couple of new projects. #amediting

Self-employment perk #1: schedule flexibility. I enjoy not-full yoga classes, off-peak shopping, long lunches, midday walks, restorative trips to the art museum (not all at once). The work will still be there when the sun goes down and the TV is showing something that doesn't appeal to me.

Ooooo... it's shiny and fresh over here. Hello! 👋🏻