Past events

This page lists the events that have already taken place in the current program year. If you missed an event and would like more information, please contact us.

Annual general meeting (Sept 13)
Take out the trash! (Oct 04)
Linguistic analysis (Oct 15)
Beginnings, middles, and ends (Nov 19)
Editing Q&A / book exchange (Dec 13)

Editing Q&A and book exchange

2011-Dec-13

with Susan Portelance

Our Editing Q & A on December 13th was a festive Christmas celebration. We all came away from the event at The Round Table with early Christmas presents from the book exchange. These are some of the techniques that speaker Susan Portelance has used (and kindly shared with us) to further her freelance editing career:

• Joined the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce small business owner's association.
• Set up a Web site for her business, Prairie Scribe, ensuring it comes up on the first page of a Google search for Winnipeg editors.
• Uses social media for business promotion and makes just one entry to Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn using HootSuite.

Susan discussed going editing rates, estimating time for jobs, and more in her relaxed and informative presentation.

“A strange thing happened on the way to the MEA …” A workshop on beginnings, middles, and ends

2011-Nov-19

with Anna Olson

"A writer and an octopus share more than you may think;
their reach sometimes exceeds their grasp
and they both use a lot of ink."

We learned about different kinds of titles, beginnings and ends for both fiction and non-fiction. For middles, we went over some general principles. Anna has generously shared the full handout with us, which you can download here.

Here's the section on how to get going in the first place:

Tips for dealing with writer's (or editor's) block

1. If you’re feeling negative about writing (or editing), then start where you are. Do stream of conscious writing (also called babble writing) about how you’re feeling. E.g., “I don’t want to write. I don’t want to do this project. It’s stupid (or other choice words) and I refuse to work on it… etc.” You get the idea. Air out your negative feelings as long as you do it through writing. Usually, after serious venting, your mood will lighten and the project doesn’t seem so daunting.
2. Pick any topic and write continuously. Don’t stop. This keeps your inner critic at bay. Don’t worry about grammar or making sense. Just keep going to get your ideas down on paper.
3. Try "clustering" on your topic. Put a "seed" word or phrase in a circle. Put connecting words and ideas around the seed word. When you have put down enough ideas, write a paragraph on the topic. There is no right or wrong way to do this. You may find yourself using all the ideas or none. Think of clustering as "priming the pump." It gets you going, taps your intuitive side and inspires you to write.

From ransom notes to cover letters: an intro to linguistic analysis

2011-Oct-15

with Barbara J. Becker

Intrepid editors braved a chilly wind on Saturday morning, foolishly believing that the title of the workshop was just a clever advertising gimmick. Wrong-o! Halfway through the ransom note for Jonbenet Ramsey we realized we were in for a fascinating morning, and we were right!

Linguistic consultant Barb Becker gave us a taste of what you can learn from a text by analzying its descriptive words, narrative words, and interior monologue. We examined a note from Scott Peterson (found guilty of murdering his pregnant wife, Laci), text from Harry Potter, Tess of the d'Urbervilles, and a cover letter written by someone who was qualified—but not suitable for—the job.

For those who believe you're too old to learn such an advanced skill, you'll be heartened to hear Barb's story: at age 45 she went back to high school to finish grade 12 so she could attend university. At the University of Winnipeg she met the fabulous Karen Malcolm, who has taught workshops for the MEA in advanced functional grammar. After graduating, Barb developed a successful career as a linguistic consultant, doing such fascinating jobs as forensic analysis for a court case (they won), analyzing a writer's character from turn-of-the-centry letters for character development in fiction writing, and analyzing cover letters of applicants for employers. We look forward to bringing Barb back for more.

Barb mentioned two textbooks, one of which we could order through her, and the MEA will be sending the details by e-mail.

October Whine & dine: Take out the trash!

2011-Oct-04

by Anna Olson

The title comes from Jim Taylor’s workshop and booklet: “Eight Step Editing.”

Jim Taylor’s eight steps in brief:

1. Shorten sentences. Inserting a period into a long sentence can cut its fog index in half.
2. Take out the trash. Remove meaningless and unnecessary phrases.
3. Deflate fat words. Most longer words consist of prefixes and suffixes grafted onto shorter roots. Get rid of the accretions, and watch the words sparkle.
4. Reduce negatives. Every negation inserts a layer of opaqueness.
5. Eliminate the equations. Almost every use of the verb “to be” lowers the energy level of the sentence.
6. Activate the passives. Convert passive verbs into active ones to increase energy and vitality.
7. Lead with strength. Find the sentence, paragraph or illustration that will best grab the reader’s attention. Move it to the beginning and adjust the rest.
8. Tune up topic sentences. Start a new paragraph when you shift to a new point of view.

Taylor gives some examples of phrases that should be deleted or replaced with a single word: on the basis of, to a large extent, for the reason that, for the purpose of, at this point in time, along the lines of, with a view to.

Redundancies include: past history, future forecast, final conclusion, close proximity, unexpected surprise, joint cooperation, young children.

Here are some of his oxymorons: original copies, exact estimates, intense apathy, elevated subway, tight slacks, extensive briefing, unbiased opinion.

*******
Some of my ideas about editing:

• Know your audience. No one writes in a vacuum. Unless the writer is making up stories for pleasure, you need to keep the audience in mind: age, education, level of interest (as in general reader of a newspaper, or reader looking for specific information) and gender (if applicable).
• The editor is the “ham” in the sandwich, nestled between the writer and the reader. If the writer’s name will be on the piece, be careful of changing too many words. If you change too much, the writer might complain, “It’s not my writing anymore – it’s yours.” If it’s an anonymous item like a government report or a company brochure, you don’t need to worry about the writer’s feelings.
• Who’s paying for your editorial efforts? If it’s the writer, then he or she has more control over the final product. If you’re an editor on staff, then you have more clout. But if you want the writer to keep writing for your periodical, you will want to be respectful of the writer’s voice.
• Every word (sentence, paragraph) should move the story forward.
• Delete jargon as well as redundancies, and oxymorons.
• If you come across a problematic sentence or paragraph that you can’t get right, ask yourself, “Would it be missed if it weren’t there?” If the meaning of the piece won’t suffer with its removal, out it goes.
• Sometimes a few extraneous words are acceptable if they add to the rhythm and colour of a piece. Don’t prune so rigorously that the end product becomes sterile, flat and lifeless.
  

Here’s a piece to test your trash removal talents – courtesy of Jim Taylor:

Given current conditions, many people still hear the diagnosis of cancer in a loved one as a death sentence, and wonder more specifically how they are to behave with a view to their new relationship with an intimate who has become to a very large extent a stranger, “a cancer victim.” Not infrequently, friends and relatives can’t bear such reminders of human mortality because they fear saying the wrong thing, or it may be that they want to protect themselves from pain or in some instances they may think of the sick person as already dead.

With reference to that, the fact is that today one out of two cancer patients will be alive and disease-free, five or more years after diagnosis and indeed for some forms of cancer, the cure rate is estimated to be as high as nine out of ten.

Annual general meeting

2011-Sep-13

Our AGM went very well on Tuesday. Almost 30 members attended in order to deal with the required business, which included reports from the executive committee (which you can read at the link below) and the vote on increasing membership fees effective next year (2012/13) to $50 (which passed). Alison Gillmor (well known local writer and critic – and MEA member) was our keynote speaker, and she was terrific, offering a humourous and informative look at freelancing in today’s ever-changing market. 

Two new members were voted onto the executive committee: Denice Girdner, as secretary, and Melody Rogan, as membership chair, both for a 2-year term. Denice is a writer/designer and Melody is an in-house editor at a local research firm. Both will bring new energy and expertise to the MEA’s executive and we are delighted to welcome them! They join Cheri Frazer, treasurer and Web site administrator, Kirby Gilman, events chair, Karen Grant, member at large, and Amanda Le Rougetel, president.

Two members of the executive stepped down at the AGM: Ellen Henry, as member at large, and Maraya Raduha, as secretary. Ellen has volunteered many years on the executive and we will miss her efficiency, humour and ‘corporate memory'. Thank you, Ellen! Maraya stepped up to the plate last year at the AGM to take on the secretary’s role and she fulfilled those duties exceptionally well with minutes that were not only accurate but readable. We’ll miss her shorthand skills and all-encompassing knowledge of the Winnipeg arts scene. Thank you, Maraya.

Two positions remain vacant on the executive committee: member at large and vice-president. If you’d like to contribute to the vibrancy of the MEA by volunteering your skills, please e-mail us at meaworkshops@gmail.com with “volunteer” in the subject line. We’d love to hear from you!

If you’ve not yet renewed your membership (at the current very low price of just $45), now is the time to do so. October 1st is the deadline to keep your status in the MEA “active” (including your Profile posted online under Hire an Editor and access to the ListServ). Mail that cheque or use TelPay today!

The Events committee has already been hard at work preparing a year of interesting and informative events and workshops. Watch your e-mail and our Web site for details.
Hope to see you at event soon! In the meantime, remember: To err is human. To edit is divine.

Amanda Le Rougetel
for the MEA executive

• AGM booklet

Visit the archives to read about past years' events:

2004-2005, 2005–2006, 2006–2007, 2007-2008, 2008-2009, 2009-2010, 2010-2011