I’ve posted before about enjoying Ali Smith’s writing, and here I go again. There’s no pleasure that compares to curling up with great writing. Some writers express ideas so well that they seem to know what you’re thinking and feeling before you do. This sentiment is expressed by one of the main characters in John… Continue Reading
Lots of editors are introverts. We love reading — alone! — and we have little trouble working at home as freelancers. Of course, we must deal with our clients and with any other issues related to running a business — talking with the accountant, with the computer techie, or with the account manager at the… Continue Reading
According to the Toronto Sun, this is PwC’s personal brand week. On its website, PwC offers this tool to help job hunters understand how they’re perceived in online searches. Armed with this knowledge, job hunters can then work to correct any inconsistencies. To get the gig they want, job hunters and freelancers should be clear… Continue Reading
Whenever I hear about changes in the workplace, I think of the Portlandia skit where Julia is meandering through one of those modern, techie workplaces where cubicles have been replaced with bouncy balls, slides, and “The Basket.” (Watch the skit to the end to see what I mean.) The subject of work and workplaces has… Continue Reading
I bet you’ve noticed my new pet peeve a lot lately: the overuse of event by marketers. We used to talk about event venues or about sports events. There was some importance attached to an event, or at least some kind of formal program. Not anymore. Yes, it’s been a brutal winter, but do I… Continue Reading
Some books are like comforting, wise old friends. That’s how I feel about Falling Upward by Richard Rohr, the book I’m reading right now. The book is about the further journey some of us take after the survival concerns of the first half of life have been successfully wrestled with — things like earning a… Continue Reading
I love a funny slogan on a T-shirt, and I had a good chuckle when I heard this one. A young Saskatchewan schoolgirl, Tenelle Star, recently wore a sweatshirt with this slogan, and school officials asked her to take the shirt off. They have since relented, and so should they have. As an editor, I… Continue Reading
Happy New Year! I hope, like me, you’re psyched for 2014. One of the most important things I’ve done in the last couple of years is write (and edit and edit and edit) my personal mission statement. When I’m depressed or scared or plain old grumpy, I recite my mission statement to ground myself and… Continue Reading
When it comes to campaigning, politicians market to voters just like businesses market to consumers. We voters are seen as taxpayers looking for the best bang for our buck, explains journalist Susan Delacourt in Shopping for Votes: How Politicians Choose Us and We Choose Them. Delacourt was a guest today on CBC Radio’s “Ontario Today.”… Continue Reading