When they were first brought out, ‘labour-saving devices’ such as washing machines, dryers, vacuum cleaners and dishwashers were sold as great time-savers. Sadly, the promised additional leisure time has simply been absorbed into yet more work. It seems to be the same with editing. We now have a host of different tools, including various MS Word add-ins, to make editing …
Learning about e-books
I’ve just started an online course — Editors and e-Books — with the Editorial Freelancers Association in the US. The blurb about the course says that it will ‘help editors learn the ins and outs of e-publishing, so they can confidently guide self-published authors from manuscript to e-book.’ Which is exactly what I need, given that I’m currently working with …
A science writing MOOC
I’m pleased to have completed the Writing in the Sciences course from Coursera. It was an interesting experience, and a good introduction to MOOCs. What did I learn? Primarily, that my usual practice of starting with a blank page and expecting to fill it with erudite prose is NOT the best way to write something. Instead, I now go for a …