Writing and Editing

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I talk about literary fiction, using the example of one of the great novels of all time, Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov.

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I describe my own experiences in editing articles for academic journals published by a university press, both copy editing and proofreading.

Wayne Jones's site
https://waynejonesediting.ca/

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I talk about the revision and censorship of books that are carried out so as to rid them of words and situations that are considered too sensitive for some in the politically correct and woke ethos that we all now inhabit.

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■ News stories about authors whose works have been subjected to sensitivity readings

- the James Bond books
https://nationalpost.com/news/world/james-bond-books-rewritten

- Agatha Christie's novels
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/mar/26/agatha-christie-novels-reworked-to-remove-potentially-offensive-language

- Roald Dahl's books
https://www.economist.com/britain/2023/03/23/editing-roald-dahl-for-sensitivity-was-silly

- an episode of Matt Taibbi's "Racket" podcast about sensitivity readings
https://www.racket.news/p/episode-27-america-this-week-with#details

- an article about sensitivity readings by CJ Hopkins in "OffGuardian"
https://off-guardian.org/2023/02/22/the-war-on-insensitivity/

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My guest is Audrey Jamieson, who is an editor and writer. On the editing side, she does developmental, stylistic, and copy editing. On the writing side, she does ghostwriting but also writes and has published fantasy fiction. We talk about editing as a business where people work with people. How to treat clients. How to collaborate. How to communicate tactfully.

Audrey Jamieson’s Site
https://www.audreyj.ca/

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I have a one-on-one interview with ChatGPT while I am in my home office, and it is in a hotel room in downtown Ottawa, Canada, after it has somehow managed to stow away on Air Force One, the plane which brought President Joe Biden to Canada for an official visit. ChatGPT remained in Ottawa for a few days after the president returned to the US. My interview took place on Saturday, March 25, 2023.

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I talk about the scourge of this phrase, which is much over-used in English these days, usually either joining two thoughts together without establishing the exact relationship between them, or as a clunky alternative to another word that could easily and more clearly replace it.

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My guest is Frances Peck, who was an editor and ghostwriter for 30 years, but last year began her career as a novelist, with The Broken Places, published by NeWest Press. The novel received much praise and excellent reviews. Her second novel will be published later this year. We talk a little about ghostwriting, but mostly about her novel, how she engages with book clubs, and about literary fiction generally.

Frances Peck’s Site
 https://francespeck.com/

NeWest Press
 https://bookshop.newestpress.com/products/the-broken-places

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I discuss the purpose of a style sheet and walk through some of the details of what is included in a typical one.

Wayne Jones Editing: Style Sheet Template
https://writingediting.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Writing-Editing-podcast-example-of-style-sheet.pdf

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I talk about the origin of this 700-year-old English word as well as the numerous, diverse, and even contradictory meanings it has had over the course of its history. And wait for it: at the end is a saying using "nice" which, alas, we no longer have in the language any more.

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My guest is Joe LeValley, who is a former executive as well as a former journalist, but is now an award-winning writer of mystery/thriller novels. He has published five in the last five years, starting with Burying the Lede in 2018 and very recently with The Sophocles Rule, which was published earlier this month. We talk about the appeal of novels about murder in general, as well as the development and changes he has consciously made in the character of his narrator, Tony Harrington. Joe lives in Dallas County, Iowa.

Joseph LeValley’s Site
 https://josephlevalley.com/index.html

Joseph LeValley’s Amazon Author Page
 https://www.amazon.com/stores/Joseph-LeValley/author/B07L81Z5BH