Carol Fisher Saller (aka the Subversive Copy Editor), senior manuscript editor at the University of Chicago Press, answerer of questions at the Chicago Manual of Style Online Q&A, editor extraordinaire, and wonderful person overall, recently posted an insightful and interesting article called "
What Copy Editors Can Learn Online (Maybe Not What You Think)" that I encourage both writers and editors new and old to read (in lieu of an original posting of my own).
To be brief, the three points she highlights -- the three things you can learn online -- are
- How not to copy edit
- What the experts are thinking
- How to solve almost any problem
Those points can apply to nearly every discipline, but we word people aren't interested in every discipline. (Well, maybe we are, but not right now.)
My favorite part: When writing about looking through blog comments sections, she advises, "Lurk but don't touch."
Both good advice and a sweet turn of phrase.
