The Black Cat monthly round-up: October 2021

November 6, 2021 By Hannah McCall in Monthly round-up Tags: book reviews, CIEP, copy-editing, editing, fiction, October Leave a comment

I’m not really into puzzles or adventure games, so it is probably not a surprise that I had never taken part in an escape room challenge before. I have to confess that I wasn’t feeling very enthusiastic about it – it seemed a bit like paying for an hour of concentrated anxiety – but my friend wanted to do one for his birthday and let no one say I won’t make sacrifices for my loved ones. It turns out my entire group was a bit rubbish at it, and my only real contribution was being able to repeat an eight-note tune on a keyboard (my only instrument-playing experience is playing the recorder at primary school for a few weeks before I got too nervous to perform in front of people and never did it again, which is an on-brand origin story). But we did complete it, in the grand time of 53 minutes and 47 seconds. It’s not about the time, though, really, is it? It was an hour of laughter and comradeship, and the experience of doing something new.

What I’ve been working on

I feel like I had a fairly balanced month in terms of work – not too much and not too little. My workload as a tutor has been steadily increasing, so I’ve had to take that into account when I schedule in proofreading and copy-editing projects. I started the month with the critique of the second part of a saga I have been involved with for a while. The author completed their revisions by the end of the month, so it’s now back with me for editing when I can fit it in around my other work. My first copy-edit of the month was of a novel by one of my long-standing clients. Their work is always tightly plotted and beautifully written, and it is a privilege to be their go-to editor. The second copy-edit will finish in the beginning of November – this is for a new client whose voice and characterisation is impressive. I feel very lucky to work on such wonderful manuscripts.

Book reviews

My latest book review for CIEP has been published: Strange to Say: Etymology as serious entertainment. I usually enjoy reading the books they send me, and I tend to look for the positive aspects even if I am not, perhaps, the primary target audience for the text. It’s hard when that is difficult to do, especially as I know how much hard work and emotional energy goes into writing and publishing a book. But I also have to be honest – it is, after all, a review.

Looking ahead

I had hoped that there might be a chance for the West Surrey & North Hampshire CIEP local group to have an in-person meeting this year, but I think that is looking increasingly unlikely. As that is the case, we will be having our last Zoom meeting of the year in late November.

The Black Cat monthly round-up: October 2020

November 2, 2020 By Hannah McCall in Monthly round-up Tags: CIEP, CIEP conference, COVID-19, editing, fiction, October, proofreading, writing Leave a comment

As I write this, England is coming to terms with the idea of another lockdown – this one due to begin on Thursday 5 November. I am yet to hear if this will affect my schedule for the rest of the year, but I am hopeful that it won’t.

What I’ve been working on

October was packed with work. My first paper proofread for many months was a memoir, and I moved on to the proofread of a business book aimed at women leaders. This was followed by the proofread of the final instalment of a thriller series that has been on and off my desk over the best part of a year. I’ve also had the critique of a science-fiction/fantasy novel to occupy my time. I’m in the middle, roughly, of a copy-edit of a novel I would find hard to place in one particular genre, but it’s a tour de force in how to manage distinctive points of view and break the fourth wall.

On the blog

I published the latest blog post in my ‘Fiction essentials’ series. This one deals with the use of dialogue tags. I can also report that the CIEP has published my review of Jacqueline D. Lipton’s book Law and Authors: A legal handbook for writers.

What I’ve been reading

The Devil and the Dark Water is Stuart Turton’s second novel. It’s an enjoyable read – I got through it in a few days, and it is a chunk of a book – but while the ending makes sense, it feels hollow and unsatisfactory. In a bit of a departure from my usual genres, my next read was The Secret Political Adviser. It delves deeper into the mythology behind Michael Spicer’s ‘The Room Next Door’ skits (if you haven’t seen them, it’s worth looking them up on YouTube). It is an amusing, occasionally laugh-out-loud funny, journey through some of the significant political events of the last four years.

Looking ahead

The CIEP’s online conference runs from Monday 2 November to Wednesday 4 November 2020 and I am looking forward to taking part. The West Surrey and North Hampshire local group is due a Zoom meet-up, so I will be aiming to organise that for the latter part of November.

The Black Cat monthly round-up: October 2018

October 30, 2018 By Hannah McCall in Monthly round-up Tags: blogs, books, editing, networking, October, proofreading, publishing, reading, SfEP, writing Leave a comment

Black Cat Editorial Services_October round-up I write this post while wearing fingerless gloves – a sure sign, if one were needed, that November is about to nudge October out of the way. It was fortunate it was still warm mid-October when I spent a weekend on the Isle of Wight. It’s one of my favourite places – beautiful countryside, lovely beaches and great food.

What I’ve been working on

I started the month with a proofread of a book that collected the author’s research on a lost medieval village. It was complicated, with lots of place names and specialist terms and end notes, but it was fascinating. I finished the month with a fantasy epic, which contained many of the traditional elements: a struggle between good and evil, large-scale battles, death-defying escapes, a Dark Lord, magic, orphans, a wise mentor, ancient beings, mythical creatures… There was even a dragon. I bloody love dragons.

What I read for fun

We Are the End, by Gonzalo C. Garcia, is a complex book in terms of themes. I read it as a snapshot of the life of a man who has depression. It’s challenging, moving, and darkly funny. The main character, Tomás, is sympathetic and relatable, even when he’s wishing people who make him uncomfortable would die. That’s a testament to the skill of the writer. And I admire the unusual design of the book – some text is upside down, there are squiggles that disappear off the page, whole sections of text are crossed out.

I’ve read a few of Matt Haig’s books over the last few months, and I couldn’t help but pick up a copy of The Truth Pixie. It’s a beautiful book, with a lovely story, wonderful illustrations (by Chris Mould), and an important message. It conveys many truths, one of the most crucial being ‘… you’ll never know happy unless you know sad’. It would have been of great comfort to me when I was a child – it was a comfort now that I’m a supposed grown-up. Being an editor is a great excuse to read whatever I want – I can’t edit children’s fiction unless I read children’s fiction.

I’m halfway through Tombland by C. J. Sansom. It is, as with the rest of the Shardlake series, beautifully and engagingly written. Matthew Shardlake is such a well-constructed character that I can’t help but find his difficulties and pain deeply upsetting. It’s like reading about horrible things happening to a friend. I will need to read something a bit lighter after this one, I think.

Blog posts

I published two posts on the Black Cat blog this month. The first was a slightly tongue-in-cheek post about why you shouldn’t choose me as your editor. It has a serious side, though. I think it’s important that an editor is not only a good fit for the project but also for the client. And I think it is important to set realistic expectations. The second was to encourage fellow editors to join in with Society for Editors and Proofreaders (SfEP) local groups. It focused a lot on the benefits to editors, but there are benefits for our clients: an editor who spends time with other editors is continually learning, is exposed to different methods and experiences, and has access to a network of brilliant publishing professionals.

I’ve shared quite a few blog posts on Twitter. They include a superb bit of microfiction, great advice on submission rejections, and reasons to write fiction of different lengths. Sarah Grey wrote a wonderful blog post on inclusive language, which was published by the SfEP. It’s not just of value to editors – writers should read it too. We all want to ‘welcome readers into the text and keep them reading’.

Looking ahead

I’ll be having lunch with the lovely West Surrey and North Hampshire SfEP local group in early November. It’s our last lunch meeting of the year, but we will be having tea and cake in December to celebrate the festive season. Mini will be back at Black Cat HQ mid-November, while her dads enjoy a holiday in the sun. I’ll spend the rest of November enjoying the peace and quiet after a week of doggy chaos.