Physical Sciences and Engineering
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After completing her Master's in Geochemistry, this
editor's life took a literary turn. She is a published
novelist (Dell and Avalon), and a frequent contributor to
the University of British Columbia's The Graduate
magazine. She also edits science articles and is an active
member of the Editors' Association of Canada.
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You have published six articles in 2005 and two in
2006. So are you primarily a writer or an
editor?
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I am a writer. It's what I have always wanted to be.
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So then, what made you decide to become an
editor?
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After graduating, I worked at McGill University in
geochemistry and co-authored a paper that was published in
Canadian Spectroscopy. I debuted as a writer in 1975 with
my first novel, and since then I have written 5 novels and
published one more in 2005. Besides writing, I joined the
Editors' Association of Canada in 1992 with the intention
of extending the range of my work. I learned the ABCs of
editing in workshops conducted by the association. Having
written for a long time, I was familiar with editing.
Since joining EAC, I have edited over 50 science articles
for journal publication, written and edited over 90 job
descriptions for 15 government departments, and have also
edited non-fiction, novels, press releases, and articles.
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Why did you take up literature? It's not the usual
choice for a Geology graduate, is it?
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Yes, I majored in Geology at university and followed it up
with Geochemistry. Somewhere along the way, getting
involved in technicalities and the minutiae of science
lost its appeal. I have been interested in arts like
painting and literature since I was a student; so, I
decided to go down that road. But I'm a scientist at
heart. I wrote "Stephen Hawking in Seattle" in 2006 and
"Einstein and the World Year of Physics" in 2005, which
are about science. Editing theses on geology rekindles
many memories. People cannot be experts in all things at
the same time. But geochemistry is still my home base.
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Does the fact that you are a writer affect your work as
an editor?
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Writers spend lots of time doing research, but then
struggle to succeed as novelists. Most editors don't spend
time on research, but I do. I take great effort to
understand what authors want to convey and to judge
whether they are expressing their intentions and
information correctly. I try to gain knowledge of all
things as accurately as possible. To be a writer is to
develop such an attitude.
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So, you like to be perfect. How exactly does one get to
be a "perfect editor"?
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Exactly! I am a perfectionist and everything I do has to
be the best. When I edit, I have to go back to the text,
comprehend the context, extract the meaning, and try to
express it in a lucid manner. In cases where I cannot
guess what the author is trying to convey, which happens
sometimes when English is a second language for the
author, I will re-read the text several times. Usually, I
will work on a hard copy first and then return to the
monitor; so, editing for me is a time consuming process.
In order to make work satisfying, I take the time I need.
It's the same when I write.
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What is the most important thing to keep in mind when
editing?
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Everything. Everything! A period, a space, whatever,
everything. My eyes fall on everything.
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In order to make the finished product perfect, the
original document itself should be readable to a certain
extent, right? What should authors keep in mind while
writing?
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I would like authors to study the journals to which they
plan to submit their work. Sometimes, I am stunned to find
that the document does not follow the journal guidelines
even after I have done everything to make the document
compatible. I am a scientist and have considerable
experience in submitting theses; so I wonder why authors
commit such mistakes. I strongly suggest that authors
check journal guidelines before they start writing.
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