Writing & Editing

I talk about the use and origin of the word “incent,” and its relationship to “incentive” and “incentivize.” Plus, I may have developed a screenplay for a movie based on quotations from two separate definitions in the Oxford English Dictionary . Credit: Excerpt from The Decibel , March 29, 2023 (https://www.theglobeandmail.com/podcasts/the-decibel/article-the-2023-federal-budget-in-23-minutes/)

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

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/

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. ■ How to give me a rating or review on Apple Podcasts – visit WritingEditing.ca – go to Apple Podcasts at https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/writing-editing/id1603753102 – Go...

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....

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.

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.

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 ficti...

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

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.

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 developme...

I talk about my experience trying to get answers from FriesenPress about why their book prices are so substantially (30–50%) marked up on Amazon sites, and whether Friesen authors/clients know about this markup before they sign on with Friesen. FriesenPress https://www.friesenpress.com/ FriesenPress Bookstore https://books.friesenpress.com/ Writing & Editing Episode 143 https://writingediting....

I talk about the origin of the word, its use in sexual and other senses, and the way it can be a euphemism shielding ugly truth.

My guest is Pat Bradley , who is a Screenwriter and Director from Queens, New York. He has produced many short films, as well as the excellent full-length feature, Into the Valli , which is available for free viewing on his website.

Hi, I’m Wayne Jones. Welcome to Writing & Editing . This is episode 147, which is 0.00159 Scaramuccis long . My guest is Neil Berliner , who is a comedy writer and coach. In his career, he’s also performed standup, and his writing has appeared in media from Mad Magazine to the New York Times to the Village Voice . He’s now also an author, having co-written the Ha Ha History joke book, which wa...

I talk about the basic clauses you should expect in any contract you sign with an editor, as well as some of the things that the editor should deliver or provide to you apart from the edited text.

My guest is Matt Witten , who now writes thrillers for a living after spending 20 years writing for television, including shows such as Law & Order and CSI .

My guest is Jane Friedman , who is an internationally known publishing expert based in New York. Jane has over 25 years experience in the publishing business, having worked as President and CEO of HarperCollins as well as holding senior executive positions at other major publishers. She’s the author of the book The Business of Being a Writer , produces the biweekly email newsletter called The Hot...

This is the premiere episode of a weekly series I am going to be doing on Saturdays about words in the English language. This week’s word is “ Etymology .”

Before I introduce today’s guest, I wanted to talk briefly about a new feeature—and a new episode—that I’m adding weekly to the show. I’m calling it “One More Word,” and it will be just me talking about an English word. It could be a word in the news, it could be some new jargon, it could be a word you’ve used for years but which has an interesting history. The episode will be short (5 minutes or...

My guest is actor Mollie Leivars, who is also the owner of Spirit Productions , a film production company she founded in 2019 when she was only 15 years old. Beyond making films centred on issues about youth, she gives online classes for young people wanting to learn various aspects of filmmaking and acting.

I talk about some of the words and rituals around the seemingly intractable problem of mass shootings in the US.

My guest is Jan McInnis, whose activity schedule for the past 25 years has been incredibly varied. “Worklady,” BTW is the apt name of her website. She started in standup comedy and eventually was working in the niche of comic keynote speaking. She also has a podcast called Comedian Stories , and has sold comedy material to Leno’s Tonight Show and to radio stations across the US. She’s been feature...