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Want to Write Effectively? Learn to Think Like an Editor

Tyee Master Class will sharpen your point. March 28, enrol now!

Tyee Staff 9 Mar 2015TheTyee.ca

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Hope Kamin is a veteran editor with more than 30 years experience, including 23 at the Toronto Star.

No matter what industry you work in, you probably have to communicate in writing from time to time. But even the most seasoned scribe knows that producing clean, crisp and interesting copy is hard work.

Are you looking to sharpen your point? There's hope! Hope Kamin, that is. A veteran editor with more than 30 years experience, Kamin will lead a Tyee Master Class in effective writing on Saturday, March 28 in Vancouver.

"Anyone who has to use written communication in the course of their job will benefit from the class," Kamin says. "I'll cover major pitfalls that writers encounter and poor writing habits that we all fall into if we're not careful."

Kamin spent most of her career on newspaper copy desks, including 23 years at the Toronto Star. She's now a freelance editor with clients in both the public and private sectors.

Over the five-hour Master Class session, Kamin will offer concrete tips to help people bring to their own work the skills that editors use. The class takes place in The Tyee's beautiful new downtown classroom, and the $200 registration fee includes coffee, lunch and a bit of B.C. beer.

What does it take to write well? We fired a few questions at Kamin.

What are some common misconceptions about effective writing?

"Sometimes writers sit at their keyboards and try to come up with the most formal way of saying whatever it is they have to say. This takes a lot of effort, and unfortunately they wind up with a piece that does not communicate what they want it to as effectively as it could. Writing is just a form of communication, after all. Many people also think that length makes their writing more effective when, in fact, the opposite is true in many cases."

Your class will address common pitfalls encountered by writers. Is there one that drives you absolutely nuts?

"Passive voice wins this contest, hands down. Many writers -- report writers, especially -- feel they have to use passive construction rather than the active voice that we all speak in every day. We will see why this is absolutely not true."

You worked on newspaper copy desks for decades. What did you know that no one else in the newsroom knew?

"I worked so intensely with the same reporters over the years that I knew all their individual writing foibles. And they were glad that I knew them, so I could fix them! Editors have the advantage of being able to look at the copy from a distance, so to speak. In the class, I will give tips on how writers can be their own editors, at least to some extent."

Ready to learn more? Enrol in The Tyee Master Class now.

Registration is limited. To learn more about this Tyee Master Class and others, go here.  [Tyee]

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