Last week on the forum, discussions were rich with practical advice and intriguing questions. Members explored ways to enhance their editing skills, particularly through specialized workshops like table-read labs and dialect clinics. Conversations also delved into personal growth strategies that prevent burnout, with editors sharing their experiences and tips. Additionally, there was a lively debate about language evolution, specifically the transition of the term “e-mail” losing its hyphen. Formatting issues also came up, with a thread dedicated to converting APA to Chicago NB style smoothly.
This Week’s Hot Topics
Table-read lab or dialect clinic
This thread examines the benefits of immersive workshops to refine editing techniques, particularly through real-time feedback and collaboration. Read more here
How I plan growth without burning out
Editors are sharing strategies to expand their careers while maintaining a healthy work-life balance, a crucial topic for sustainable professional development. Read more here
When did “e-mail” lose its hyphen
A fascinating discussion on how language adapts over time, with members weighing in on when and why “e-mail” became “email.” Read more here
Need clean conversion from APA to Chicago NB
This thread is a practical guide for editors dealing with the common challenge of converting documents between different citation styles. Read more here
First laugh by five seconds
An intriguing discussion about the pacing of humor in writing, and how the timing of a joke can impact its reception. Read more here
Looking forward to another week of engaging conversations. Keep sharing your thoughts and experiences.
AP: “email, no hyphen” since 2011; Chicago 17 agrees. I bake it into the project style sheet and only keep “e-mail” if a client’s legacy template or legal copy insists — . After those dialect clinics, do you all run a quick consistency pass to catch leftovers?
I add a find/replace macro that converts ‘e-mail’→’email’ and ‘e-mailing’→’emailing,’ but leaves ‘e-commerce’ and ‘e-bike’ alone via exceptions — hyphen retired like a training wheel. @micclar, do you still see any UK briefs insisting on ‘e-mail’?
I wired this into my PerfectIt style: flag ‘e-mail’ and suggest ‘email,’ but leave quoted material and brand names alone; for a public cite, GOV.UK backs it: Style guide - A to Z - Guidance - GOV.UK. That hyphen’s gone the way of dial-up.
On nonfiction with a retro angle, I date the spelling: pre-2005 keeps ‘e-mail’ for voice; otherwise it’s ‘email’ (CMOS 16, AP in 2011). I note it on the style sheet at kickoff and limit exceptions to quotations or legal cites. @Maya, do you tie it to era or just house style?