Clear and Concise: Guidelines for Style
SUMM 477
FRIDAY, July 13 2012
9:00am–5:00pm
$225.00 CDN (includes course material)
Clear, concise writing may seem like the product of magic, instinct, or luck, but the pros know that it’s the result of learned techniques. This workshop covers tried-and-true revision techniques that improve consistency, clarity, flow, and conciseness. We’ll identify and eliminate shifts, link ideas using parallelism and subordination, trim wordy structures, and unearth the power of verbs. Through discussion, examples, and exercises, you’ll amass an arsenal of methods for making every word count.
Clear and Concise will benefit writers and editors who want to know the best practical techniques for streamlining prose. The workshop is an excellent follow-up to Fundamentals of Grammar (July 11), Punctuation and Mechanics (July 11), and Usage Woes and Myths (July 12), and a good companion workshop to Copyediting and Proofreading (July 9-10 and July 23-24). This workshop offers pointers in stylistic editing that will be helpful to anyone attending the Book Editing Immersion Workshop (July 16-21).
FACULTY
Frances Peck is an editor and writer whose clients include government departments, agencies, and associations. She has taught editing and writing for two decades for the University of Ottawa, Douglas College, the Editors’ Association of Canada, SFU’s Writing and Communications Program, and many private clients. Peck is the author of Peck’s English Pointers, an online collection of language articles and quizzes; co-author of the popular HyperGrammar website; and a columnist for the journal Language Update. She is a partner with West Coast Editorial Associates.
