Tempeste O'Riley's Blog

Beyond the Degree & How Education Shapes the Editorial Perspective

Taking on renewed education as an author and editor with over a dozen years and numerous publications behind me sounds like an exciting journey. Choosing between a degree in English or journalism ultimately hinges on your goals and the specific skills you wish to hone. As I delve into this series focusing on editing, it’s essential to recognize how an editor’s educational background can profoundly shape their approach. It has and will continue to do so to yours as you work toward advancing your skills and broadening your experiences.

Both English and journalism degrees offer valuable skills that can significantly enhance your editorial expertise.

Img by Aleksandr @ Rainbow Quill Editing | Canva

Editors with backgrounds in English or journalism each bring unique strengths to the table, offering distinct skills that cater to various editorial needs. Despite differing primary focuses, essential skills such as solid writing and adaptability unite both groups. With their deep dives into literary theory, English majors become the artisans of style and structure. Their extensive training in critical analysis and classic literature equips them with a refined eye for narrative flow and tone consistency, making them particularly adept at editing for stylistic nuances and structural coherence. These editors ensure every piece of writing maintains a harmonious and engaging narrative, acting as guardians of the literary aesthetic.

English majors often excel in:

Literary theory and critical analysis: This helps in understanding and improving narrative flow and tone.

Stylistic nuances: Their training allows them to refine the aesthetic and coherence of a piece.

In contrast, journalism majors bring a practical, hands-on approach to the editorial process. Their education, steeped in reporting, interviewing, and writing for diverse media formats, enables them to craft straightforward, concise, and factual content. This background makes them invaluable in producing timely and relevant material and adept at distilling complex information into digestible pieces — a crucial skill in today’s fast-paced digital media landscape.

Journalism majors bring:

Practical, hands-on experience: Skills in reporting, interviewing, and writing for various media formats.

Conciseness and clarity: They are adept at distilling complex information into accessible content, which is crucial for today’s fast-paced media environment.

Despite these differences, English and journalism-trained editors share common ground: their adaptability and strong writing skills. These qualities enable them to thrive in dynamic environments, whether working under tight deadlines in a newsroom or ensuring the narrative integrity of a literary manuscript. By leveraging their unique educational backgrounds, editors contribute significantly to the quality and effectiveness of the content they oversee, each bringing their expertise to the craft of editing.

Both paths emphasize adaptability and strong writing skills, enabling editors to thrive in diverse settings, whether under tight deadlines or ensuring narrative integrity.

While English majors often become writers or educators, journalism graduates work in communications and media. Both paths involve writing, though the types and foci differ. Regardless of background, editors choose to edit full-time or freelance, driven by education, necessity, or passion.

I wanted to share a brief list of books for anyone interested in learning more about editing or seeking assistance with self-editing. While I recommend working with an outside editor for your writing, I understand this may not always be feasible. If so, I encourage you to use the following resources effectively!

Enhancing Your Editing Skills: Essential Reads

What Editors Do: The Art, Craft, and Business of Book Editing edited by Peter Ginna

This comprehensive collection of essays from various editors offers insights into the multifaceted world of book editing, covering everything from developmental editing to the business side of publishing.

The Chicago Manual of Style

This manual is an indispensable resource for copy editors and proofreaders. It provides detailed grammar, punctuation, and citation style guidelines, making it a cornerstone of the editing profession.

The Best Punctuation Book, Period by June Casagrande

This guide simplifies punctuation rules across different style guides, offering quick-reference sections perfect for editors needing fast answers.

The Emotion Thesaurus by Becca Puglisi and Angela Ackerman

A valuable tool for editors and writers alike, this book helps portray character emotions vividly, avoid clichés, and enhance the emotional depth of narratives.

The Artful Edit: On the Practice of Editing Yourself by Susan Bell

This book provides a thoughtful approach to self-editing and balancing technical precision with creative insight, encouraging editors to refine their work and others.

The Copyeditor’s Handbook by Amy Einsohn

A practical guide filled with exercises and answer keys, this book is ideal for those working in book publishing and corporate communications, offering hands-on practice in copyediting.

Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss

This book, with a humorous yet informative approach to punctuation, underscores the importance of proper punctuation in clear communication.

On Writing Well: An Informal Guide to Writing Nonfiction by William Zinsser

Though focused on writing, this classic book provides invaluable advice on crafting clear and compelling prose, which is crucial for any editor.

These books cover various topics, from the technical aspects of editing to the more creative and stylistic elements, making them excellent resources for any editor looking to enhance their skills.

Happy editing!

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The post English vs Journalism appeared first on Tempeste O'Riley, Author.

SOCIAL MEDIA ETHICS Edited Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

The concept of privacy in social media and digital privacy encompasses protecting personal information shared online (Quantum Global Group). This involves social media platforms and other digital services gathering, using, and distributing data (Pepperell and Law). The electronic environment, encompassing the internet and digital devices, significantly impacts an individual’s right to privacy by making personal data more accessible and vulnerable to misuse.

As Pepperell and Law point out, data collection, sharing, and security risks are how the digital world impacts privacy. Social media and online services collect massive amounts of personal data, including where you are, what kind of browsing habits you have, and your personal preferences. Advertisers and government agencies may receive this data, often without the user’s explicit consent. Due to the vulnerability of the digital environment to security breaches, personal information is at risk of being hacked or accessed without authorization.

To continue reading, click HERE…

If you enjoyed this article, please show your support and appreciation to the author by buying him a coffee!

Aleksandr Massie is a fiction writer, editor, LGBTQ+ activist, artist, and devoted parent. He is dedicated to a life of sharing stories and helping others, sometimes at the same time. Aleksandr is a versatile freelance editor and writer with considerable experience in editing, proofreading, and content development. He is currently pursuing a Bachelors degree in English; Creative Writing and Communication focus. Visit http://rainbowediting.work/ or https://inkedrainbow.substack.com/ to find out more.

The post Between Social Media and Digital Privacy appeared first on Tempeste O'Riley, Author.

Hello my loves and soon to be loves. How are you? I wanted to drop in and wish everyone a wonderful #PRIDE, whether you are able to join in with others in live celebration or virtual community! This is a time to celebrate our diversity, come together (safely) and remember what it is we fight for, and enjoy being our true, authentic selves.

For more trans-related posting this week, I thought I'd share a little resource that everyone can use to find providers in their area for the needs they have... This site offers LGBTQ+ healthcare providers. All you do is plug in your area code or city you are seeking to find a provider and a list will pop up. Providers from general practice, OBGYN, dermatologists, HIV/AIDS, Psychiatry…

http://glma.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Page.viewPage&pageId=939&grandparentID=534&parentID=938&nodeID=1

A Proclamation on Transgender Day Of Visibility, 2021

MARCH 31, 2021 • PRESIDENTIAL ACTIONS

Today, we honor and celebrate the achievements and resiliency of transgender individuals and communities.  Transgender Day of Visibility recognizes the generations of struggle, activism, and courage that have brought our country closer to full equality for transgender and gender non-binary people in the United States and around the world.  Their trailblazing work has given countless transgender individuals the bravery to live openly and authentically.  This hard-fought progress is also shaping an increasingly accepting world in which peers at school, teammates and coaches on the playing field, colleagues at work, and allies in every corner of society are standing in support and solidarity with the transgender community.

In spite of our progress in advancing civil rights for LGBTQ+ Americans, too many transgender people — adults and youth alike — still face systemic barriers to freedom and equality.  Transgender Americans of all ages face high rates of violence, harassment, and discrimination.  Nearly one in three transgender Americans have experienced homelessness at some point in life.  Transgender Americans continue to face discrimination in employment, housing, health care, and public accommodations.

To read full WH post, CLICK HERE- https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/03/31/a-proclamation-on-transgender-day-of-visibility-2021/

Look what's being re-released (by me) on March 17! This is book #1 in my YA/NA paranormal romance series where love is not limited by race, gender, or time. Book #2 coming this summer!

House Millar book #1

Title: Blood's Song
Author: Tempeste O'Riley
Series: House Miller, #1
Publisher: Geas Publications
Release Date: March 17th, 2021
Formats: eBook, Print, Audio

Even in darkness, love lights the way.

Anya awakens alone and afraid in a new world soaked with blood and terror. The only things she knows for certain are her name and that humans are precious.

Unwilling to give in to her hungers, she sets her feet upon a path of discovery, searching for clues to her forgotten past. Along the way she runs headlong into the unimaginable world of the undead and the waiting arms of Nicholas, a fearless nocturnal defender searching for his love, lost in eternity.

Into their midst stumbles Declán, a young, natural-born vampire hunter and Guardian whose passion for Anya is only matched by his draw to Nicholas. His arrival could mark the end of their tale, or with the gift of Anya's blood kiss, it might bring about the beginning of a new chapter for them all.

Avaliable for preorder at:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Apple iBooks | Smashbooks

Oh, the savory flavors of vegetables cooking together to create a piping hot one-dish meal, fresh out of the oven! That’s exactly what happens in this super simple, 100% plant-based version of a classic vegetable pot pie, which combines tofu, carrots, celery, potatoes, and peas in a creamy sauce topped with home-made whole wheat biscuits. It may look challenging, but  you can get this meal-in-one on the table in just over an hour, all cooked and served in one dish.

Serves 8.

For recipe, CLICK HERE

BLIND TIGER Cover Reveal & Preorder!

Today I'm unveiling the gorgeous cover by @LadyTiferet for Blind Tiger (The Pride 1), my 1920s Hexworld-universe novel! Check it out over at my blog: https://t.co/0KZ6VrIAZP pic.twitter.com/drqGxpxEFe

— Jordan L. Hawk (@jordanlhawk) February 19, 2021