The Leaflet Newsletter 052 🌱 [September 28, 2024]

A Note from Julie, the Greenhouse Curator:

I can hardly believe this is Issue 52 of The Leaflet! 🎉

That means I've consistently produced a weekly newsletter for a year!

I'll be honest: Creating an email newsletter is a lot of work. But it's also one of the most rewarding things I do each week.

Will you help me celebrate one year of The Leaflet by doing these two things?

Complete this four-question survey to let me know about your experience with The Leaflet.
Tell five (or more!) friends about The Leaflet and encourage them to subscribe. Here's the signup link, and here's a link to previous issues.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for subscribing to The Leaflet. I can't wait to share more exciting things with you in the future! ✨

Helping Seeds Grow 🌱

My husband is on a mission to grow grass where our septic tank was recently uncovered.

When I asked him why he added straw on top of the grass seed, he gave me three reasons: (1) moisture retention, (2) erosion protection, and (3) temperature regulation. (He's a former science teacher, so of course he had scientific-type answers. 😊)

This grass-growing project makes me think of all the wonderful proofreaders, editors, and word enthusiasts in The Proofreader Greenhouse community.

In this analogy, the seed represents us as proofreaders and editors, along with our skills and potential.

The straw on top of the seed is like our fellow proofreaders and editors—the ones we follow on social media, chat with in communities, or exchange tips with.

Just like straw helps the seed grow by keeping it safe and nourished, our connections give us the support we need to thrive. They keep us motivated, protect us from burnout, and help guard us from distractions and doubts.

We're capable of great things when surrounded by the right kind of support! 💪🏻

Favorite LinkedIn Posts This Week:

Here are three posts I enjoyed reading on LinkedIn this week (shared with permission):

The power of a supportive community: Deborah is right that being self-employed can be lonely at times. Being part of a supportive community helps so much. 🤝
The controversial comma before “because”: Do you add a comma before “because”? I loved Adina's post (and the lively discussion in the comments). Who knew so many people would have such strong opinions about a small mark of punctuation? 🗨️
7 ways to improve your memory and attention to detail: As proofreaders and editors, we juggle a lot—grammar rules, consistency, style choices, and more. That's why I found Oneta's post so helpful. It's a great reminder of the importance of staying sharp. 🧠

By the way, if you're on LinkedIn, I'd love to connect!

Catch of the Week:

Honestly, with inflation, this mistake feels a little too true—high prices really do leave a sore spot! 😆

Catch of the Week screenshots come from my transcript proofreading. I can't change what a person said, but I can make sure words are spelled correctly and punctuation marks are in the right spots. If you're interested in learning more about transcript proofreading, I wrote an article about it here.

This Week's Featured Proofreader or Editor:

Aanchal from Read Write Relate Editorials

The Proofreader Greenhouse asked:

What type of content do you proofread or edit?
I edit a variety of fiction manuscripts, novels, novellas, and short stories. I enjoy fantasy, romance, drama, and mysteries.
Did you complete training for proofreading or editing?
I started editing during my work as a lawyer at a law firm. When I switched to editing full-time, I took a myriad of editing courses along the way. The best courses were EFA's intermediate and advanced developmental editing and line editing.
What's your favorite thing about your proofreading or editing work?
The best part about editing is that I built this world for myself from scratch. Just how a writer's book is their baby, editing is mine. I love that I left a job I didn't like and now I am doing something that gives me joy every day.
What causes you the most frustration in your work?
The administrative bits like tracking invoices, preparing marketing materials, and actually being consistent with it have been frustrating for me.

Another frustrating bit, especially when I was starting out, is finding clients. The trust is difficult to build when all your work is done virtually.
What tips would you like to share with other proofreaders and editors?
- Learn and use macros as much as you can for efficiency and less head-scratching.
- Automate administrative parts of the business.
- Be picky about your niche because in the long run, it will help you get work you really want to do.

Connect with Aanchal: Website | LinkedIn

Plant Photo of the Week:

I love the bright green color of new leaves. Don't you?

My fiddle-leaf fig has a few new leaves. Eventually, they'll be dark green like the more established leaves.

If you look carefully at this photo, you'll see the back end of my beagle, Harley. 😊

Let's keep growing together!

Julie

VISIT THE PROOFREADER GREENHOUSE

What did you think of today's email, First name / friend? I'd love to hear your thoughts, questions, or feedback. Email julie@theproofreadergreenhouse.com

If this newsletter was forwarded to you or you found a link to it online, why not get The Leaflet delivered straight to your inbox? Subscribe now for grammar tips, tricky word pairs, client strategies, and helpful online tools.

7893 Old US Highway 52
Lexington, NC 27295, United States