A Note from Julie, the Greenhouse Curator: |
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It's been a busy week! With no advance notice, one of my clients asked me to proofread a 1,197-page attempted murder trial transcript with a two-day turnaround. 😲
For context, quick turnarounds aren't unusual in transcript proofreading, but not this many pages! My average transcript length is about 75 pages, so this was quite a shock. Luckily, I was caught up on other projects, so I had space in my schedule. It took me 14 hours and 9 minutes to proofread. 🥴 |
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These steps helped me power through: - I split the huge PDF into 250-page pieces with one of my favorite free tools, iLovePDF (here's the link). Much easier to work with!
- While reading the 250-page pieces, I took a break every 83 pages (one third of the way through).
- I read 750 pages on the first day and the remaining 429 pages on the second. It was a relief to get more than half done on day one.
- I used Night Shift on my iPad to reduce blue light while reading at night.
- I created a spreadsheet to keep track of witness and attorney names and used the Google Sheets add-on StaySorted (here's the link). It automatically keeps the spreadsheet rows alphabetized.
This experience was a good reminder to ask clients for a heads-up before sending massive files like this (for a quick turnaround). 💡
Have you ever received a big proofreading, editing, or writing project without warning? How do you handle tight turnarounds like this? Reply and let me know—I’d love to hear your strategies! |
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Tella Test-Drive: My First Impressions
(and a video walk-through for you)
👇🏻👇🏻 |
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It's been a while since I've been this excited about a tool for both my proofreading business and The Proofreader Greenhouse. In Issue 32 of The Leaflet, I mentioned Tella as an alternative to Loom for creating tutorials or communicating with clients. I've been experimenting with Tella's 7-day free trial this week, and I'm impressed! I created a 7-minute Tella walk-through for you. Here's the link.If you watch the tutorial carefully, you'll get a sneak peek of an exciting resource coming soon to The Proofreader Greenhouse. 🙂 |
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Favorite LinkedIn Posts This Week: |
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Here are three posts I enjoyed reading on LinkedIn this week (shared with permission): - The power of template emails: Katie suggests that we create email templates for responding to potential and/or current clients. Great idea! Her blog post about this process is amazing. (See the link in the comments under her post.) ✨
- Squinting modifiers: what they are and how to avoid them: Kristin taught me a new term: squinting modifier. Discover its meaning (and see examples) in this post. 🧠
- Tips for effective client communication: You probably already understand the importance of communicating with clients, but Michelle shares how to make a good client experience even better. I especially liked her advice to batch non-urgent questions. 💡
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“Loath” is an adjective meaning reluctant or unwilling. It's often followed by “to” (as in this screenshot). “Loathe” is a verb meaning to strongly dislike or hate. 💡 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. |
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This Week's Featured Proofreader or Editor: |
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The Proofreader Greenhouse asked: - What type of content do you proofread or edit?
Novels, business pages, websites, articles, blogs, and transcriptions. Anything that’s been written and needs a final look to find those undiscovered errors!
- Did you complete training for proofreading or editing?
I have a proofreading and editing diploma fused with a long business and more recently hospitality career. I possess a very critical eye and caring attitude, which collectively provides me with correct tools to care for an author’s words.
- What's your favorite thing about your proofreading or editing work?
I love the flexibility and freedom of freelance editing. I have to be careful and keep an eye on the clock as I so easily lose track of time, totally immersed, sitting in my favourite spot, which to me, evokes images of the white rabbit from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, my favourite book as a child. There is a canopy of trees creating an arch around an old wooden door, surrounded by an ancient stone wall. I periodically glance up, and each time, I wonder if that rabbit, in his jaunty outfit, will hop past and stop to glance at his pocket watch. It gives me a little smile every time and a happy memory.
- What causes you the most frustration in your work?
I think it must be the age-old problem of working from home. I frequently get asked to help friends or perform favours, because I am, in their eyes, perceived as available and simply, at home. I have to reaffirm, repeatedly... I may well be here, but I am working. I now have a little sign that I hang out to let anyone know that I am at home, but I’m busy, doing what I love. I put my devices on do not disturb, and that works well, until.... my dogs suspect there is someone lifting the latch on the garden gate and if they bark enough, it’s likely that I’ll get up. Drives me insane. Still, I love my dogs, and friends for that matter, and wouldn't have it any other way!
- What tips would you like to share with other proofreaders and editors?
I have recently discovered an amazing calendar/organisational app which combines everything in one place and truly makes my editing life so much easier. I can schedule, get reminders (important for me), create ideas for social media posts all in one place. l don’t think I’ve discovered half of its capabilities yet, but it reminds me of my old days of having a Filofax, which ages me, I know. However, I’m happy to live with that, on the basis that everything is now all together again, including my dictionaries and style guides, without their battered covers and curled-up edges of yesteryear.
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I recently learned that my Christmas cactus isn't a Christmas cactus after all! Turns out, it's a Thanksgiving cactus! This article from Martha Stewart explains the difference (with photos). I'm excited that my cactus is showing signs of blooms on the tips of its leaves. I'm no cactus expert, so it’s been a fun experiment watching this one grow. 🌵 |
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Let's keep growing together! |
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7893 Old US Highway 52
Lexington, NC 27295, United States |
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