A Note from Julie, the Greenhouse Curator: |
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I have a confession to make: My house is pretty dusty right now. I generally keep the house tidy, but dusting doesn’t always stay at the top of my list. This week, as I walked by my large philodendron, I noticed that the leaves were covered by a thin layer of dust. Not exactly ideal for a plant. |
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Dust blocks sunlight and clogs the plant's pores. This reduces the photosynthesis process and makes it harder for the plant to grow. As soon as I wiped off this leaf with a damp cloth, the difference was obvious. It looked darker, shinier, and healthier. Nothing about the plant had changed. It was a strong, healthy leaf all along. The dust was just hiding its shine. I think our work as proofreaders and editors can feel like that sometimes. We may start to doubt our skills, compare ourselves to others, or feel discouraged during a slow season or a tricky client situation. But underneath all that, our skills are still there. Sometimes they're just hidden under a little dust. We don’t need to become a completely different proofreader. We just need a small reset. Here are a few ideas: - straighten up your desk or workspace (remove physical dust)
- tidy your email inbox (remove digital dust)
- review a style rule you’ve been unsure about (remove skill dust)
- take a real break instead of pushing through exhaustion (remove mental dust)
Small resets can make a big difference. Just like wiping that leaf, a few minutes of care can help your natural strengths show through again. What’s one small thing you could wipe clean in your workspace or workflow this week? 🪴 |
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A quick celebration: The TPG LinkedIn page now has more than 500 followers! 🎉 I’m grateful for every person who’s chosen to follow along, and I hope the page continues to be a helpful, encouraging place for proofreaders and editors. If you enjoy The Leaflet, you might enjoy the LinkedIn page too. Here's a link. |
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Favorite LinkedIn Posts This Week: |
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Here are three posts I enjoyed reading on LinkedIn recently. Click the links below to read them. - A small admin task with a big productivity payoff: I love how Laura turns a long-avoided admin task into a productivity win. She shows how something as simple as printing Windows shortcuts can save time, reduce mental load, and even make using a keyboard more fun. 💡
- The upside of working in short bursts: Julia reframes limited focus as something to work with, not fight against. Respecting our energy dips and pairing low-focus moments with lighter tasks leads to better work for clients and kinder working days for ourselves. 🧠
- Outreach feels scary. Invisibility is worse: Heidi offers a helpful reset on client outreach. She explains why imaginary work feels safer than it is and shows that staying invisible with potential clients is far riskier than an awkward email or unanswered message. 📬
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I’ve noticed that errors sometimes show up in pairs. When that happens, it’s easy to focus on the first one and overlook the second. In this transcript, I saw the “drive” error on my first pass, but I completely missed “froward” until I came back for another look. It was a good reminder to slow down as I'm proofreading. Have you ever noticed error clusters like this?
And if you’re wondering about the all caps in this screenshot, that’s just how my client writes her transcripts. She says it keeps her from having to think about capitalization. It was a bit jarring at first, but I'm used to it now. 😊 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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Evangeline from Verbatim Proofreading and Editorial Services |
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The Proofreader Greenhouse asked: - What type of content do you proofread or edit?
Fiction and non-fiction of all kinds but I specialise in educational materials and non-fiction works about education. I also focus on academic works, especially the Humanities and Social Sciences.
- Did you complete training for proofreading or editing?
Basic Proofreading - The Publishing Training Centre; Introductory Proofreading - CIEP
- What's your favorite thing about your proofreading or editing work?
Helping authors to convey meaning with clarity and impact.
- What's the most challenging part of your work?
Managing workflow.
- What tip(s) can you share with other proofreaders or editors?
Writing is meant to convey meaning. Therefore, what matters most is what the author wants to say. Work closely with your author to ensure that you maintain the authenticity of the author’s voice while improving clarity.
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Snow like this doesn’t come around often in North Carolina. Last Saturday, about 13 inches fell in our area, weighing down the camellia bushes in my backyard. It was pretty while it lasted. Now I'm looking forward to spring. 😊 |
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Let's keep growing together! |
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Lexington, NC 27295, United States |
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