A Note from Julie, the Greenhouse Curator: |
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One of the small pleasures of having houseplants is watching a new leaf slowly unfurl. Â On philodendrons, each leaf forms inside a protective sheath called a cataphyll. In this photo of my Painted Lady, the pink piece on the left is the cataphyll that protected the leaf before it began to emerge. The leaf will open soon. Â Every time I see a cataphyll like this, I have the same thought: Should I just pull that off? |
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It looks like extra wrapping the plant doesnât need anymore. But plant people will tell you itâs better to leave it alone for a while. The cataphyll protects the new leaf while itâs still delicate. After the leaf unfolds and strengthens, the cataphyll dries up and falls off on its own. Â Iâve been thinking about the âcataphyllsâ that protect proofreaders and editors while we grow. Here are some that have helped me: - An edibuddy or community: Working alone all day can make small problems feel bigger than they are. Having another proofreader to chat with can boost your confidence when something tricky comes up.
- Reliable reference sources: Even experienced proofreaders and editors check their sources. A good style guide or trusted reference book acts like a protective layer for your work while youâre building your experience.
- Personal systems: For me, systems are a big one. Time blocking and project management in Airtable help me keep track of multiple jobs and deadlines.
- Reasonable expectations about freelance income: Some months are busy, and some are slower. Knowing that ahead of time can keep a slow month from feeling like a failure.
Some of these supports become second nature as your experience grows. Others remain part of your workflow for years. Either way, they help steady your growth while itâs happening. Â The cataphyll on my philodendron will dry up and fall off soon enough. For now, itâs doing exactly what it was meant to do. đż |
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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. - Should you follow up with clients who've gone quiet? Corinne reminds us that if a client is already sending us zero work, we have nothing to lose by reaching out and potentially a lot to gain. đŹ
 - How to trim the fat from your newsletter: Josh shares practical ways to make a newsletter more focused. If youâve ever thought about starting a newsletter, his tips are a great reminder that clear, concise emails are more likely to get read. âď¸
 - Are you underpricing yourself? Charlsie points out that many freelancers lower their rates just to be chosen. She encourages us to price our work based on its real value, not our fear that a client might say no. đ
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In April of 2024, I shared a grill/grille error in The Leaflet, but when I saw it again this week in my proofreading, I thought it might bear repeating.
Grill (noun or verb): the rack you cook food on over open heat, or the act of cooking that way Grille (noun): a grid or slotted cover, often decorative, like the one on the front of a car 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?Â
Mostly non-fiction and science content. A mixture of research articles for publication in scientific journals, and books for mainstream publishers in the genres of popular science, nature writing, memoir and self-help.
 - Did you complete training for proofreading or editing?
Copy Editing by Distance Learning, Basic Proofreading - Publishing Training Centre
Editing References, Basic Editorial Test No. 2 - CIEP
Advanced Professional Member of the CIEP
 - What's your favorite thing about your proofreading or editing work?
I love the variety of it - being able to work on a very technical scientific paper one day, a beautiful and reflective memoir the next, and jazzy marketing copy the day after that. It's so interesting getting to read such a variety of things and helping to make them shine!
 - What's the most challenging part of your work?
Handling the stress of short deadlines or too many commitments. There's only so much text one person can edit in a day, and when I have lots of deadlines looming, it can be hard to give myself time to rest and let my brain recover so that I can do my best work.
 - What tip(s) can you share with other proofreaders or editors?
Be as organised as you can and make clear processes that you can follow for similar kinds of jobs. Freelancing effectively is all about managing your time, so putting tools in place that will help you deal with each job as efficiently as you can will really improve your productivity (and mean you can take on more interesting projects).
Â
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Whenever I see a sunny spot near a window, I start thinking about which plants would enjoy living there. Before long, the area starts to look like a jungle.  Thankfully, my husband doesnât mind living in a house thatâs slowly filling up with plants. 𪴠|
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Let's keep growing together! |
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