A Note from Julie, the Greenhouse Curator:

This is my Monstera adansonii, one of my favorite plants. It sits beside my computer, which means it’s almost always in view while I’m working. Lately, I've been paying attention to its interesting leaves.

 

Monstera adansonii leaves are full of holes called fenestrations. At first glance, holes in a leaf can look like something has gone wrong. But with this plant, they’re part of the design.

 

The holes may serve more than one purpose. In the plant’s natural habitat (the rainforest), they may help it make better use of patchy light. They may also let air move through the leaves more easily, especially in rough weather. Whatever the exact reason, I love the idea that the leaf may work better because it has openings.

That feels relevant to proofreading and editing life, doesn’t it?

 

So much of our work requires us to notice what other people miss: typos, inconsistencies, missing punctuation, awkward transitions, unclear sentences, and formatting errors. After a while, that habit can spill into the rest of our work lives too. We start treating every admin task, tiny decision, or urgent-feeling email as if it has to be handled right now.
 

That’s a lot for one person to hold. Maybe we need to build a few fenestrations into our business lives. For example, a lunch break where you’re not also answering emails, a day between big projects, or a little breathing room before you reply to an awkward message.

 

This week, look for one place where you’ve been trying to be a solid leaf. Where could you let something pass through instead of catching it, holding it, and carrying it around?

 

You don’t have to fill every gap. Sometimes the better choice is to leave room for light, air, and rest to get through. ✨

Have you noticed the countdown timer in the past couple issues of The Leaflet and wondered what that was all about?
 

Today I can finally share the big announcement: I’ve been building a new membership space connected to The Proofreader Greenhouse. It’s called The Propagarium.
 

The name comes from propagation, the process of growing a new plant from part of an existing one. Plant enthusiasts often exchange cuttings, allowing a piece of a plant to take root and grow in someone else’s care. The Propagarium is built on that same idea: proofreaders and editors sharing ideas, resources, and encouragement that can help someone else grow.
 

The Propagarium isn’t just a place to collect more information about running your proofreading or editing business. It’s a space for practical resources, live training with recordings, and conversations with other proofreaders and editors who are growing their work too.
 

In June, I invited members of the Trellis community to have early access to the space. Now I’d like to give Leaflet readers an early opportunity too. In July, I’m opening the doors to five of you before I fully open The Propagarium in August. If you’re interested, I invite you to apply for one of those five July spots.
 

The five Leaflet readers will receive 30% off their first payment, whether they choose monthly or quarterly membership. After that first discounted payment, membership will be $29 per month or $79 per quarter, and they’ll keep that pricing as long as they stay subscribed.
 

Applying doesn’t commit you to joining or paying. I’ll review the applications and invite up to five Leaflet readers to take the next step.
 

If you’re interested, apply for one of the five spots by clicking the button below. 👇🏻

For context, this witness is an oral surgeon. He's referring to his patient who needed extensive jaw surgery after a car accident.

Meddling means getting involved in something, especially in a way that annoys people or causes problems.

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.

Natalia from Kcopyediting Mate

 

I usually end each Leaflet issue with a plant photo, but since today is Harley’s third birthday, I thought I’d share this recent photo of him instead.

 

As you may remember, Harley is the official mascot of The Proofreader Greenhouse because of his superior sniffing skills. After all, proofreaders and editors are pretty good at sniffing out errors, aren't we?

 

Happy birthday, Harley! 🤎🤍🖤

Let's keep growing together!

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

 

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