President’s report
by Christine Atkinson
Recently someone pointed out how many days it was ‘till Christmas. I genuinely don’t know where this year has gone. Somehow we’ve already had an enormous year and there’s still more to come.
Our EdsQ Events Team of Ian and Kayt have been doing an amazing job. Our two most recent member meetings have featured engaging speakers who have drawn a crowd. In September we were thrilled to host Grace Lucas-Pennington talking about cultural sensitivity editing — perhaps the largest event we’ve held since we moved to Zoom. In October our speaker was Meg Vann who shared her expertise in editing crime-writing.
To wrap up the year we have an actual face-to-face activity. Our EdsQ end-of-year dinner is on Friday 3 December. Details to come, but lock it in now before your festive calendar fills up.
Regards
Christine Atkinson
Editing crime writing speaker presentation
by Kayt Duncan
“These super-sicko stories are supported by a super-generous community”, said our crime-writing guru. If anyone could guide us safely through the nuances of crime-thriller writing and editing, it would be Meg Vann.
She was the epitome of the community she advocates for: immensely generous with her knowledge and expertise, and radiating a general energetic contagion of the genre. If the crime-thriller industry is full of Meg Vanns, then it’s certainly a space you can feel comfortable and safe in, surrounded by support and capable assistance, even if the content you are editing is anything but.
Meg steered us through the history of the genre before breaking down the critical areas that editors must deal with when working with their authors, including how to find opportunities to develop their manuscripts into stories that readers won’t rip holes through. Lastly, Meg gifted us all with four key pillars. If I told you them here, well, that would give the ending away. The only clue in the text is “R”.
If you were looking the other way on the night of 6 October, it’s not too late to find out for yourself how it all unfolded. Jump onto MemNet, download the video and see what you make of the recording.
Brisbane Friday after-work drinks
The second in our series of Friday after-work drinks and social get-togethers in Brisbane was a small but chatty affair. The Covent Garden in West End had a superb list of wines to choose from to accompany the conversation that covered social media, university life, and just a spot of “shop”. As the year counts down at full speed, it’s seemed that October Friday drinks meant most members opted to stay at work, meeting deadlines. Good on you. But more merry wine for the rest of us and, yes, it was enjoyed. The last of our 2021 casual catch-ups is Friday 5 November. Watch the Facebook group for venue details.
Upcoming events calendar
• To finish the year off, on Wednesday 3 November we will welcome Roslyn Petelin to talk about recent developments in language, from an editor’s perspective.
• Our end-of-year dinner evenings across all Queensland regions are marked in the diary for Friday 3 December. Brisbane members will dine at Mu’ooz in West End, a delightful Eritrean restaurant that can cater to the carnivore, vegetarian, vegan, dietary-restricted and, fingers crossed, fussy eater. Regional venues will be announced soon.
• Since you can never have too many reasons to celebrate, remember that January brings Brisbane members together at the summer picnic on Saturday 23 January at Sherwood Arboretum, Sherwood. Watch this space to see if regional social lunches take shape.
• The 2022 speaker presentation program kicks off on Wednesday 2 February with a session about online editing. More details are coming.
To keep up to date with all the events and activities happening around the state, watch the EdsQ Facebook group.