Jill Garvin Durkin Jill Garvin Durkin

Immediate Availability!

Due to outside forces and scheduling changes, I have an unexpected block of time available for new editing projects. If you want a job done between now and Christmas 2024, get in touch!

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Jill Garvin Durkin Jill Garvin Durkin

Double Double, Toil and Trouble…

Hallowe’en is coming up, and all things spooky are popular once more! Of course, spookiness is in the eye of the beholder. Sometimes, if you change your point of view, a whole new picture emerges…

What if the witches in MacBeth weren’t supernatural horrors, but were instead wise women: herbalists, perhaps?

Here’s a thought exercise about what they might be trying to achieve.

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Jill Garvin Durkin Jill Garvin Durkin

Developmental Editing vs. Manuscript Evaluation

People often ask me what the difference is between a manuscript evaluation and a developmental edit. It finally occurred to me that a direct comparison of what you get from each service might be a good idea.

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Jill Garvin Durkin Jill Garvin Durkin

Fall 2024 Sale

On the fence about booking an editor? Between now and September 30th, firm bookings will be discounted 15% off standard rates.

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Jill Garvin Durkin Jill Garvin Durkin

Taking Action

When writing from close points of view, particularly first-person narration, it’s important to distinguish (in the author’s head) the differences between conscious motions and unconscious or involuntary movements.

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Jill Garvin Durkin Jill Garvin Durkin

Changing Perspectives

An individual’s perspective is the result of a combination of factors: personal experience, age, knowledge and education, cultural expectations, and mood. Consider the solar eclipse.

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Jill Garvin Durkin Jill Garvin Durkin

Weasel Words and Waffling

It was Groundhog Day last week. I don’t have any editing stories about groundhogs, but I do want to talk about an arguably verminous aspect of writing: weasel words and waffling. Haven’t heard of these terms? Read on to find out.

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Jill Garvin Durkin Jill Garvin Durkin

Welcome, 2024

This is January in Ottawa. It’s snowy. It's cold. Yes, we make jokes about the weather hurting our faces, but it could definitely be worse. Look: it was sunny today!

Have you made any writing resolutions or goals this year? This is the perfect time to book your editing!

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Jill Garvin Durkin Jill Garvin Durkin

Holiday Prep, and discount!

Get a jump on your holiday releases! Between now and September 9th, firm bookings will be discounted 15% off standard rates.

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Jill Garvin Durkin Jill Garvin Durkin

New Service: Manuscript Evaluation

Did you hear? As of August 2023, Bright Owl Edits is offering manuscript evaluations. Not everyone knows what that is, so here’s a quick explanation.

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Jill Garvin Durkin Jill Garvin Durkin

A Writer’s Toast

May the white page never scare you.

may your pen or keyboard flow …

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Jill Garvin Durkin Jill Garvin Durkin

Misadventures in Baking

I don’t bake.

I should qualify this. It’s not so much that I can’t bake, as much as I choose not to. I don’t enjoy it, and will usually avoid the exercise. I enjoy cooking, and flatter myself that I’m pretty good at it. I excel at identifying ingredients and have good instincts for pairings and combinations. I am constantly adjusting dishes, tasting and smelling and figuring out ways to improve the results.

That’s not how baking works.

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Jill Garvin Durkin Jill Garvin Durkin

Wishes for Writers

I hope your book gets wrecked.

I hope the wonderful, pristine object you are so proud of, becomes tattered and stained.

I hope the spine gets cracked from being opened over and over …

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Jill Garvin Durkin Jill Garvin Durkin

Get to Know the Editor: What Do I Read for Fun?

What do editors do in their spare time? Read, of course!

Yes, I read a lot for work, but I still love to wind down and relax with a book. Here’s what I’ve read (recreationally) in the last year or so.

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Jill Garvin Durkin Jill Garvin Durkin

The Toy Cars

My little boy is standing in his room in his shark pajamas, crying for me in the dark. His calls of “Mamaaaa!” woke me and brought me to his side. Kneeling down to wrap my arms around him, I can feel the wet tear tracks on his cheek.

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Jill Garvin Durkin Jill Garvin Durkin

When did you last update your resumé or CV?

For a lot of people, updating their resumé one of those chores that only gets done when it’s absolutely necessary; specifically, when they’re applying for a new job, or their current employer is re-working the company website and asks for their blurb. Procrastinators of the world, unite! Tomorrow.

BUT, did you know that the best time to update or re-work it is when you don’t have a pressing need? Here are the reasons why:

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Jill Garvin Durkin Jill Garvin Durkin

English is So Weird - Vol. I

Should you lose your bearings in the woods, just bear east, past the burial ground, and you will soon arrive at the berry patch. This time of year, the shrubs bear delicious berries. But beware:

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