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                      Physical Sciences and Engineering
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                      After completing her Master's in Geochemistry, this
                      editor's life took a literary turn. She is a published
                      novelist (Dell and Avalon), and a frequent contributor to
                      the University of British Columbia's The Graduate
                      magazine. She also edits science articles and is an active
                      member of the Editors' Association of Canada.
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                      You have published six articles in 2005 and two in
                        2006. So are you primarily a writer or an
                        editor?
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                      I am a writer. It's what I have always wanted to be.
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                      So then, what made you decide to become an
                        editor?
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                      After graduating, I worked at McGill University in
                      geochemistry and co-authored a paper that was published in
                      Canadian Spectroscopy. I debuted as a writer in 1975 with
                      my first novel, and since then I have written 5 novels and
                      published one more in 2005. Besides writing, I joined the
                      Editors' Association of Canada in 1992 with the intention
                      of extending the range of my work. I learned the ABCs of
                      editing in workshops conducted by the association. Having
                      written for a long time, I was familiar with editing.
                      Since joining EAC, I have edited over 50 science articles
                      for journal publication, written and edited over 90 job
                      descriptions for 15 government departments, and have also
                      edited non-fiction, novels, press releases, and articles.
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                      Why did you take up literature? It's not the usual
                        choice for a Geology graduate, is it?
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                      Yes, I majored in Geology at university and followed it up
                      with Geochemistry. Somewhere along the way, getting
                      involved in technicalities and the minutiae of science
                      lost its appeal. I have been interested in arts like
                      painting and literature since I was a student; so, I
                      decided to go down that road. But I'm a scientist at
                      heart. I wrote "Stephen Hawking in Seattle" in 2006 and
                      "Einstein and the World Year of Physics" in 2005, which
                      are about science. Editing theses on geology rekindles
                      many memories. People cannot be experts in all things at
                      the same time. But geochemistry is still my home base.
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                      Does the fact that you are a writer affect your work as
                        an editor?
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                      Writers spend lots of time doing research, but then
                      struggle to succeed as novelists. Most editors don't spend
                      time on research, but I do. I take great effort to
                      understand what authors want to convey and to judge
                      whether they are expressing their intentions and
                      information correctly. I try to gain knowledge of all
                      things as accurately as possible. To be a writer is to
                      develop such an attitude.
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                      So, you like to be perfect. How exactly does one get to
                        be a "perfect editor"?
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                      Exactly! I am a perfectionist and everything I do has to
                      be the best. When I edit, I have to go back to the text,
                      comprehend the context, extract the meaning, and try to
                      express it in a lucid manner. In cases where I cannot
                      guess what the author is trying to convey, which happens
                      sometimes when English is a second language for the
                      author, I will re-read the text several times. Usually, I
                      will work on a hard copy first and then return to the
                      monitor; so, editing for me is a time consuming process.
                      In order to make work satisfying, I take the time I need.
                      It's the same when I write.
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                      What is the most important thing to keep in mind when
                        editing?
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                      Everything. Everything! A period, a space, whatever,
                      everything. My eyes fall on everything.
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                      In order to make the finished product perfect, the
                        original document itself should be readable to a certain
                        extent, right? What should authors keep in mind while
                        writing?
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                      I would like authors to study the journals to which they
                      plan to submit their work. Sometimes, I am stunned to find
                      that the document does not follow the journal guidelines
                      even after I have done everything to make the document
                      compatible. I am a scientist and have considerable
                      experience in submitting theses; so I wonder why authors
                      commit such mistakes. I strongly suggest that authors
                      check journal guidelines before they start writing.
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