"8 fit r

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Newsletter of The Society

of Editors (NSW) Inc.

ISSN 1030-2557 PO Box 254, Broadway NSW 2007 December 2001

NESBian Writing and Other Tips Beatr iz Copello, a poet, fiction writer and playwright, has been published in Australia and overseas. Her poetry has appeared in Southerly, Hobo, The Women's Book Review, and many other journals and anthologies. She has won various prizes and was a recipient of an Australia Council Grant for Poetry in 1997. Beatriz works as a psychologist and literary consultant but also teaches creative writing at the WEA.

Views expressed in this article are those of the contributor and not necessarily those of the Society of Editors.

I'm not sure what sort of expectations you have regarding working with non-English speaking background people.

This topic is a very difficult and complex one although it appears easy on the surface. What I will do is provide you with a framework that will assist you with your work as editors. There are no set formulas for working with people from non-English speaking backgrounds because we are not a homogeneous mass of people. Even within ourselves we may have the mixture of various cultures.

For example, consider me. I was born in Argentina of Italian and Spanish heritage. I've lived in Australia longer than anywhere else. So what is my cultural background?

Tonight I 'm going to talk about language and culture. We're about to do an exercise that requires your thinking carefully about your own culture. I want you to draw three or four symbols that you think represent your culture. Now look at the symbols of the person next to you and see what you come up with—any similarities, differences? [Much raucous chatter and laughter!]

What did you find out about the other person's symbols? What symbols did you use?

[Comment]: I 've got a surfboard, a BBQ, a beer, a generic football, a PC and a yacht.

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CHRISTMAS PARTY Tuesday, 4 December 2001

W e would be del ighted to have you jo in us f o r a convivial evening of F r e n c h food, wine and lively conversa t ion a t The Little Snail, 133-135 B r o a d w a y in Ul t imo at 7.00 p .m. f o r 7.30 p .m. T h e cost is S40 inc luding beverages (wine and sof t d r inks ) . P a r t n e r s a n d guests welcome. Please emai l y o u r in ten t ions to <mmripear@ozemail.com.au> or call 02 9913 7799.

Coming meeting: Tuesday, 5 February 2002 Sydney Mechan ic s ' School of Ar t s , 280 Pi t t S t ree t , Sydney (between Park & Bathurst Streets, near the Pilgrim Theatre and Pitt St Uniting Church; the closest train station is Town Hall) at 6.30 p.m. for 7.00 p.m. Drinks and light refreshments provided. Fee S12 for members; SI 5 for non-members and those who don't RSVP; $6 for holders of a current Centrelink or DVA concession card. Please RSVP to 02 9294 4999 (voicemaii) or email <mmripear@ozemail.com.au> by Friday 1 February.

JQ Blue Pencil, December 2001

Blue Pencil Newsletter of the Society of Editors (NSW)

Who else got something similar?

[Comments]: - I've got a computer. - I've got a beach and a beer. - I've got a female symbol, flag,

delete sign and the ABC sign. - Mine is quite different. I don' t

relate to Australia as a place, possibly because of my studies. I drew Celtic symbols—an ancient well and mountains.

JSC: So what do you think this exercise illustrates? There are similarities and differences between us. I don't think I 've told you I 'm a psychologist as well. We tend to judge people as like or unlike us. We assume all sorts of things about other people. And how do we do that? By how people speak, their accents, for a start.

For example, when people hear that I write, the first thing they ask me is, 'Do you write in Spanish?' What do you think they're assuming? That I don't write in English because I have an accent. That's a big assumption.

How else do we make assumptions about people? The way they dress, their gender, sexual orientation, or religion.

It's very difficult to define what culture is because there are also cultures within cultures. For example, in this country there is an indigenous culture within the 'Australian' culture, rural vs urban culture, and so on.

Often this process of judging and assuming is a subconscious one. That is, we do it

automatically. We tend to distrust anyone we judge to be unlike us. Differences make us feel anxious, insecure.

This is the first hint I can give you. Stop and think. Don' t assume anything about anyone you meet.

So what is culture? There have been some attempts to define cultures by their values, by people's perception of reality. This is an interesting concept. The social construction of reality is based on how we see the world around us. We share symbols with people in our groups and in the relationships that we conduct. Culture is not an accidental collection of customs and habits thrown together by chance but rather a logically integrated, sense-making whole. It can be

compared to a biological organism: each of its parts is related to all the others. Quite a complex system as you can see.

What culture does is provide us with a framework with which we interpret the world, and we interpret it in different ways. Our socio-economic status also influences what sort of framework we develop.

A study was once conducted in England of children sitting their final examination. Their assignment was to write a piece entitled Santa Claus Goes on Strike. The kids from affluent backgrounds always fared better in the examination as their stories had a beginning, middle and ending—all the format

requirements of the short story genre. The kids who didn't come from affluent families wrote stories with very short, sharp, snappy segments. The difference was due to the affluent kids being used to reading books so they already had schema in their minds. The non-affluent ones didn't have the same exposure to books so they used television more as a point of reference. The way we are raised determines how we judge things, view and interpret the world around us, as well as how we write.

When any two people meet, they bring with them their own baggage of different attitudes, beliefs and frameworks by which they live. Conflicts arise when someone only views the world through their own eyes.

So how do you communicate with another person? You have to understand the world as that person sees it. You have to ask them what they mean by what they say, why they use a particular word or phrase. In a way, the more different someone seems, the more likely you are to inquire. The more someone seems like you, there's a greater chance you'll make assumptions about that person.

Language is essential to maintaining culture and communication. Traditional linguists interpret language as a system of forms or words—their spelling, pronunciation, inflection, by external characteristics apart from meanings attached to them.

How are meanings expressed? One linguist compared language to an onion: a new meaning is found whenever you peel another layer.

continued on page 3

We tend to distrust anyone we judge to be unlike us. Differences make us feel anxious, insecure.

JQ Blue Pencil, December 2001

Here's a good example from today's newspaper:

'On the set of the musical drama "One Night the Moon", singer Paul Kelly had trouble with one of his lines. Playing a bigot who refuses to let an Aboriginal tracker join the search for his missing daughter. Kelly refused to say the scripted "nigger". Rachel Perkins, the film's director and assistant writer, who is an Aboriginal, attempted to talk him through it. She said, "Look, it's fine. I say it all the time: "nigger, coon." Perkins gesticulates and laughs. However, she failed to convince Kelly. He couldn't even say. "Abo", so it had to be "blacks".'

So there are many meanings behind words.

Take for example the word 'water' which for some of us conjures up images of the beach or a beverage. But to a war veteran who may have been deprived of water, the word is something to be revered, or if it was used as a means of torture, the word would have another meaning altogether.

Another example is Bob Iiawke. In Japan he once said, 'I won't play silly buggers with you.' This was translated as. 'I won't play funny homosexual with you.'

[Comment]: My children picked flowers from a tree in a Fijian village where they were going to school, and they gave them to the hostess whose entire family laughed at them. The Fijians couldn't understand the message behind the gesture, why you

would pick flowers and give them to someone when, in their view, they were meant to remain in the garden. My children were humiliated.

BC: I'll read you some examples but won't tell you the name of the authors:

'Dancing with a severed waist. So much tender with tearful eyes, clear ever, so much beautiful that my heart slices off. The severed story, charmingly reflected on the pond have been raised up high on the plough rainbow so that the dance embellish in neat and proper movement. As if a cloud comes up, as if a wind comes up, embracing this severed waist with great care.'

The translator or the editor needed to ask a lot of questions about that one. Here's another one:

'The kiss. For all races the kiss is alike. A Muslim, or a Hindu, a Christian or a Jew—it makes love for all. The kiss is non-communal. The kiss is adorable. It wipes all my cares about the colour of grief. In all its forms a kiss is a kiss without black or white signs. It knows no territorial! bounds.'

This one really got me intrigued:

'I am almost wild for the hanging coffin. Each word would burn dry my blood in heart. The substances

vomited from my stomach tear the span in half. My heart is also put on the table. The heart and blood take care of each other. I bet someone will offer a high price.'

As did this one about Australian Medicare:

'Service with a smile and sympathetic words to cheer. Dedication to work entrusted with feelings sincere. Health benefits so generous and unique in the world, Is Australia's Medicare system available to all. No matter who you are or where you belong, Your life is precious as an Australian person all along. Such caring nurses, doctors, ambulance teams too, All will see to the minutest detail of ailments too. This vital benefit gives tremendous peace of mind, Life's greatest security one can never find.'

It's not just the language. It's the politics behind it.

Another question to ask writers is, 'Are you writing for a minority or for the general public?' This one is really strange. It's called 'Useless Things':

'Having a bowel movement is creating body waste, not too

stiff.. .contains various things such as nice colour. Afterwards

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What culture does is provide us with a framework with which we interpret the world, and we

interpret it in different ways.

JQ Blue Pencil, December 2001

feeling so cleaned, feeling refreshed, feeling like standing upright.'

If this piece is intended for the Australian public, the writer needs to be aware of Australian culture. The writing may be technically sound but what about the hidden message? Defecating is a taboo subject to Westerners and the writer needs to bear that in mind.

Writers need to consider who they are writing for, what message is being conveyed, and how people will interpret that message.

[Comment]: As someone in a literary assessment role, if someone were to send you that Medicare poem, what would you say to them?

BC: I 'd ask whether the book will be self-published or, if not, by whom? Many commercial publishers would have a field day with the grammar. Literary assessments can be difficult. Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind because people think they're going to be published but don't realise how much work is required for that to happen.

[Comment]: I was working as an editor with a Coastal Group recently and was asked to edit a number of written pieces, one of which came from a German woman. It was an horrific piece involving bodies in various states of mutilation, which was to be self-published. It was a disgusting concept which gave me

nightmares, yet this woman could see nothing wrong with it.

BC: I had a similar experience recently at Wollongong University. One of the other doctoral students gave a rather macabre presentation of photographs of dead bodies. Half the class stood up and left the room as our culture is generally not accepting of this sort of thing. By contrast, the Mexican people celebrate death and even hold an annual festival which includes visiting a cemetery filled with mummified bodies. So what's entirely acceptable to one culture, may not be appropriate to another.

There are simple things that happen when we do translations

such as simple replacements of words, but there are also more subtle things that are harder to make people aware of. This makes it much more difficult for us to work with people whose culture is different from ours.

[Comment]: This discussion makes me reflect on an instance where massive cultural difference made my task easier as an editor with the Department of Public Health. We had these PhD students from Kenya striving to write papers for publication in academic journals. Their English was very good but certainly not publishable.

My task was to go through the language, fix it as appropriate, explain why I was making various changes, and to

take that person through the expectations of academic journals. It was a dream of a job as the students' intention was clear: they wanted to be published and needed my help to do that.

I now work in a public sector organisation that has a regulatory and educational role. I find that the people who are the hardest to edit and work with are those who are almost illiterate but from my own culture.

BC: There are lots of things which make us more alike and one of those is education. In some instances, the closer we are culturally, the more difficult it can be. We can be very unlike someone from a remote culture but if that person is well educated, you find that you have more in common than with someone who is not educated at all.

[Comment]: Can I ask you about your experiences of being edited?

BC: For many years I wrote psychological reports and essays but then became really enmeshed with creative writing. I gave one particular psychological report of mine to a colleague who said, 'It reads like a great novel!' I had completely forgotten the psychological genre and used flowery language which made a 'story' out of a 'case'.

At university I ran into immediate difficulties with my previous supervisor who wanted me to read and study the angry voices of American Latinas. I objected as I don't have an angry voice and don't really have anything in common with those people.

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Writers need to consider who they are writing for, what message is being conveyed, and how people

will interpret that message.

JQ Blue Pencil, December 2001

accreditation system was introduced, national action could still be project-led at this "developmental' stage. The key mechanisms to work out were ways of monitoring activity and keeping it on track, calling and running meetings as necessary, and not losing good ideas.

P r i n c i p l e s An approach based on the following principles is proposed:

• CASE is a mechanism for national cooperation rather than a national organisation; it is a 'council of delegates' rather than a representative body with power of its own.

• CASE would make proposals which are then taken back to the state societies for endorsement; CASE does not make decisions which bind the societies.

• Proposals would be developed at CASE meetings by consensus, not by majority vote.

• Each CASE proposal would have a convenor or CASE delegate who is responsible for it, and an indicative costing if relevant.

• Once a CASE proposal is endorsed by all the societies, it becomes a national activity. If a particular society does not endorse a CASE proposal, further discussion can occur between the society and CASE, via the delegate responsible for the proposal.

• If a proposal establishes a national working group, the first task of that working group would be to establish

how it will operate, including a protocol for consultation with members of each society; and a mechanism for providing regular progress reports that can be published in state newsletters.

• The cost of agreed national activities would be met by all the societies on a pro rata basis, with proportions determined according to the membership income of each society as published in its most recent end-of-financial-year accounts.

• CASE would consist of one delegate from each of the state and territory societies. As the NT is not yet a formally constituted society and the costs of an NT delegate attending meetings would be very high, the initial idea was that the NT society would be included in all correspondence and discussions via email. However, the NT society has subsequently suggested that it send a delegate to CASE meetings without subsidy from the other societies (i.e. that any NT delegate would make their own funding arrangements) until the society becomes formally incorporated.

M e e t i n g s The idea is to hold up to two national meetings per calendar year. Usually one meeting would be of CASE itself and one of a national working group, but CASE could decide that both should be working group meetings, or that no meetings at all are required that year.

Meetings would be held alternately in Sydney and Melbourne (as the most cost-effective central locations), or in another city if this is necessary or convenient for a special reason e.g. in conjunction with a national conference. Costs would include travel costs (airfares, transfers, petrol), accommodation if required, meeting venue if required, catering during the meeting; per diem of $25 per day per 'away from home' delegate.

Indicative cost: $4000 per meeting (based on the cost and membership income distribution for the October 2001 meeting; this would mean a cost of around $ 1200 per meeting for the NSW society).

A c t i v i t y b e t w e e n m e e t i n g s The society hosting a meeting would organise the venue and accommodation, and provide a secretary for that meeting, who would then become the 'CASE secretary' until the next CASE meeting. The CASE secretary would be responsible for such things as keeping an up-to-date CASE contact list; monitoring the progress of agreed national activities and keeping delegates informed of this; calling the next meeting and ensuring the host society has the information it needs to organise and run the meeting; and handing over to the next meeting secretary.

The CASE secretary would not act as the public point of contact for CASE, nor as the point of contact between individual society members and CASE. Communication with members would be handled through each society's delegate, and any correspondence from CASE or its working groups would be handled by

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JQ Blue Pencil, December 2001

She was stereotyping me because of my accent and where I was born. I ultimately changed supervisors.

[Comment]: What sort of people approach you for assessments?

BC: Lots of different people. One sad case involved a girl who had a 500 page manuscript of her life story which had absolutely no literary value whatsoever. She'd once been a street kid on drugs and then was rehabilitated. I had to do the job, although gently and carefully so as not to hurt her feelings. I focused on the positive aspects of her work and showed her what styles to use to improve the manuscript.

One particular gentleman was writing a kids' story. His family was sick of hearing about it, so he came to me for an objective opinion. I thought it was a great story.

Other people come to me because their writing has been rejected and they want to know why. I 'm a literary assessor or literary consultant and not a literary agent.

[Comment]: Do you use creative writing in your psychology?

BC: No. I have to be very objective so I use a different side of the brain!

[Comment]: Did you do any of this work in your native country?

BC: No, I was a creative writer. I started psychology here and did a BA and then a Masters in Counselling. I then went on to study creative writing, got a UTS diploma in creative writing, and an MA in English at Sydney University.

I am now doing a Doctorate in creative writing at Wollongong University. For my topic I 'm writing a novel and will then do a dissertation and theoretical reflection on my novel.

[Comment]: Creative writing in South America seems to be going in a very different direction from Australian creative writing. Do you see yourself as part of the Australian tradition?

BC: That's what I have to write about. I have to reflect back. I didn't know I was a magic realist writer until someone told me! You might say that I 'm an Australian magic realist writer with a Latina background.

Well, thank you so much for inviting me to speak about this topic. You've been a very stimulating audience and I hope what I said can be of help to you.

Beatriz Copello has written fiction, and poetry, namely: Women Souls and Shadows (Bemac Publications), Forbidden Steps Under the Wisteria (Abbott Bentley), A Call to the Stars (Crown Publishers), and this month her poetry book Meditations at the Edge of a Dream (Glass House Books-Interactive Publications) was launched at the N S W Writers ' Centre.

Her play Malinche's Fire was performed at the Belvoir Theatre, Sydney in 1999.

She is current completing a Doctorate of Creative Arts (majoring in Creative Writing) at the University of Wollongong.

CASE Meeting, Sydney 20-21 October 2001

Exploring the potential for national cooperation A meeting of delegates from all societies of editors except the NT and WA was held in Sydney on the weekend of 20-21 October 2001 to discuss options for national cooperation. The WA delegate was unable to attend at the last minute because of family illness, but both WA and the NT have since made contributions via email. Shelley Kenigsberg and Cathy Gray attended for NSW, Shelley as the NSW delegate and Cathy as the meeting secretary.

One of the most important items on the agenda was operation of the Council of Australian Societies of Editors (CASE). CASE was conceived in 1998 as a loose structure to enable the societies to work together on national projects, the first of which was development of the Australian Standards for Editing Practice.

It was never intended as a formally constituted body but its principles of operation were never articulated. This meant that misunderstandings arose about its role in relation to the state societies, and once the standards project was completed there was no mechanism in place to move forward.

Proposed structure and operation of CASE After much discussion, the attendees considered that, although a more formal structure would be necessary eventually if something like an

continued on page 6

5 Blue Pencil, December 2001

the CASE delegate responsible for that national activity.

Cost: Time (nil dollars).

O t h e r p r o p o s a l s The meeting also developed a range of other proposals.

Standards That the SA society archive on CD material relating to the development of the standards, and hold this archive and a backup copy on behalf of all the societies. Cost: Time (nil dollars).

That a 'wrap up report' on the development of the standards be compiled and sent to all societies as well as included in the archive. Cost: Time (nil dollars).

That the SA society take responsibility for monitoring stock held by each society, advising a society that needs stock how to get it, and notifying CASE when a reprint may be required. Cost: Time (nil dollars).

That the standards should continue to be distributed free by all states. PDF should be considered as a distribution option where possible. If a reprint is decided on, this should be funded on the same pro-rata basis as CASE meeting costs. Current format to be used for any reprints; re-design to be considered as part of the review process. Cost: Print cost (to be determined).

That a review of the standards be initiated no later than April 2004 (three years after publication).

Accreditation That an Accreditation Working Group be established, with a delegate from each society and convened by Janet Mackenzie, to:

• set out why accreditation is being investigated;

• research how other organisations and professions handle it;

• set out the principles which should underlie any accreditation system for editors;

• develop a series of possible models (probably two plus the option of no accreditation) to be put to the members.

The meeting noted that state workshops should be held at least half way through, to discuss the results of the research phase, as well as later, to discuss the possible models.

It was also noted that EditForce had embarked on the development of an accreditation system for journalists and editors. Shelley Kenigsberg would act as a point of communication between CASE and EditForce, being sensitive to the potential for conflict of interest as each group develops its approach.

Cost: Meeting costs (see above).

Promoting the editing profession Victoria volunteered to develop a proposal for a CASE promotional campaign focusing on raising the profile of the editing profession, against the background of the development of the standards. The message would be something like: consider the value that a 'professional editor'—someone who has the knowledge and skills set out in the standards—can add to a

communication/publishing process. Cost: Time only, nil dollars at

this stage ($ to be included in proposal).

It was also noted that societies should be encouraged to nominate people for AO awards. Nomination forms can be obtained from: Order of Australia Nomination Forms, Government House, Canberra; Freecall: 1 800 552 275.

Thesis editing Tasmania tabled a draft letter to the Australian Vice Chancellors Committee on the ethics of thesis editing. Once all societies have had a chance to comment on the draft, the idea is that this letter be sent to the AVCC, signed by the Tasmanian society with all state societies listed. Cost: Nil.

If you want to participate in reviewing the draft of this letter, please contact Shelley Kenigsberg or a member of the committee.

National conference The meeting discussed the benefit of holding a national conference for editors, based on the experience of the joint editors/indexers conference in Canberra this year. It is proposed to form a national working group, convened by Queensland, to work towards a national conference for editors in Brisbane in winter 2003.

Cost: Time (nil dollars at this stage—working group would probably be able to work without actually meeting).

National website Queensland offered to develop a proposal for a simple national website to act as a kind of 'portal' to the state sites. Cost: Time (nil dollars at this stage).

continued on page 8

JQ Blue Pencil, December 2001

National discussion list SA offered its Editalk discussion list as a national discussion list. All state society members are welcome to join this list: simply go to <http://www.editors-sa. org. au/html/editalk. htm> and click on 'Subscribe'. Unsubscribing is just as simple.

R e s p o n s e f r o m t h e soc ie t i e s The committees of all the societies have since met, and although some modifications have been suggested, all the proposals developed at the meeting have fundamentally been endorsed by all the societies.

A n d A n a l l y . . . a w o r d f r o m y o u r c o m m i t t e e

T h e c a s e f o r C A S E We hope that from the above detailed outline you have a clearer idea of CASE. Perhaps till now, it wasn't as widely known or understood as it should be.

According to our recent member survey, there was some uncertainty about just what it is, and what it is about. You can see that there was a very successful and energising meeting of CASE in October, so we want each member to feel informed and, indeed, welcome any feedback or input to any of the recommendations arising from that meeting. You have the opportunity at any stage, but particularly at next year's AGM, to confirm these recommendations, nominate yourself for a working group (or not) as the case may be.

Let's again be clear about what CASE isn't: it is not a formally constituted federal body. It is federal in the sense that it

involves all state societies, but it is not in any sense a 'National Society of Editors'. It is simply a mechanism for the state societies to communicate, to exchange ideas, and—when relevant—to collaborate.

In principle, the individuals who make up CASE are the presidents of the state societies, although the Victorian society has actually made a formal appointment of a CASE delegate.

In any event, those individuals are there to do one thing: to speak on behalf of their societies to others who are representing their societies.

S o w h a t ' s g o o d a b o u t t h a t ? Throughout the country, editors face similar pressures and have similar needs. Sometimes an editor will move from one state to another; often an editor will have an employer or client who engages editors in other states. Clearly, we all stand to gain by adopting a national perspective. By talking to each other, the state societies can at least avoid working at cross purposes; by working with each other, they can achieve economies of scale and other benefits.

Joint, common, shared, national—pick your own word to describe the perspectives that CASE brings and the activities it makes possible. We've already seen one such activity: a uniform set of standards to define the editorial role. There's another in the pipeline: a national conference, where editors will be able to meet colleagues and share news and views, as well as hear stimulating and informative presentations.

So CASE doesn't represent a change to the autonomy of our state society, nor is it a way of introducing anything our members wouldn't want. Rather, it 's a way of sharing resources, knowledge, and ideas—to the benefit of each state society, and therefore to the benefit of the profession and its practitioners throughout the country.

ASA Christmas Party, Sydney 13 December 2001

The Australian Society of Authors is holding its annual Christmas party at Berkelouw's, 70 Norton Street in Leichhardt, on Thursday 13 December at 7.00 p.m.

They will be launching one of their publications, the third edition of Australian Book Contracts, at the function. There will also be several readings.

Our society members are welcome to attend at a cost of $5 but must notify your intention to do so to our Secretary, Merry Pearson, by either email <mmripear@ozemail.com.au> or by phone 02 9913 7799 by Monday 10 December.

Following your confirmation to Merry that you'd like to attend, you will then be required to send her a cheque to cover your attendance.

New Society Members

The society extends a warm welcome to the following new members:

Helen Cumming Adrian McCunn

JQ Blue Pencil, December 2001

Society of Editors (NSW) Inc.

PO Box 254 Broadway NSW 2007; voicemail: (02) 9294 4999 w w w . u s e r s . b i g p o n d . c o m / s o c e d n s v v

M e m b e r s h i p Membership of the Society of Editors (NSW) Inc. is open to anyone working as an editor for publication (print or electronic documents), and anyone who supports the society's aims. Membership runs for a calendar year. Fees for 2001 are S50 (new members); $45 renewals. For an application form, phone (02) 9294 4999, write to PO Box 254, Broadway NSW 2007 or visit the website.

Blue Pencil The society's newsletter. Blue Pencil, is published monthly, except for a combined January/February issue. Your comments and contributions are welcome. Please send any copy for the January/February issue to: <skenigs@bigpond.com>. The deadline for that issue is Monday 14 January.

A d v e r t i s i n g r a t e s Full page S90; half page S50 (horizontal only); one-third page $35 (vertical or horizontal); quarter page $25 (horizontal only); sixth page $20 (half of one column). Inserts: $50 per hundred for DL-sized or A4 prefolded to DL size. Circulation: approx. 300.

L i s t i n g in t h e E d i t o r i a l S e r v i c e s D i r e c t o r y Listing costs $40 and is available only to members of the society. The fee covers listings in both print and online versions. The online version is updated every three months. Submit new entries in RTF format, using a template available from Cathy Gray at <cgray@mpx.com.au>. For existing entries, updates can be made to contact details only.

C o m m i t t e e meet ings All members are welcome to attend the society's committee meetings. Contact a committee member for details if you wish to attend the next meeting.

NSW Department of State and Regional Development Home Based Business Program, Sydney

Your committee has negotiated with the NSW Department of State and Regional Development (DSRD) to have the society's members included in their Home-Based Business Program, to be delivered in Sydney over three months from early 2002.

This program aims to provide a combination of training, business facilitation, and networking services to a group of home-based businesses in the visual communications and information technology sectors, with support from relevant industry associations.

Intended benefits to participating home-based business operators include:

• increased business management skills;

• identification and facilitation of growth potential strategies; and

• opportunities to network and develop strategic alliances.

The DSRD is currently assessing preliminary interest in the program.

To express your interest, please send an email by M o n d a y 10 D e c e m b e r 2 0 0 1 to Michael Lewis at <mlewis@brandle.com.au>. Michael will collate all responses and pass the results on to the DSRD.

You must be operating your business at home or from home in order to participate.

S c i e n c e E d i t o r s ' A c c r e d i t a t i o n — B E L S e x a m i n a t i o n t o b e h e l d i n A u s t r a l i a

The Board of Editors in the Life Sciences (BELS) in the United States has an accreditation process for life science editors, centred on a three-hour written examination.

The qualifying examination is to be held for the first time in Australia on Saturday, 30 March 2002 from 9.30 a.m. to 2.30 p.m. at the Sydney Mechanics' School of Arts, 280 Pitt Street.

The aims of certification are:

• to provide qualified manuscript editors in the life sciences a way to demonstrate their editorial proficiency;

• to provide employers and clients of manuscript editors in the life sciences a way to identify proficient editors; and

• to establish a standard of proficiency for editing in the life sciences.

Currently there are a few hundred certified members but the number is growing rapidly as this qualification becomes better known.

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JQ Blue Pencil, December 2001

To become eligible for the certification examination, you must have a bachelor's degree and at least two years experience as a manuscript editor in the life sciences. Some substitution of education and experience are allowed.

You don' t need to have an academic background in science, although you do need experience in editing scientific material. Many general editors have taken the exam and passed it.

If you want to take the examination, you must register well in advance. To register, you submit to the Board an academic transcript, your curriculum vitae and three letters attesting to your editing experience. When these have been accepted, BELS will send you a study guide. Your registration lasts for three years, during which time you may apply for any of the scheduled examinations.

Registration costs US$25 and the examination costs US$100 (Australians can pay by Mastercard or Visa).

An information booklet is available but all the information contained therein is also on the BELS website <www.bels.org> . If you would like a copy of the booklet or if you have any questions, contact Rhana Pike on <rhanap@ozemail.com.au> or telephone 02 9569 7831, fax 02 9569 1641.

SOCIETY OF EDITORS (NSW) INC. 2001 COMMITTEE

Pres iden t : Shelley K e n i g s b e r g Phone: ( 02 )9130 6752 Fax: (02) 9475 0290 Email: skenigs@bigpond.com

Vice P re s iden t : Michae l Lewis Phone: (02) 9889 3677 (w) Fax: (02) 9889 3688 (w) Email: mlewis@brandle.com.au

Secre ta ry : M e r r y P e a r s o n Phone/Fax: (02) 9913 7799 (w/h) Email. mmripear@ozemail.com.au

T r e a s u r e r : J a n i c e Beavan Phone: ( 02 )9660 0335 Fax: (02) 9660 9375 Email: JBeavan@bigpond.com

M e m b e r s h i p Sec re t a ry : R o b e r t P e a r s o n Phone/Fax: (02) 9913 7799 (h) Email. mmripear@ozemail.com.au

Newsle t te r E d i t o r : V a c a n t Newsle t te r Ass is tants :

Irene Sharpham Email. sharpham@northnet.com.au Josie Evans Email: evansjosie@hotmail .com

M a r k e t i n g C o o r d i n a t o r : V a c a n t Meet ings C o o r d i n a t o r : T e r r y J o h n s t o n

Phone/Fax: (02) 9337 4126 Email. pnayp@ozemail.com.au

T r a i n i n g C o o r d i n a t o r s : Rowena Lennox Email: rlennox@shoalhaven.net.au Pauline Waugh Email: paul inewaugh@ozemail .com .au

Webs i t e C o o r d i n a t o r : L y n n e T a a f f e Email: taffi ka@ozemai 1. com. au

Publ ic i ty C o o r d i n a t o r : V a c a n t Gene ra l M e m b e r s : Robin Appleton Email: icegreenapple@alpha.net.au Jocelyn Hargrave Email: j oc_stu@d ingob 1 ue. net. au Jane Hinton Email: hintonj@webmail.com.au Liina Meiusi Email: meiusi@ozemail.com.au Heather Jamieson Email: heatherj am ieson@ozemail .com

C a t e r i n g Of f i ce r : V a c a n t

JQ Blue Pencil, December 2001