EditFest: Vancouver

Welcome to EditFest!

Our goals for this event are to help writers make progress on self-editing their work, learn about working with professional editors, and meet editors in a "Speed Dating"-type activity. (We are planning additional events just like this one in other cities around BC for 2025.)

The event features:

• A writing/editing space with snacks, coffee, and tea for the full two days.
• A printer on hand for black and white printing if you need or want to work on paper (by optional donation).
• A seat in our common writing and editing space; coffee, tea, and snacks; a sounding board session; three workshops/presentations; and one live editing session (activity descriptions below).

• Blue pencil sessions can be added at the time of registration or at the event, if space permits.

• We will join our friends from the SFU Writers Studio at the Red Truck Beer Company a few blocks away on the evening of Saturday, December 7 for an unstructured evening gathering to make new friends and talk writing.
• Parking, drinks, and food at the Red Truck Beer Company are not included.

Full Schedule and Workshop Descriptions:

Saturday 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM

An Editor's Tips for Self-Editing

Spoiler Alert: Don't trust your spelling and grammar checkers. In this session, we'll go over some tips and tricks writers can use to get their manuscript in the best possible shape.

Saturday 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM

Editors: What Do They Do?

In this session, learn about the editorial process and the different levels of editing a manuscript might go through. We'll also touch on the different roles played by folks with "editor" in their title in traditional publishing, indie publishing, and magazine publishing.

Sunday 10:30 AM

What to Expect When You're Expecting (to Hire an Editor)

In this session, we'll discuss not only the kinds of questions a writer should ask their potential editor, but also the questions an editor might ask of their potential clients. You've worked on that baby for ages; you want to be sure you're passing it into hands you trust.

Sunday: 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM

Live Editing Session

In this session, we'll work from one attendee’s sample (submitted on Saturday) to highlight opportunities to strengthen one's writing. Tara and the team from Editors BC will offer helpful suggestions of line-by-line edits on our projector. You won't want to miss this event. The chosen submission will be selected based on the best opportunities for education, not the quality of work. Please don't make assumptions that the piece is viewed as "good” or "bad." Instead, see it as a great opportunity to highlight the kinds of changes that make a piece shine.

Activity Descriptions

The Sounding Board

Book a short session to talk to an editor about an issue with your writing. Maybe you're struggling with character motivation or direction. Maybe you need a bit of outside perspective. Maybe you just need to talk out loud until clarity starts to set in. It's like therapy. But for your storytelling.

Speed Dating for Writers and Editors

Not every writer and editor are the right fit for each other. In these lighthearted speed dating sessions, writers and editors get the chance to meet, greet, and evaluate whether they might click--professionally.

Blue Pencils (1000 words) $45 add-on

In these appointments, an editor looks over a few pages of your work, offering suggestions and corrections where appropriate. Typically, blue pencils are most helpful for line and copy editing, where context for the entire work is less necessary.