Yesterday’s post was rather disjointed. In recounting the eight steps, I also meant to investigate how I already apply those eight steps in my own approach to language, but no such luck. All of the seminars and meetings I’ve attended have really thrown me for a loop, but in a good way. I’ve met tons of people, gotten several business cards, and am already making plans for following up when I re-enter the real world away from the rarified, summery air of Montreal.

Last evening after the seminar involved a meet-and-greet with hundreds of people; there was free wine and lots of yummy Quebec cheese – oh, how I love chevre cheese with some cranberries! – and even a taste-testing table of Montreal bagels. Afterwards, I went for dinner with three other editors to Le Pelerin Magellan and ate veal curry on a gorgeous backyard patio.

We talked about our careers, and what led each of us into editing. It was simultaneously comforting, humbling, and awe-inspiring. We all want to do the same thing, but the other editors had so much more life experience (international travel! working with microcredit banks! buying a house and watching the property value go up like a rocket!) that I felt like I hadn’t really accomplished anything with  my life.

Today I attended seminars on networking and on explaining grammar, and attended a one-on-one session with a mentor to discuss any question of my choice. I chose to talk about editing rates, and while I still need to figure out a solid rate card, the person I spoke to confirmed that the rates I had chosen for myself were reasonable for my level of experience.  All in all, it was very encouraging.

Then I attended the AGM, and afterwards had dinner with my EAC-appointed member from the Toronto Branch. We’ve figured out how to correspond over the remainder of our appointed mentorship term. I’m going to start doing the Proofreading section of the EAC’s Meeting Professional Editorial Standards series, and he’ll critique my answers to the proofreading exercises. Then I’ll compare his answers to the answer key provided in the handouts I have. Cross-reading the two will be an interesting, and hopefully fruitful, experience.