#StetChat: editing courses

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I enjoy #StetChat. It’s an hour-long discussion for editors on Bluesky. Freelancing can be quite solitary sometimes, so I appreciate the chance to chat with other people in my line of work.

This week’s conversation was about certificates and courses for editors. I had a lot to say because I’ve taken quite a few courses over the years.

We began by talking about certificate courses. These are modular programmes with assessments, so it is possible to fail them. I’ve completed the University of California San Diego’s certificate in copyediting. Someone else in the chat had taken the University of Chicago’s editing certificate.

I think it was generally agreed that tutor-assessed courses like these are very useful for editors. They teach techniques that can be used on almost any text. They also show students what good editing looks like.

We then discussed other courses. Among those that received high praise were Library Juice Academy’s introduction to book indexing and the Poynter ACES certificates in editing. I’ve taken a few short courses with Poynter; I think they’re excellent.

Some editors pointed out that editorial training is expensive and not necessarily affordable for everyone.

On the subject of cost, I made the same point twice because I feel quite strongly about it. In the online editing community, there is a very strong culture of training and learning. I think this can sometimes lead people to feel that they need to take courses almost continuously. (I felt like that myself at one point.)

Taking courses feels productive, and it’s often very nice to be part of a learning community. However, there is no guarantee that any course will improve your employment prospects or result in more work.

In my experience, the best courses have assessments, deadlines, interactive activities, reading assignments, and tutors. They often take place over a staggered period, giving the learning a chance to sink in.

Not all courses are equal.

Editing courses that are simply a series of printouts or webpages can feel like overpriced books. Of course, some are worth their weight in gold, but it’s often not until you’ve paid for them that you find out whether they’re any good.

Personally, I’d advise anyone on a tight budget to investigate cheaper alternatives, such as books or podcasts, before committing money to this type of course.

If you’re considering editing as a career, you might find the following books and podcasts help you decide whether or not to spend hundreds on formal training. There is a lot to learn from all of them:

My weekend: Japanese TV and fossils

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I’m a proofreader and line editor. My work often involves checking texts on unfamiliar subjects. I make an effort to learn and consider new things because it keeps me in shape for my work. (And I enjoy it!)

Soft tissue fossils

Recently, I joined the Geologists’ Association. I’ve been catching up with recorded Zoom lectures on their members’ page.

Last week, I learnt that shales are interesting because they’re a record of conditions on the seafloor millions of years ago. This week, I watched a fascinating lecture about the fossilisation of soft tissues.

Soft tissue fossils are rare. The lecturer explained how the pH of the surrounding environment and inside the animal determines whether and which soft tissues are preserved.

We also learnt about the process of decay and how differences between species’ internal pH can mean that some are missing from the fossil record.

Decay is not a palatable subject for the squeamish, but I had to admire how much researchers have discovered. I’m looking forward to picking another recorded lecture from the Geologists’ Association page.

Japanese television drama

When I was little, people used to say that watching too much television would give you square eyes. Documentaries and the news aside, TV wasn’t considered to be educational.

I think the current availability of international television drama has changed all that. We can learn a lot about other countries by watching the TV shows made for their home audiences.

TV drama is rarely an accurate snapshot of life in any place. But it does show us how the producers, directors, and writers assess their target audiences. They want their shows to be popular and enjoyed, so they design characters, settings, and stories to appeal to the viewers they have in mind.

I’ve recently started watching Japanese television drama. I’m currently following Jin (2009–2011), Pending Train (2023–), and The Hot Spot (2025).

Jin is about a brain surgeon transported back in time to 19th-century Japan. Pending Train is about a group of train passengers catapulted into an apocalyptic future. They’re quite different shows, but both have a fairly similar scene. A lead character gives an energising speech to listeners of equal status, encouraging everyone to work together to overcome a serious problem. The listeners respond with enthusiasm. I wonder if these scenes might represent an aspirational ideal to Japanese viewers.

I’m sure there are scenes like that in British dramas, but I think in most cases the inspiring speaker would have to be impeccably credentialed (e.g. a commanding officer, superhero, Time Lord, or rebel leader). What struck me about the Japanese shows is that the speaker was one of the people.

Jin and Pending Train have given me something to consider about a potential subtle difference between Britain and Japan. I’ll be watching out to see if the scene occurs in other shows, but of course, I’ll have to be careful about confirmation bias.