Professional editing course begins in fall; info session set for Aug. 14

This fall, Western Washington University’s Extended Education will offer Professional Editing: For Print and Online, a nine-month weekly evening course to prepare participants for in-house or freelance editing work.

Unique to this program, Western’s Professional Editing course includes training in the verbal and visual aspects of editing, including layout, color, use of photographs and informational graphics. Classes are taught in a university computer lab, where participants learn and use software programs standard in the field.

An information session is scheduled for 5:30-6:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 14, at Village Books in Fairhaven.

The course will take place on Western’s campus, beginning Wednesday, Sept. 26. Classes are held in the weekly in the evening to accommodate the schedule of working professionals.

The professional editing program includes:

• Copyediting - Story shapes and overall flow, sentence-level work on accuracy and grammar, corrections for punctuation, and use of Associated Press and Chicago styles
• InDesign (optional short course) - Page-layout capabilities are discussed in a computer lab for hands-on training
• Editing Visual Components - Principles of design, hands-on exercises, and layout creation
• Grammar for Editors - Intensive review of common grammatical problems
• Advanced Editing – Incorporation of the text and visual editing skills learned and progress to substantial editing to assist in envisioning a publication and working with writers to fill gaps or reshape writing
• Professional Editing: For Print and Online is open to community members, though participants should have an associate’s or bachelor’s degree and some experience writing and editing in a business or news environment.

For details and registration information, visit the course website, email extendededucation@wwu.edu or call (360) 650-3308.