Kate Turner

Don't sleep on Katherine's brilliant academic writing groups!

haha well you are definitely not the only one - can't tell you how many times I've read "spurned to action" (and honestly, I'm probably guilty of it too - this is why editors need editors!).

and thanks! love your artwork on your pg!

Today in easily confused words:

spur (verb): to incite to action or accelerated growth or development*
"I was spurred to action."

spurn (verb): to reject with disdain or contempt*
“I spurn the very idea of black tea without milk.”

*Defs from Merriam-Webster

#amediting #AcWri #writingtips

Registration just opened for the next session of Katherine's ever-popular writing groups (seriously, these things booked up quick last time)! An excellent opportunity to build community and get support for your summer writing goals.

Jo’s Serpentine Swim! 7 years ago I was in a road crash. Without the work of London Air Ambulance and work of Royal London Hospital I would have lost my leg and maybe my life. As it is I’ve been able to regain a lot of my

7 years ago my beloved cousin almost lost her leg, now she's doing a half-mile outdoor swim to raise money for the London Air Ambulance (without whom we may have lost her). Consider sponsoring her here: 2025swimserpentine.enthuse.com/pf/jo-serpen...

Trying to find an academic press for your book? This post has some really valuable tips to help you feel confident about your sample chapter.

Don't buy shit, write your book

I have had way too many projects die because I burned through all my energy talking about them rather than working on them. On the flip side, I find that not talking about them at all leaves them feeling inert and less real.
So, think I may have to steal this genius idea.

A ring of intricate filigreed blackletter script, the outer ring quotes a w.h. auden poem

a piece from my calligraphy professor Carl Kurtz.
September 1, 1939 "We Must Love One Another or Die"

contact — kate turner, editor

📝A rare last-minute editing slot just opened up in my calendar! Reach out if you're looking for a second set of eyes on an academic or non-fiction writing project - we could be getting it off your desk before you know it.
www.kateturnereditor.com/contact

I just got an email from a student who read my book for their research and wanted to let me know they really enjoyed it. This has brighten up my day, and I encourage you all to write to authors to tell them you enjoyed reading their book. We all need this extra boost right now.

I do feel cleansed 🧼✨

Aw it makes me happy to see people posting about Drag Race here - and am also a big Jewels fan. My wife and I will be ending our Valentine’s date catching up on the new ep ☺️

This reminds me of getting into an argument with my HEADTEACHER when I was about six. He was convinced that the capital city of the USA was just "Washington," whereas I was pretty sure the "DC" part was an important detail. Similarly, it was a scales-fall-from-eyes kind of moment.

How do I hear myself think? — kate turner, editor Making Space for Your Own Ideas

It's more than a little difficult to hear yourself think right now. And if you can't do that, it's pretty much impossible to take meaningful action, show up thoughtfully for your community, or create your best work.

Here's some gentle ways to create more space for your own ideas.

You are thirsty. Attempts to drink from the firehose of dread will do nothing for that. It'll bruise your face and hurt your neck. You know what WILL quench that thirst?

Doing something.

Some valuable insider insight on starting a successful developmental editing business

The sun peeks through bare trees in a snowy forest. There are some mysterious animal tracks in the foreground.

Today's the last day to subscribe before I send out my next writing and seasonality newsletter. Featuring musings on: writing through The Darkness, making space in your mind for your own ideas (cc: The Darkness), and Toni Morrison's ideal writing space.

www.kateturnereditor.com/newsletter

Been thinking a lot about the particular role that writers and editors can play in ~These Times~. Historically, we have been vital voices in countering misinformation and hopelessness, but things are looking a lot more complicated in this buck wild information ecosystem.

If you’re trying to de-Meta your life right now, just a reminder that Zuck also owns WhatsApp - which is a very heavily used app for many of us. Talking to lots of people recently who had forgotten or had never known this was the case. Highly recommend Signal as an alternative.

Timeless advice: act stupid

I have a little plea and it's this: please keep posting about things that aren't The Horrors. I am not saying to not look at or be informed about The Horrors. What I am saying—what I am genuinely kind of begging you to do—is keep posting about books and movies and sunsets and pets and joy. Please.

Anyone on Bluesky planning on partaking in Fun-A-Day this Feb (or doing it this month)? Thinking of posting my daily thing here. If you don’t know wtf I’m on about-it’s a cool daily art challenge. Info below from the Philly contingent (who do theirs in January)
#funaday25 #capregionfunaday25

If you cant afford art, or cant draw or whatever yourself, USE PUBLIC DOMAIN IMAGES

NOT AI.

Are the Introverts Winning? with Marie le Conte, Mon, Mar 3, 2025, 7:30 PM | Meetup **Are the Introverts Winning?** In our post-pandemic online world are we becoming more and more socially isolated? If so, what does that mean for us humans, the most socia

hello hello! are you in or near Bristol? would you like to come to a public event where I will try and make the case that the pandemic turned the world into a more introverted place but that's an urge we need to resist? are you free on March 3? then do come along: www.meetup.com/bristol-huma...

One thing before tomorrow:

Use your local libraries.

Get your card.

Borrow books, manga, films, audios, ebooks.

Recommend titles for purchase (usually online).

Attend promoted activities.

Fill out those "How are we doing?" questionnaires.

Tell your kids that libraries are good.

They are.

📚

Would genuinely love to know how others are balancing the self-protection/engagement spectrum, and how/if people are planning to navigate the coming storm in small, everyday ways. (9/9)

The next step: expanding that sense of purpose/showing up. I've spent my life thinking & talking a lot about community, but it’s past due that I start acting on it. (I don’t think I’m alone on that one). It’s awkward & scary - but sitting at home & complaining doesn’t seem to be working out. (8/?)

Showing up. Making plans and suggesting last-minute hangs, going to choir, going to book club, hosting even when the house isn’t perfectly tidy. Resisting the urge to flake, and instead being more than willing to endure the inconvenience of other people. Because it is, of course, so worth it. (7/?)

Instead, staying close to my work and holding onto a sense of purpose. Including my paid work, but also unpaid work like caring for/feeding my family (inc. my dog and plants). Also the work of learning how to knit, which also brings with it the profound, simple joy of creating something new. (6/?)