We wanted to give Editors Toronto members and student affiliates another way to get to know their executive committee members, while also finding out what is involved in being on the committee. So, we asked executive committee members to introduce themselves and their roles by answering a few questions for our “Executive Unplugged” series.
Meet Keith Goddard, the editor-in-chief of BoldFace. He has been a member of Editors Canada for three years and joined the Editors Toronto executive committee as of the 2022–23 season. Keith began his professional life as a musician (quite a loud career choice), later became a public school teacher (still loud at times), and then began freelance editing about five years ago. He enjoys, among other perks, the quiet work environment.
What kind of editor are you? Tell us a bit about your experience.
I edit non-fiction. My background is in music and education, and though music may seem unrelated to editing, when I was a musician I did a lot of transcribing, which requires a high degree of attention to detail. I’m certainly happy to edit anything related to education or music, but for the past couple of years I’ve been copy editing a lot of grant proposals. I’m usually tasked with reducing the word count while still retaining the message, which I really enjoy. Less is more.
What is your favourite part of the role you hold on the executive committee (or the “exec,” as we call it)?
I love that I get to work with so many amazing editors who I normally would never meet. I’d be too shy to approach them! With this role, I can just email or message an editor I’ve heard of or come across on social media, and ask them if they’d like to be involved with BoldFace. It’s the perfect excuse to contact people. And I have found that editors are very generous with their time and knowledge.
Give us an elevator pitch for your role.
It’s a great opportunity to meet, work with, and learn from many other editors. It is very satisfying to see a written piece from its beginning, coordinate the stages of the editing process, and then finally publish it on the blog.
What’s your favourite part of an exec meeting?
Everyone on the exec is extremely supportive and helpful. Meeting with this wonderful group is a great opportunity to bounce around any ideas or questions you might have about pretty well anything.
If you didn’t have your role on the exec, what role would you pick?
I’m sure the other roles are very fulfilling, but my current role is perfect for me. I’ll have to think about that one for another year!
This article was copy edited by Erin Della Mattia.
BoldFace 