We wanted to give Editors Toronto members and student affiliates another way to get to know their executive committee, while also showing them 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 Sharon Cozens, Secretary
Sharon is a freelance copy editor who enjoys working in a variety of genres, including biographies, memoirs, and craft books and patterns. She has an honours BA (English/humanities) from York University and an editing certificate from George Brown College. Sharon loves the beauty of the English language and believes that clear, plain, and mindful language can be a powerful tool for bringing people together. She’s an anglophile who loves reading, crocheting, beading, Star Trek, watching anything starring Lucy Worsley or Benedict Cumberbatch, and the smell of old books.
We previously caught up with Sharon last year in her second term as secretary. This year, we followed up to see what has changed, what has remained the same, and what advice our returning secretary has for those interested in joining the executive committee.
What are your fondest memories?
I can’t pinpoint one particular memory. Overall, though, I’ve really enjoyed getting to know so many wonderful people as well as the general feeling of camaraderie among the members of the executive committee.
Have you faced any challenges?
Like a lot of editors, I suffer from imposter syndrome. Therefore, as a relatively new professional editor when I first joined, I was afraid that I wouldn’t have much to contribute. Feeding into that fear was the fact that I’m not always good at putting myself forward. It took a while for me to realize that I could speak up and present my ideas or comment on others’ and, by doing so, help in the smooth running of Editors Toronto.
I had technical challenges too, since I had to learn how to use Slack as well as Google Drive, which are technologies that I hadn’t used in my previous career. Luckily, I like to learn new things and managed to pick things up fairly quickly.
Can you take us through a month in the life of an Editors Toronto secretary?
My work as secretary is interesting and important, but thankfully not too time-consuming.
About a week before the monthly executive committee meeting, I create an agenda and post it so all the chairs can access it. I then edit the agenda once each chair has added their reports. During each meeting, I take the minutes and polish them afterwards. Next, they’re shared with each executive committee member. The minutes are then reviewed to ensure they’re accurate and have been thoroughly edited. Once everything has been checked over, I make any necessary changes and then archive the minutes for future reference.
Once a year, I create, post and edit the annual general membership meeting minutes. I also attend the annual general meeting (AGM) to talk about my role as secretary of Editors Toronto.
I attend monthly executive committee and program meetings and edit articles for BoldFace and social media. I occasionally write articles for BoldFace too, but that’s not a requirement of the position.
How has this role influenced you as an editor?
I’ve become more confident in my skills since I’ve noticed that most of my editing suggestions are usually accepted whenever I provide edits. When they haven’t been accepted, I review the comments to understand why not, which has helped me learn.
I’m also now much more outspoken during meetings.
What advice would you give to editors who are a bit nervous to join the executive committee?
Don’t be nervous! One of my key takeaways from being on the executive committee is that, no matter what your level of skill is as an editor or what training or background you have, everyone has something to contribute. Even more importantly, all of the people on the executive committee support, listen to, and help each other. You’re never really alone, so if you run into problems or are struggling with some aspect of your role, help is always available, especially if you’re new in your position.
Being on the committee is a great way to learn new skills, hone existing ones, and raise your profile in the editing community. Why not consider joining the executive committee and discover what you can bring to the table and what you can learn.
This article was edited by Shannon Fleming Eboe-Osuji, a freelance copy editor. She lives in Toronto.
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