Hannah McCall
@blackcatedit.com
Fiction editor: Black Cat Editorial Services. Advanced Professional Member and proofreading tutor at the CIEP. Partner member of ALLi. ACES member. She/her 🇬🇧
www.blackcatedit.com
www.blackcatedit.com
Pinned
Hannah McCall
@blackcatedit.com
· Feb 5
The Black Cat monthly round-up: January 2025
Last year, my New Year's resolution was to read at least one chapter of a novel before I go to bed each night (unless there were extenuating circumstances, like illness or having had to leave the house to talk to people). I won't say that I always achieved this, but it has certainly become more of a habit, and I'm hoping to continue it for 2025.
blackcatedit.com
The Black Cat round-up for January 2025: a dance thriller and Hammajang Luck
Some people might need a reminder today.
Marking Trans Day of Remembrance by sharing a thoughtful post on why language and representation matter and what we can do as editors to care. #AmEditing
www.linkedin.com/posts/amedit...
www.linkedin.com/posts/amedit...
Trans Day of Remembrance: Language and Representation Matters - The Editors' Weekly | Editing Globally
To mark Trans Day of Remembrance, Zanne Klingenberg has written a caring piece for Editors/Réviseurs Canada, on why language and representation matters.
Read, reflect, share, ask questions and encour...
www.linkedin.com
November 21, 2025 at 3:42 PM
Some people might need a reminder today.
Reposted by Hannah McCall
It cannot be made clearer.
If you continue to support the Harry Potter franchise in any way, you are directly funding the removal of trans people's human rights in the UK.
If you continue to support the Harry Potter franchise in any way, you are directly funding the removal of trans people's human rights in the UK.
October 9, 2025 at 10:14 AM
It cannot be made clearer.
If you continue to support the Harry Potter franchise in any way, you are directly funding the removal of trans people's human rights in the UK.
If you continue to support the Harry Potter franchise in any way, you are directly funding the removal of trans people's human rights in the UK.
Oh thank god
July 11, 2025 at 11:21 AM
Oh thank god
Pretty dire stuff going on with the Word grammar checker. #AmEditing
July 11, 2025 at 10:15 AM
Pretty dire stuff going on with the Word grammar checker. #AmEditing
I need more than two episodes of #Murderbot. How am I supposed to wait a week for another one? 😭
May 16, 2025 at 5:44 PM
I need more than two episodes of #Murderbot. How am I supposed to wait a week for another one? 😭
I had to make two phone calls before 10am today. I'll need about three business days to recover.
May 14, 2025 at 9:01 AM
I had to make two phone calls before 10am today. I'll need about three business days to recover.
Reposted by Hannah McCall
April 18, 2025 at 7:04 AM
Here's my free speech: get fucked, Vance
Starmer told to accept Trump ‘free speech’ agenda to win trade deal
Starmer told to accept Trump ‘free speech’ agenda to win trade deal
‘Good chance’ of agreement, says JD Vance – but sources say his concerns over Britain’s hate speech laws ‘are still a red line’
www.independent.co.uk
April 16, 2025 at 7:58 AM
Here's my free speech: get fucked, Vance
It's nearly here! 🥳
April 9, 2025 at 6:34 PM
It's nearly here! 🥳
I had a quick skim of the CIEP forums before I started work, and now I have 'Pink Pony Club' stuck in my head. Thank you, @geckoedit.com 😆
March 27, 2025 at 9:42 AM
I had a quick skim of the CIEP forums before I started work, and now I have 'Pink Pony Club' stuck in my head. Thank you, @geckoedit.com 😆
Gmail has its problems, and one of them is LOGGING ME OUT WHILE I'M WRITING AN EMAIL
a panda bear is standing in front of a man sitting at a desk in an office
Alt: a panda bear smashes a keyboard on the desk of a man sitting in an office
media.tenor.com
March 10, 2025 at 10:41 AM
Gmail has its problems, and one of them is LOGGING ME OUT WHILE I'M WRITING AN EMAIL
The Black Cat round-up for January 2025: a dance thriller and Hammajang Luck
The Black Cat monthly round-up: January 2025
Last year, my New Year's resolution was to read at least one chapter of a novel before I go to bed each night (unless there were extenuating circumstances, like illness or having had to leave the house to talk to people). I won't say that I always achieved this, but it has certainly become more of a habit, and I'm hoping to continue it for 2025.
blackcatedit.com
February 5, 2025 at 2:01 PM
The Black Cat round-up for January 2025: a dance thriller and Hammajang Luck
Sometimes I add some in 🤫
i'm about to say something crazy, but you know what? use as many em dashes as you want. sounds like a problem for your editor and not you.
January 14, 2025 at 12:23 PM
Sometimes I add some in 🤫
HMRC must be really keen to get my tax money this year. Five emails and two text messages in the last month. Haven't had a letter yet, though. I'm sure it is on its way…
January 7, 2025 at 4:12 PM
HMRC must be really keen to get my tax money this year. Five emails and two text messages in the last month. Haven't had a letter yet, though. I'm sure it is on its way…
Goodbye to 2024 – the seventh December round-up (plus November, because I was a bit busy…)
The Black Cat monthly round-up: November & December 2024
The December blog post is traditionally my stats report, so here we go. This is the seventh December round-up for Black Cat Editorial Services, and 2025 will see the tenth anniversary of the launch of my freelance career – I should probably think of something to do to mark that milestone. My trusty spreadsheet tells me my 2024 projects had a combined word count of 2,817,628, which is a slight decrease on 2023.
blackcatedit.com
January 2, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Goodbye to 2024 – the seventh December round-up (plus November, because I was a bit busy…)
I come to the timeline with a new TV series recommendation. If you'd like a silly little show that is part gay romance and part legal thriller, Love Is a Poison (Netflix) is the one. Bonus points for the adorable succulents 🪴
December 17, 2024 at 8:14 PM
I come to the timeline with a new TV series recommendation. If you'd like a silly little show that is part gay romance and part legal thriller, Love Is a Poison (Netflix) is the one. Bonus points for the adorable succulents 🪴
Word's 'Read Aloud' has saved me so many times
Today’s proofreading tip: it's easy to 'see' what we expect to. One way around this is to listen to a text, instead: whether by reading it out yourself, or having software do it.
For example, in Word's Review tab, the 'Read Aloud' function can help you find missing, duplicated or incorrect words.
For example, in Word's Review tab, the 'Read Aloud' function can help you find missing, duplicated or incorrect words.
December 5, 2024 at 3:13 PM
Word's 'Read Aloud' has saved me so many times
Storm Bert ruined my weekend plans, so I watched every episode of Netflix's A Man on the Inside. What a lovely series.
November 24, 2024 at 2:26 PM
Storm Bert ruined my weekend plans, so I watched every episode of Netflix's A Man on the Inside. What a lovely series.
I knew it would 🖤
It's mind-blowing to me to see my debut book selling in different countries around the world. Forever grateful 🙏
November 23, 2024 at 11:46 AM
I knew it would 🖤
Reposted by Hannah McCall
Virginia Woolf on rhythm in writing
November 16, 2024 at 4:39 AM
Virginia Woolf on rhythm in writing
I have no strong opinions about the serial comma. Use it or don't use it. It's sometimes necessary to prevent ambiguity. The end.
a man in a green jacket and tie sits at a table
Alt: A man in a green jacket and tie sits at a table and shrugs. (The man is Steve Coogan playing Alan Partridge.)
media.tenor.com
November 15, 2024 at 10:40 AM
I have no strong opinions about the serial comma. Use it or don't use it. It's sometimes necessary to prevent ambiguity. The end.
Do you know how Word's Read Aloud feature pronounces 'xox'? I do now. It gave me a bit of a shock at the end of a character's love letter. #amediting
November 11, 2024 at 5:09 PM
Do you know how Word's Read Aloud feature pronounces 'xox'? I do now. It gave me a bit of a shock at the end of a character's love letter. #amediting
I ordered kleftiko from the local Greek restaurant and they sent me some galaktoboureko for free and it's not even on the menu. I fear I would now die for them 😭
November 10, 2024 at 4:19 PM
I ordered kleftiko from the local Greek restaurant and they sent me some galaktoboureko for free and it's not even on the menu. I fear I would now die for them 😭
Reposted by Hannah McCall
Given everything that went down with the Hugos, I thought I'd spend sometime uplifting voices. Who are some Chinese and Chinese diaspora SFF/H writers, from novels down to short fic, you recommend?
February 16, 2024 at 4:09 PM
Given everything that went down with the Hugos, I thought I'd spend sometime uplifting voices. Who are some Chinese and Chinese diaspora SFF/H writers, from novels down to short fic, you recommend?
I had to make a phone call today, so I am inclined to give myself the afternoon off as a reward
January 11, 2024 at 10:55 AM
I had to make a phone call today, so I am inclined to give myself the afternoon off as a reward