Dear readers,

time is flying and we are already almost halfway through October! The days are getting shorter and colder, fall (or autumn if you prefer) has definitely arrived. But that doesn’t mean that there is nothing going on here!

On the contrary: This October I am visiting two book fairs and I am busy growing my professional network with authors and colleagues.

In today’s edition, all of the above is noticeable: I will share my findings about networking, you will read about creepy stories from China, and I have some interesting October reads in store for you.

Do you have questions or feedback about my Side Notes? I am happy to hear from you! As usual, you can find all past newsletter editions on the website, too.

Warm regards,

Teresa Johnson

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Teresa Johnson, Ph.D. 姜心悦
German (native), English, Chinese

Lektorat Johnson
Services: Editing and Translation
Specialization: Academic and Nonfiction Writing

Tips from your Editor

Networking—yay or nay?

Networking—some love it, others hate it. When you ask me whether I enjoy networking or if I am good at it, my spontaneous answer is a resounding “No!”. Actually, that is not exactly true, though. Depending on how I define networking, I like it quite a bit and I am also good at it!

So, why the intuitive no? Probably, because my first idea about networking looks like this: There’s a room full of business people I don’t know but who seemingly all know each other, and now it is my job to get these people interested, if not excited, about me and my work, even though there is no obvious reason for them to care. I guess, I am not the only one who imagines networking looking like this and I am not the only one who considers networking under such circumstances to be quite daunting.

Luckily, there is a way out. And that is to expand or completely change my idea of what networking even is. Yes, that room filled with people is one way of networking. But there are other kinds of networking, too! For example, in one-on-one situations. How does that work? I contact a person, whom I am interested in and whom I have previously met at an event or workshop or found via social media, and I ask that person if they would like to schedule a get-to-know conversation with me. Done!

Now, this might not be everyone’s cup of tea for meeting people, either. But, it’s been working great for me. Especially, when I keep the time frame of that first scheduled conversation relatively short. That way, both sides can easily see, without the pressure of having to carry a long conversation, whether there is mutual interest in a professional connection. If so, it is easy to set up a follow-up appointment and start making concrete plans. And ideally, during the first conversation, the time does not even suffice to cover all the details. Positive side effect: There are enough topics or details left to talk about next time!

Certainly, the two ways of networking discussed above are not the only ones. It is not my goal to argue that one way is better than the other. However, I have taken notice of what works best for me and keep noticing that too rigid a definition of networking creates a fallacious narrative in my head about my own skills and preferences!

Bottom line is this: What you consider the best kind of networking simply depends on how you can best play to your strenghts. The easiest way to find out will be by trying different networking formats for yourself. In the end, what counts is that you find a way that works for you and that helps you grow your professional network successfully!

Asian Studies

Chinese texts labeled as zhiguai 志怪 (literally: records of the strange) tell stories involving humans as well as a variety of other kinds of beings, including animals, gods, ghosts, monsters and many more. In this section of the newsletter, I am going to introduce you to these beings (and more) and will provide you with tips and examples as to where you can read more about the topic of the day.

Who or what are jiangshi 僵屍?

Today’s creatures are a little creepy: jiangshi 僵屍 (sometimes rendered as jiangshi 殭尸) literally are rigid corpses. Sometimes they move. In harmless cases they simply copy the movements of the humans in their vicinity. Such is the case in one of the stories introduced below. In other stories, however, jiangshi attack humans and become a threat to them. Just as they would in a horror film.

Examples of jiangshi 僵屍 in zhiguai stories

Stories about jiangshi are probably fewer than stories about gui 鬼-ghosts. That doesn’t mean that they are less interesting! In the zhiguai collection Zibuyu 子不語 (What the Master Would Not Discuss, 1788), there are several examples of uniquely curious cases. Find three of them here in summary:

“Jiangshi shou zhi yuanbao 殭尸手執元寶” (A rigid corpse holds a silver ingot in his hands). In the aftermath of an earthquake in Shanxi Province in 1731, people inspect a piece of ground that has remained unaffected by the quake. When they dig in the ground, they find an entire family. Their bodies are all rigid, however, they have not yet started rotting. The burial objects are all intact, too. The head of the family even holds a silver ingot in his hands!

“Huagong hua jiangshi 畫工畫殭尸” (A Painter paints a rigid corpse). In this story, a painter from Hangzhou is commissioned to paint the portrait of his neighbor’s recently deceased father. After the painter sits down and starts painting, the corpse suddenly sits up in bed and copies the painter’s every move. The painter is scared, but finishes the portrait. When the son eventually enters the room, he is so frightened that he faints. The same happens to a neighbor. In the end, the painter finds a way out by telling the man who has come to bring the casket to grab a broom. Rigid corpses are afraid of brooms after all!

“Pi jiangshi jia 批殭尸頰” (Slapping a rigid corpse in the face). A man named Qian is on his way home after a night of drinking. An acquaintance has asked Qian to stay over night, but he refuses. Still half drunk, Qian passes by some graves. Suddenly, he sees a man, barefoot and with unkempt hair, jumping up and heading towards the forest. Emboldened by the alcohol, Qian slaps the man in the face. The man turns towards Qian before turning away again, his movements resembling those of a marionette. When a third person turns up, the man disappears into the forest. The next day, Qian realizes that his hand has turned as black as ink. The discoloration remains in place for several years! Local people explain to Qian that this man was most likely a corpse that has not yet fully become rigid.

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Curious to learn more? Just wait for the next newsletter!

How not to write…

The following examples are taken from various media that I encounter in my every day life at work and at home, in German and in English. These examples illustrate that there are many texts (and spoken words) out there that could have benefited from professional editing before they were published. I am not trying to expose anyone. Therefore, I only name the general genre or medium, not the person or the exact source who published these examples.

(Unfortunate) real world examples:

• • • DAILY PAPER:
      Seit Beginn des neuen Ausbruchs gebe 130 mutmaßliche Todesfälle.
      [grammar: missing word]
  • • INTERVIEW:
      Das Leben eskaliert ihm ein bisschen durch die Finger.
      [style: unidiomatic phrase]
  • • RECIPE:
      Finished with a  chocolate drizzle
      [typography: double space]
  • • SOCIAL MEDIA:
      This free annual event is open to all and will feature lots of awesome performances and hands on activities.
      [spelling: missing hyphen]

What I’m reading in October:

Upcoming

October 2026

Time for Book Fairs!

There’s a lot going on in October! The Frankfurt Book Fair has just come to an end. During my time there, I got to discover many interesting authors and exciting new books. Next week, I am going straight to another (much smaller) book fair called LEIGA and to be held in the city of Heilbronn. You can find me there with other colleagues at the booth of the VFLL editor’s association. I am already looking forward to meeting new book friends there!

Interested in my editing services?

How about my new ice breaker deal?

If you would like to get to know my style of working as an editor, an ice breaker trial edit is the way to go. If you book the ice breaker deal, I will edit your text for exactly one hour. Afterwards, I return the edited text to you and we discuss my feedback for you in a phone or video call. Interested? Contact me today!