BlogUseful tips about editing, writing, and the publishing industry
|
|
So much more... In this blog, I get into the weeds. 🤓  Chances are when you think about editors, you picture some version of the mean English teacher you had in seventh grade, who viciously wielded their red pen and gave you a bad grade. You might think of someone who rigidly adheres to the rules and will “slash” your manuscript to smithereens, only to rewrite your story based on their own preferences. Not cool… I get it if that’s what comes to mind. But I’m here to help you see that copyediting is more than just fixing commas and spelling/grammar errors. There’s a much wider scope to copyediting, and it serves a crucial role in the publishing process. Plus, I promise most good editors are experienced enough to know when to apply the rules and when to let them go. That is, they’ve developed a flexible mindset that allows them to make sure the manuscript is up to professional standards while maintaining the author’s voice and vision. Yes, we follow the Chicago Manual of Style as fiction editors, but there are lots of times when author’s preferences can and should take precedence, especially in SFF manuscripts with unique languages and word choices. So let’s dive in and see what else copyediting involves. The Essential Skills of CopyeditingFirst off, there’s a kernel of truth in that idea of the scary red pen (or red-lining in Word docs). It’s true that fixing overt typos and spelling and grammar errors falls within the purview of copyediting. We do those things, yes. However, like with many technical skills that can look straightforward from the outside, there’s so much more to it than meets the eye. The 4 Cs Copyeditors are trained to focus on the 4 Cs: clarity, coherency, consistency, and correctness—all in the service of communication. (That’s from The Copyeditors’ Handbook by Amy Einsohn, which is one of the main copyediting textbooks used in a lot of editing certificate programs and online courses.) It’s best practice that copyediting happens after the big-picture stuff, like plot, characters, theme, scene order, etc., is all settled. Now it’s time for the copyeditor to come in at the sentence level and do their detailed work. 3 Types of EditingFor more on the different levels of editing, check out my blog post about it. It’s also important to remember that copyediting can include slightly different things within a traditional publishing or indie publishing context, so be sure to discuss with your editor exactly what they include in their copyediting service. Many editors who work with indie authors do some version of a combined line and copyedit, which goes a bit deeper into sentence length/rhythm, cadence, and suggestions on how to avoid info dumps, too much stage direction, overuse of filter words, and problems with showing vs. telling. Line editing can also include strengthening action beats and making sure dialogue is grounded in the environment (and characters are not just talking heads). Here are other things copyeditors will be looking for as they edit your manuscript (other than adding or deleting commas :P): Suggest how to remove excessive filter words. Line editors suggest how to revise sentences with words like “noticed,” “realized,” “felt,” “thought,” and “wondered” to make the writing more immediate and immersive for the reader. Filter words filter the experience through the viewpoint character, instead of letting the reader experience what’s happening as the character experiences it. Check out this blog post (scroll down to #2) for more examples. Tighten up sentences for better flow. Editors point out places with lots of stage direction that bog down scenes. Sometimes too much detail about where characters are looking or how they get from A to B can make the reading experience less immersive (therefore potentially more boring). Next time you’re reading a novel, take note of how the author moves the characters. Sometimes scenes will end and pick up somewhere else! You don’t always have to explain how the character moved from place to place. Editors also look for any extra words or redundant expressions that can weigh down writing.
Copyeditors keep track of details in a style sheet to ensure consistency from start to finish. Think of a style sheet as a ‘second brain’ for all the style decisions and details that make up every character, location, and main plot point of your book. It’s the document that allows us to keep track of spellings, characteristics like hair/eye color, tattoos, timeline details—all in an effort to make sure everything is consistent. Anything that can be contradicted later is tracked, so that the details, capitalization, hyphenations, and so on are consistently applied over the course of the manuscript. It’s hard to keep all that straight without writing it down. That’s what the style sheet is for, and it’s invaluable especially for a series! Ask your prospective editor if they will be providing you a style sheet. Details, Details, and More Details!Copy and line editors are serious about technical details! Our job requires a fine-tuned attention and ability to focus, well-honed curiosity to track down information in style and reference guides, and the ability to ask important questions and deliver feedback tactfully and constructively in our editorial letters. As you can see, many overlapping skill sets converge in a good copyeditor that go far beyond their knowledge of punctuation. The myriad of small checks we do is hard to list out of context, but think of it like reading while notifications are going off all over the place: ping, look that word up in Merriam-Webster; ping, that word is hyphenated but double-check in the Hyphenation Table in the Chicago Manual of Style; ping, front-load this sentence for clarity; ping, make note of this character’s hair color in the style sheet. And on and on. The copyeditor is that curious, inquisitive person who works behind the scenes to check on spellings, grammar rules, but also word choice, sentence structure, cadence and syntax. They notice word echoes, repetition, and gnarly run-on sentences or points of confusion. They ask astute questions and pinpoint inconsistencies that can add up over the course of the manuscript, taking the reader out of the story. They manage all those details and decisions by tracking them in a style sheet so they can be applied consistently throughout the document. Like I mentioned in my last blog post, copyeditors act like continuity directors “on set.” It’s an important task that is especially foregrounded when things are missed, like when character names change or timelines don’t add up properly. Which is hard to avoid after so many drafts! Cultivating a Flexible MindsetThe stereotype of the copyeditor, slashing the author’s story in service of the “rules,” sadly exists for a reason; there are lots of editors, especially at the beginning of their journey, myself included, who wield what my fellow fiction copyeditor Amy Schneider calls “the grammar hammer.” This happens when they rely on a rigidly prescriptive view of language—there are “the rules” and they feel compelled to apply them no matter what. They have strong pet peeves and consider it their job to ferret out all errors of any kind, period. But in fiction, this is generally a heavy-handed, unwelcome approach. To temper this, I like to cultivate a flexible mindset. You learn (and practice/cultivate) when to let things go, when to query the author, and when to dig deeper to understand why the author has made certain choices. In service of those 4Cs, the copyeditor is there to, yes, apply the conventions of a style guide (in fiction it’s the Chicago Manual of Style, or CMOS), and that includes guidance around capitalization, hyphenation, abbreviations, numbers, and other technicalities. But it’s also important to keep in mind that the author’s story becomes its own style guide that can supersede CMOS in certain regards: for example, how characters talk, some sci-fi/fantasy capitalization choices, that kind of thing. SummaryI like to think of the copyeditor as the bridge between the author and their readers. It’s our job to keep an eagle eye on so many sentence-level details, to immerse ourselves in the imagined world, and point out any pitfalls readers may have. Of course commas and typos are involved, but that’s just the beginning! The copyeditor is there to polish and ensure the integrity of the author’s imagined universe, not impose their own preferences/pet peeves. Every consideration is us advocating for the future readers’ seamless experience, and this will necessarily include respecting the author’s vision and style. The goal is for readers to forget they’re reading, so in that way editors are integral creative collaborators. If you’re looking for a meticulous copyeditor for your novel or series, I’d love to work with you! Get in touch and tell me about your project. I specialize in science fiction, fantasy, and horror genres. Read More
How to connect with me:
Here are some of the editing tools and resources I use every day to help my clients publish high-quality books.  Of course I use Microsoft Word, Google Docs, and Adobe Acrobat for proofreading PDFs, but that’s just the beginning. 1. PerfectItPerfectIt is proofreading software that acts as a consistency checker add-on within Microsoft Word. You pay a yearly subscription and download it from the parent company Intelligent Editing. In the Word ribbon, you’ll find a new tab labelled “PerfectIt,” where you can run the software to check against any style sheets and preferences. I mainly use the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) and the Conscious Language style guide.  Since I also have a subscription to the digital version of the Chicago Manual of Style. PerfectIt checks the main CMOS rules and style preferences. It even has a handy pop-up that tells where in the guide you can read more about any given rule. Digital access is priceless because of its search and bookmarking functionality.
How I Use PerfectIt I run it at the beginning and end of my book editing projects. After I do a basic clean-up of the manuscript (find and replace for extra spaces, extra punctuation, formatting stuff), I run PerfectIt. It allows me to see recurring problems and style decisions and words I need to add to my style sheet. I also run in at the end of the editing process to catch any remaining inconsistencies and errors. I love how it catches sneaky things like brackets and quotes left open, abbreviations defined two ways, and inconsistent capitalization of words. This tool helps catch so many surface issues so that I can spend more time on the substantial tweaks and suggestions that will further elevate and refine my clients’ stories. It’s a great tool for every editor’s toolbox. I don’t know how I lived without it, honestly… 2. MacrosA macro is a tiny program that you can write or tweak that does repetitive tasks at the click of a button or keyboard shortcut. The great thing about macros is they don’t get tired or distracted, and they can do repetitive tasks fast. Here’s my recommendation on where to start with macros:
The best way to approach incorporating macros is to think about which tasks you do repeatedly and how much time you’d save if you automated them. The two most useful macros to start with for most editors are MerriamFetch and GoogleFetch. These macros look up the highlighted word in the Merriam-Webster online dictionary or google a word. I have them set up to keyboard shortcuts so whenever I need to fact-check or look up a word it’s done instantly and opens in a new tap on my second monitor. No more toggling back and forth between windows. Another more powerful macro from Paul Beverley is ProperNounAlyse. It scans the whole manuscript and creates a separate document with all the proper nouns, in alphabetical order, and highlights any potential errors. For example, Erika Steeves vs. Erika Steves, Brandon vs. Brandan—which is helpful in finding those character-name inconsistencies over a long document. Overall, it’s a fantastic consistency aid. Macros are powerful, so remember to start slowly and with a few macros at a time. 3. Style Guides and Online DictionariesStyle guides are different from style sheets. A style guide, like CMOS, APA, MLA, etc., is the guidance around how to treat capitalization, punctuation, abbreviations, and endless other important style decisions that keep books up to professional standards. For fiction, the style guide of choice is the Chicago Manual of Style. A style sheet is like a mini guide for each individual editing project, where the editor documents style preferences for general spelling, punctuation, typography, capitalization, and even details about characters, places, and timeline—all in an effort to maintain consistency and spot errors. It’s especially useful when you’re trying to remember whether a character has short brown hair and blue eyes. And weren’t they left-handed? It’s easy for those details to shift across a whole book. We copyeditors are diligent and meticulous creatures, and style sheets help us manage all the details that keep the manuscript internally consistent. CMOS is the gold standard for fiction editing. They have an online version, a great blog, and monthly Q&As. I recently learned they have practice quizzes, which are fun. Here are some other style guides that are incredibly useful.
Dictionaries and Usage Resources
4. Productivity Tools for EditorsI’m WFH for life! Over the years, it’s been important for me to learn how to actually get down to work instead of doing what everyone pictures us freelancers doing, aka staying in our PJs all day, doing laundry, watching TV, and avoiding work. Not going to lie—it took me a while to appreciate how useful it is to have regular routines, “work” clothes, and a separate “office” space to go to, even though my commute is less than 30 seconds long. Plus, a regular time in my day to go to the gym (which is also my living room) and head outside for a walk. These tools have helped me manage my time, projects, and information so that I’m not constantly anxious and running around doing 20 different things without completing any of them. They’re the meta tools that help me run my editorial business.
Hot tip: I recently learned from a coworking buddy that you can snooze SENT messages. I knew about the power of snoozing and schedule-sending messages in Gmail, but I had no clue you could snooze sent emails to appear at the top of your inbox on a specific date and time. I’m now using this to help me follow up with people in my ongoing networking efforts. I just need to wait for the messages to resurface care of my Past-Self and follow up with people. It’s genius. In combination with the Snooze function and being able to set reminders within the tasks, these simple lists are keeping me on track. It’s seamless in its simplicity.
You can still download free daily, weekly, and monthly planner pages from their website; it’s so valuable to write down and prioritize your projects.
Obsidian is worth checking out if you’re a nerd for this stuff.
I also really love Toggl for keeping track of time based on clients and projects. Which Tools Do You Love? Editing is a complex and multifaceted process that requires a range of skills, tools, and resources. Whether I’m working on a science fiction series, a short story, or a blog post, these tools in my editing and business toolkit help me every day. Have you bookmarked any of these? Which resources do you use every day? I always love learning about new tools, so let me know in the comments!
How to connect with me:
Big picture, details, and quality control. AKA developmental, copyediting, and proofreading. There is an order to them. ⬇️  Why you need an editor It’s not just you! Everybody needs an editor. It’s just a function of the human mind that you will gloss over errors in your own writing. You see what you intended to write, not always what you did write. So don’t sweat the details – that’s what an editor is for. Editors bring a fresh pair of eyes to your writing, seeing every word for the first time. Missing words or repeated words will pop right out (whereas this might be your 27th time re-reading your draft and you’re too familiar with it!). Types of editing Here are three basic types of editing that self-publishing writers should know about; knowing what kind of editing you need will help you find an editor that’s the right fit for your book. 1. Developmental Editing The big picture phase (aka The Forest) Often called developmental or structural editing, this is where an editor focuses on the structure, flow, and organization of the content. Does the order of your chapters make sense? Do they unfold in a rational and logical way? Are your transitions solid? Do your ideas flow in a way that will make sense to your reader? At this stage the goal is to set the content in its optimal order. 2. Copyediting The details phase (aka The Trees) Often called copyediting (or line editing or stylistic editing), this is the phase where the editor gets into the nitty-gritty details, smoothing over problem areas in grammar, punctuation, and overall consistency. An editor will also consider things like biased language, use of jargon, plain language, and sentence variety. Writers tend to associate editing with correcting overt typos, spelling, and punctuation errors — i.e., a manuscript with lots of red ink, or in this day and age, track changes. But there are other not-so-obvious errors that copyeditors are pros at spotting. For example, copyeditors also ensure consistency in hyphenation, abbreviations, numbers, and capitalization, and they even fact-check place/character names and timeline considerations. This is on top of all the language and style preferences that copyeditors compile in a style sheet, where they keep track of all the rules and preferences applied across the document. The copyeditor will also catch details like a character’s name spelled in multiple ways or the fact that the main character’s eyes are suddenly blue in chapter 6. Consistency across all these different dimensions is what keeps your reader glued to your narrative: a book riddled with errors, even minor consistency errors, can jar the reader out of the flow of the narrative. When this happens, they go from reading the story to reading the words — stuck at the surface of the page. Copyediting is the magic that keeps your reader happily immersed in your story. 3. Proofreading Quality control phase (aka The Final Pass) This is the proofreading phase. Although a lot of people conflate copyediting and proofreading, proofreading is technically the final phase of the editing process. Once the manuscript has been copyedited and formatted, the proofreader makes sure everything is as polished as possible, catching any remaining typos and formatting errors/inconsistencies (like table of contents numbering that doesn’t point to where it should or inaccurate cross-references, leading you down a rabbit hole). Essentially, the proofreader works on the final copy to ensure maximum quality control. In an ideal world, a different editor would work on each level of edit (structural, copyedit, proofread), but time and budget constraints often mean that one editor will do several or all of these. One thing is for sure though – finalizing the structure of the narrative happens before handing off your manuscript to a copyeditor or proofreader to polish the language. Read more:
|
ABOUT THE EDITOR
Hi, I'm Erika, a speculative fiction editor obsessed with the nitty-gritty of editing and self-publishing.
Learn more » Join my newsletter!Categories
All
|
