— What level of editing do you need? —

Copy Editing: The goal of copy editing is to improve style and accuracy, including text formatting. A copy edit removes inconsistencies and improves the flow of the text. There are light, medium, and heavy levels of copy editing, depending on how much work a writer has put into the text.

Copy editing includes proofreading as well as the study of word choice, clarity, and the flow of text for easy reading. I will enhance your writing as needed, for accuracy and vivid expression as required.

A copyedit:

• Corrects spelling, grammar, punctuation, and syntax

• Ensures consistency in spelling, hyphenation, numerals, fonts, and capitalization

• Flags ambiguous or factually incorrect statements (especially important for non-fiction)

• Tracks wider concerns, like internal consistency.

Content Editing: Content editing is the most complete and comprehensive service. Sometimes a paragraph needs to be re-written, or details need to be added to your text. I will look for problems or inconsistencies in organization and transitions, and recommend suggestions to improve literary style as needed.

This involves more than just checking for grammatical errors, and is likely to include the creation of some text as well, in consultation with the author.

I will call attention to:

• Words or sentences that are extraneous or overused (clichés)

• Run-on sentences that need to be divided

• Redundancies — repeating the same information in different ways

• Dialogue or paragraphs that can be tightened

• Scenes where the action is confusing or the author’s meaning is unclear due to bad transitions

• Unnatural or awkward phrasing and shifts in tone

• Passages that don’t read well due to bland, uninteresting word choice

• Changes that can be made to improve the pacing of a passage

• Words or phrases that may clarify or enhance your meaning.

Proofreading: The most basic kind of editing, proofreading is about eliminating the most obvious "surface" errors. Sometimes this is the last step in an editing process; there is no re-working of text or revisions of copy unless specifically requested. Spellcheckers are nice tools, but they don't catch everything.