Teaching and editing writing has been my focus ever since I started editing my college literary magazine in 2006. Since then, I’ve worked in or directed three writing centers, taught in four universities, served as the editor for several chapbooks and online literary journals, and provided copyediting and proofreading services for an established publishing company and many independent authors. To me, the written word is valuable as a carrier of culture and identity; I enjoy helping writers share their lives and values, whether through their scholarship or their novels.
About Me
What is a copyeditor?
There is often confusion surrounding the words “copyeditor” and “proofreader.” Many people who ask for proofreading end up wanting copyediting. Let’s see what The Chicago Manual of Style (section 2.48) has to say about copyediting:
“Manuscript editing, also called copyediting or line editing, requires attention to every word and mark of punctuation in a manuscript, a thorough knowledge of the style to be followed, and the ability to make quick, logical, and defensible decisions.”
As a copyeditor, I check grammar and punctuation, but I also rework text so that it reads better. I look for passive voice, excessive adverbs, repetition, unnecessary descriptions, confusing wording, and out-of-date or potentially offensive terminology.
My work doesn’t end there, though. For creative projects like novels and memoirs, I create a style sheet with character names and descriptions, place names and descriptions, a timeline, vehicles and weapons if applicable, and word and phrase preferences you establish early in the text that should be kept consistent throughout (like toward/towards, Internet/internet, or cell phone/cellphone). This is how I catch that a character has long brown hair in the beginning but long dirty blond hair a few chapters later. These style sheets are invaluable for writers of a series for which we'd need to keep track of these details over several books.