the friendly red pen
  • what is the friendly red pen?
    • what i edit
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  • how it works
    • the basics
    • copyediting
    • proofreading
    • developmental editing
  • about
    • Kirsten
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All about copyediting

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary makes copyediting sound simple: we CEs "make the words correct." But what does "correct" mean? It can mean many things depending upon what you are looking for. A light copyedit is the most basic and, well, light; a heavy copyedit is the most intensive. If you're not sure what you want, we'll figure it out together. 

A light copyedit will evaluate: 
  • grammar (run-on sentences, comma splices, and more)
  • punctuation (commas, apostrophes, and more)
  • spelling (misspelled words, homophones, and more) 
  • style (how to treat numbers, abbreviations, and more) 
  • consistency (are all numbers treated the same way, and more) 

If a sentence is has an indisputable grammatical, syntactical, or usage issue, I'll fix it. But if a sentence is awkward or wordy, or if I suspect a factual inconsistency or error, I'll query you--meaning I'll make a comment in the margins alerting you to the issue. 

A medium copyedit will evaluate: 
  • all of the elements of a light copyedit 

If a sentence has an indisputable grammatical, syntactical, or usage issue, I'll fix it. If a sentence is awkward or wordy, I'll query you--meaning I'll make a comment in the margins alerting you to the issue--and I will also suggest a revision. If I suspect a factual inconsistency or error, I'll query you but also verify with a desktop reference as I'm able. If there are problems with organization or gaps in logic, I will query you. 

A heavy copyedit will evaluate 
  • all the elements of a light copyedit 

If a sentence is has an indisputable grammatical, syntactical, or usage issue, I'll fix it. If a sentence is awkward or wordy, I will revise it. If I suspect a factual inconsistency or error, I'll query and revise it. If there are problems with organization or gaps in logic, I will query you and either fix it or offer suggestions to fix  it.

All about workflow

I edit in Microsoft Word or Pages using track changes. If you're not familiar with track changes, I can give you a quick tutorial before we get started. The process will look something like this: 
  1. You send me the manuscript.
  2. I edit the manuscript using track changes and comments.
  3. I return the manuscript to you, and you review each of the edits and respond to each of the comments. 
  4. You send the manuscript back to me, and I check over all of your responses. I make any final edits based on your comments and accept all track changes in the document. I run spell check and check for pesky things like double spaces one last time. 
  5. I return the final, clean, sparking manuscript to you. 

Email or contact me to find out more about copyediting. 
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