Copyediting
Copyediting means going through a document with a loupe 🔎 to pick up errors or inconsistencies, adjusting phrasing for clarity and impact.
Copyediting isn’t just about catching spelling mistakes (though it is that, too!). This process is as important for a marketing campaign as it is for a poem. A good copyedit will help your idea come through in your voice.
When copyediting, I review…
- Spelling and grammar
- Vocabulary and expression
- Tense, syntax and sentence structure
- Redundancies or ambiguities
- Consistency in tone, voice and style
All of my copyedits come back with…
- A rationale explaining the choices behind any big changes
- The original document with tracked changes
- A ‘clean’ version of the document
What you can expect when working with me
- A high level of care and attention to detail
- Constructive and forthright feedback
- Timely, friendly and clear communication
good to know…
Does my work need a structural edit, copyedit or proofread?
Structural editing, copyediting and proofreading come at different stages of your writing project.
- New draft and have some big picture questions? You’re looking for a developmental or structural edit.
- Polishing up your final draft? You probably need a copyedit.
- Final check before publishing? Make sure to proofread.
If you’re still unsure, I can recommend the most suitable option for you.
Why work with a human editor?
It’s possible that if you’ve found your way to my website, AI has already failed you.
If you want to produce some bog-standard writing, AI can help! AI is great at producing familiar (i.e. boring) copy based on formulas and patterns.
If you want your unique ideas and voice clarified and fortified, work with a human editor.
Only a human editor understands the particular context of your project and can review it with all the sensations of a living, breathing being.
Can you edit to a house style?
Oh, boy! Yes, I can.
In fact, I find working to a house style very satisfying. Leave me with your style guidelines, vocab sheet (if applicable) and preferred dictionary.
In return, I will provide you with a sparkling new document with consistent spelling, terminology and style 🕺🏻.
What kind of editing do you specialise in?
This sounds weird… but I am as at home with a YA fantasy novel as with a user manual. I have broad interests and experience and this is reflected in my editing range.
However, it’s true that there are a few text types that I especially love to edit:
- learning resources for schools, galleries and arts organisations
- textbooks for humanities, English and visual art
- user manuals, procedures and policies
- exhibition and collection materials, such as catalogues and artwork labels
- marketing and communications with a focus on accessibility
- personal memoir projects
- creative non-fiction
- literary and popular adult fiction
- young adult (YA) and middle grade fiction, all genres
good nic 