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Brainstorm. Draft.
Get your ideas onto the page
Edit. Shape.
Let the words on your page speak to your reader
Editing Services
Editors talk about three levels of editing: structural, stylistic, and copy editing. I offer all three levels as well as proofreading services.
You may want only one level of editing, or you may want to combine different levels. In fact, one of my services does just that. With Copy Editing Plus, I combine stylistic editing with copy editing.
You can learn about my services below.
Structural Editing
Every document needs to have an organizing principle to guide the reader through the text. A writer may have a principle in mind, or it may emerge organically from the content. An editor uses the principle to guide their decisions about how to organize and present content.
To achieve an organized text, I do the following:
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move content around for a logical flow
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suggest where to add or remove content
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recast material in another form, for example, create a table
Copy Editing Plus
After a text is organized, the next step is to ensure the writing is clear with a coherent flow. This is known as stylistic editing.
For this level, I do the following:
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ensure that each paragraph has one main idea with smooth transitions between paragraphs
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create a logical flow of sentences within a paragraph
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tailor the language to the audience
Once stylistic editing is complete, I copy edit for grammar, punctuation, and spelling and ensure consistency of style.
Copy Editing Basics
The text is organized and the writing is clear and coherent. It's time to copy edit the document for sentence-level edits.
When copy editing, I check the following:
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grammar
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spelling
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punctuation
I use a client's style guide to decide how to write numbers, abbreviations, and capitalization. If a client doesn't have a guide, I'll suggest one and create a style sheet.
Proofreading
Proofreading can be an elastic term. In the editing world, proofreading refers to the final stage of reviewing a document, once a text has been fully edited and is print-ready to publish.
To proofread, I review a document for the following:
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typos
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visual consistency (formatting, headings, typefaces)
I can proofread a hard copy with proofreaders' marks. Or I can proofread a digital text: a Word document using track changes or a PDF using Adobe markup tools.
Would you like to see a sample from my editing portfolio?
Questions?
Here are some quick answers to frequently asked questions.
How much will editing cost?
Each editing project is unique and so, too, is the project price. To give you a quote, I look at the document length, the agreed-upon editing level(s), the number of revisions, and how heavy or light the edit will be.
How will we communicate?
Good communication is a big part of ensuring your writing project is a success. I like to arrange a phone meeting for each level of editing. That way, we can easily clarify and address issues. We can also communicate using email.
How long will editing take?
Again, that depends on the length of the document and the number of editing levels. When I provide a quote, I'll also provide you with a series of milestones that will ensure we meet your final deadline.
What is plain language?
If you guessed it's about using simple, everyday language, you're right. But it's also about organizing ideas and mapping a visual design onto your content so that your reader can easily find the information they need. You can read more about plain language in my blog below.
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