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Wrestling the wily comma into submission. 

Copy editing is my favorite of the services I provide. Yes, I might be a little crazy, but I simply enjoy helping other writers put their best work out into the world. 

We're always told to have someone else look at our work before it goes out the door. That's all well and good, but someone who is good at writing may not be particularly good at looking for errors or giving useful feedback. So the key is getting an experienced second set of eyes on your work.

The other challenge a lot of writers and publishers face is how prescriptive to be with grammar and style. You never want to edit out the author's unique voice, but the reader's experience must always be top-of-mind. For example, if an author writes in an unconventional way and it causes confusion, then we'll need to find a solution that keeps their voice but improves clarity; alternatively, if it's still perfectly understandable, then it's probably fine to keep. 

A note on inclusive language: I always watch for language or tones that are prejudiced, stereotyped, discriminatory, or generally reinforce negative or untrue ideas about certain populations. I'll suggest neutral or inclusive replacements (and I won't make you feel guilty about it because, let's be frank, this stuff is deeply ingrained in our culture and how we communicate).


Qualifications

  • 10 years' experience as a writer, copy editor and digital editor for large businesses and, freelance, for small start-ups and individuals
  • Memberships: American Copy Editors Society (ACES) since 2013
  • Recent speaking engagements: 
    • 2018 and 2017 American Copy Editors Society annual national conferences
    • 2017 and 2014 Women Food & Agriculture Network national conferences
    • 2014 Wisconsin Local Foods Network conference 
  • Continuing education: Poynter-ACES Certificate in Editing; Poynter-ACES Advanced Certificate in Editing (in progress); numerous Poynter NewsU courses to continually improve on a wide range of skills; multiple-year attendee of the ACES Annual National Conference, which involves three days of skill-building workshops
  • B.A. in English and minor in creative writing from University of Wisconsin, La Crosse

Services

There are typically three levels of editing: 

Proofread: 

Quick proofread for basic grammar and punctuation, typically done after a style edit just before publication, or for an experienced writer who simply wants a second set of eyes. Proofreading typically does not include fact checking or style revisions unless it's critical. 

Copy Edit (aka Style or Line Edit):

You never want your writing to sound like dry toast or (maybe worse) that embarrassingly boastful uncle, so a deeper copy edit looks for improvements in style, flow and clarity, checks facts, and includes basic grammar and punctuation. This edit (as well as substantive editing, below) also watches for language or tones that are prejudiced, stereotyped, discriminatory, or generally reinforce negative or untrue ideas about certain populations, and will suggest neutral or inclusive replacements. 

Substantive Edit (aka Developmental or Macro Edit): 

Occasionally, a substantial, in-depth edit is necessary to significantly change and improve a piece. This level of editing is often needed, for example, when converting a transcript to a narrative, when a project was completed unsatisfactorily and major revisions are needed, for authors early in the writing process, etc. Any project where lots of comments, reactions, questions, suggestions, fact checks, and additional ideas are necessary or appreciated. 

Because of these variations, editing is not a cut-and-dry subject, so I evaluate projects on a case-by-case basis, taking into account what level of editing the client believes is needed (or has time for) and my recommendation based on a sample of the work. 


For an estimate

Please email me via my Contact page and include as much information about your project as possible. Attaching the work itself is also incredibly helpful and will ensure a more accurate estimate. 

Thank you for your interest. I hope to work with you soon!