The Journal – Blog

Sometimes my clients, often those who have worked with me before, can be clear from the outset about the kind of editing they are looking for, but generally speaking, their needs become clear through a dialogue at the beginning of the process.

It is very helpful at that point to have some terms and editing concepts in common. Editors will often refer to light, medium and heavy copyediting. I’ll give you a rough sketch of what they mean by these terms. Every editor will have a personal take, but in the industry there is enough general consensus for them to be in common use. I’m indebted to The Copyeditor’s Handbook, 3^rd edition, by Amy Einsohn, for a succinct exposition of these terms. If you are an editor, or are interested in editing, and don’t have this book – get it. You can click on the image for more information.

In a light edit, the editor will deal with all mechanical issues – spelling, punctuation, capitalization, etc. – and with outright grammatical errors. The editor won’t revise paragraphs for wordiness or convoluted language, but will point out such issues. Factual inconsistencies and possibly incorrect statements will also get noted in a light edit.

In a medium edit, the editor will of course address all the issues addressed by a light edit. In addition, they will point out awkward syntax, wordiness, and convolution – suggesting and supplying revisions. At the medium editing level, the editor will also begin to address questions of structure and logic – noting and querying only, however.

In a heavy edit, the editor will go ahead and revise what was queried or noted in a light or medium edit, rewriting convoluted or wordy sections, revising incorrect facts, and fixing poor organization.

While these are rough categories, they provide valuable reference points as you develop understanding with your editor.

Much of what I do with my clients’ writing falls into the category of “copyediting.” It is a technical term, so I’ll give a brief explanation of what it means and what it doesn’t.

One of the primary jobs of a copyeditor is to make sure that the manuscript conforms to a particular editorial style, also known as a house style. Many writers have some familiarity with one or more editorial styles, such as those of the American Psychological Association (APA), Modern Language Association (MLA), Chicago Manual of Style (CMS), and Council of Science Editors (CSE). Businesses, news organizations, publishers and many other institutions also have in-house style guides to ensure clarity and consistency. Editorial style includes such elements as spelling, capitalization, hyphenation, punctuation, how to handle numbers, use of abbreviations, when to use bold type and italics, and citation. Editing to conform to a style is usually called mechanical editing.

A copyeditor also works to correct errors or lapses in grammar, syntax, usage, and diction. This kind of work is often referred to as language editing. Language editing involves more editorial judgment than mechanical editing. Much depends on context, intended audience, changes in usage, and the author’s style – so a conscientious editor keeps these factors continuously in mind, and remains faithful to the author’s intentions.

Another responsibility of a copyeditor is to look for and point out inconsistencies within the manuscript, as well as organizational or structural problems. These tasks are grouped under the term content editing. If a fact or a claim in one part of the document is contradicted in another part, or if there is an obvious factual error, the copyeditor brings it to the author’s attention. The copyeditor also notes when the organization or structure contributes to confusion or inefficiency. Content editing usually means making note of the problems and making suggestions rather than immediate editorial changes.

Copyediting is distinct from proofreading. Although a copyeditor, as a matter of course, corrects or points out whatever might be amiss in the manuscript, they will not be able to catch every detail. Also, copyediting is followed by authorial revision, so errors might be introduced at that stage. It is essential to have at least one final fresh pair of eyes that go over the manuscript, line by line, before it is published or submitted.

It is also distinct from developmental editing. I noted earlier that when a copyeditor finds organizational or structural problems, they make suggestions rather than changes. Making these kind of wholesale revisions is developmental editing.

Most importantly, a copyeditor isn’t a writer, rewriter or ghostwriter. A copyeditor is there to improve the writing, not to create it. This is especially important when working with academic manuscripts. Crossing this line in academic work means plagiarism.

Look for my upcoming post on editing levels. It will help you in communicating your intentions to your editor.

It can be very hard to finish a thesis or dissertation. These are by definition long projects, and graduate students often find themselves in situations that work against completion. Not finishing has become so common that the acronym, “ABD” (All But Dissertation), is now used in many job postings. These days – due in part to the rise in the number of online and low-residency graduate degree programs, and in part to cuts in academic programs that leave fewer tenured and tenure-track advisors with less time for their graduate advisees – degree candidates often find it very hard to develop effective working relationships with those who are designated to help them complete.

Dissertation and thesis writing can be a very lonely path. Often, degree candidates are done with coursework, already working, and away from campus. The enthusiasm, energy and camaraderie they enjoyed in the early years of their graduate program can fade away into uncertainty, depression and isolation.

A dissertation coach can work with you to transform what looks like a hopeless cause into a completed project and a graduate degree. A coach meets with you regularly to help re-imagine your relationship to your project, to develop realistic timelines and working schedules, to address negative thinking and procrastination, and to create a healthy relationship with your committee. A good coach provides accountability – without negative criticism and judgment – and works as a project co-manager, helping to clear obstacles and plan work.

Are you tired of pessimism, confusion, loneliness, doubt, and guilt? Consider working with a coach to get it done. I’d be happy to talk to you about your dissertation or thesis to see if I can help.

Many of you may already be familiar with Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab – the OWL – but just in case some of you aren’t, I’d like to let you know about it. This has been my go-to academic writer’s resource since the 90s. They have been around since 1994 – the very first online writing lab.

At the OWL you will find MLA and APA style guides, as well as a wealth of resources for academic writers at all levels. There are sections dedicated to helping with undergraduate and graduate school applications.

The OWL’s resources aren’t limited to academic topics. There is a well-developed section on professional and business writing. You can get help with business letters, memos, grants, and white papers.

Click on the icon and have a look!

I recently worked with a client on a business case for a government agency. It was a rather big project and I was called in at the last minute – two days before the deadline. I generally decline to edit in emergency situations, because what one can offer in such cases, aside from light copy-editing and proofreading, is relatively little value for the cost. In this case I was able to help improve the document and get it in under the wire. The project set me to thinking about what an editor can do for writers at different stages of their process.

Much depends on the kind of writing we’re considering. In the case of an academic project, an editor can consult with the author quite early on, at the post-idea stage, when the author has an idea, but perhaps isn’t yet able to resolve it into a thesis and a basic argument. At this stage, the editor can serve as a sounding board, assisting the author in clarifying and developing the basic logic, without supplying any essential ideas. Knowing where the line is – the line between on the one hand encouraging the author to develop her own ideas and on the other supplying them for the author – is especially important when the editor is working with students. After years of teaching English and writing I know where this line is. Crossing it would mean plagiarism – passing the editor’s work off as one’s own. I take academic ethics very seriously.

When working with a creative writer, unless I am co-authoring or ghostwriting, I find it is best to begin once there is a manuscript. It is important for the author to freely express as much as possible, in whatever form, her creative genius prior to critique of any kind. Once the ideas and the forms are on the page any number of editing functions can come into play.

In the business world, authorship is less rigorously defined. Most often the work speaks for itself, and the recipients are not so concerned with who the wordsmith was. Most business writing doesn’t involve a conception stage because its content and purpose are already to a large extent defined. This means that an editor can come in right at the beginning to help structure the document – to the extent of functioning as a co-writer if asked.

These observations are, of course, of a general nature. Your project is absolutely unique, and requires the specific approach that best serves your goals.

I don’t like the word “procrastination.” It has some nasty sounds in it, but more importantly for me, it connotes a moral failure – not a grand one, but rather a petty little moral failure, one I wouldn’t want to claim even in an antihero sort of way. Failing through procrastination feels like I imagine Gulliver felt when he was defeated by the tiny Lilliputians. I’ve been brought down, more often than I like to admit, because I let the little moments go by while the work sat undone.

There are many sources of help in countering this tendency to put off things that need doing. I remember going to the free university counseling service when I was not writing my dissertation. What I got was a sympathetic ear and a handout. On the handout were suggestions that are pretty much the same as those I find when I Google, “procrastination help.” They are useful – admit you’re procrastinating, break down the task into smaller components, get someone to hold you accountable, schedule, prepare a reward for completion, start with minimal expectations, etc. – I have used them to good effect.

The thing that has made the most difference for me, however, antecedes these tactics. In order to summon the willingness to employ tactics, I need to have a clear understanding of why I actually want to do the thing I’m not doing. Willingness works like a wedge – I need very little of it to get things moving, and once I get the thin edge in there, I’m often amazed by how little moral courage and effort it takes to get a task done. For me, willingness comes when I get a good feel for the causal connections between the work at hand and my goals – my real goals, the ones that move my heart.

A bit of time spent imagining the way in which a particular task is connected to my heart’s desire soon manifests as willingness and motivation, enough to get that thin edge of the wedge into place. Once it’s there I can accept help, employ techniques, and generate momentum. So, daydream your way to success.

As I look out over the top of my screen at the rain falling steadily into the back garden, I’m thinking about the special relationship between writing and rainy weather. If there is an iconic writing scene, it is the writer alternately scribbling and gazing contemplatively out into a wet landscape through the running drops on a windowpane. The wet weather keeps our bodies inside while our minds wander out through scenery made subtle and mysterious by the dimming and diffusion of light, by quivering little reflections, and by the quietness of it all. The sounds of water on the roof and on the windowpane fill those spaces in my mind that otherwise tend to chatter and echo as I settle in to compose a few sentences. The infinite variability of the rain falling, striking and running, which is at the same time continuous and repetitive, inspires in me a particular kind of imaginative freedom. So, yes – an old sweatshirt, a cup of strong coffee, and my cat at my feet on a rainy October afternoon in Portland make for this writer’s heaven.