Writing Tips from Your Copyeditor

Errors and other infelicities I see all the time

Just a few of my red pens. (photo by me)

Congratulations! You’ve written a novel. You’ve shown it to your mom and your friends, then some beta readers and your critique group; then you paid a development editor to help you work out any remaining plot, structure, and character issues.

Now you’re ready for the critical final steps in the process of bringing your best work to your readers: copyediting and proofreading.

Here’s how to get the most out of that experience. As a freelance copyeditor and proofreader who works for a number of very successful self-published writers, as well as people earlier in their career arcs, I see a number of the same common faults and foibles. The less time I spend correcting them, the more time I can spend digging deeper into your book.

Consistency, Consistency, Consistency

I keep a style sheet beside me as I copyedit, noting the spelling and any other relevant details about characters, places, and word usage. It’s amazing how many times inconsistencies slip through all the rounds of readers and edits that come before the book gets to me. Dad’s Delicious Diner becomes Dan’s Delectable Diner; a white Honda becomes a tan Hyundai; something is said dryly on page thirty and drily ten pages…