Notes on Copyediting for Fiction Writers
In Today's Journal
* Notes on Copyediting for Fiction Writers
* Of Interest
* The Numbers
Notes on Copyediting for Fiction Writers
Okay, one, I decided NOT to lay out all the things Writer's Digest University is offering in their Copyediting Certificate Course. Just looking at it was too freakin' depressing.
In the first place, their course is intended to turn you into a professional copyeditor vs. copyediting your own work. And as a very good copyeditor with over 24 years' experience, frankly they fall short in that regard too. Far short.
For just one of many examples I could show you, they consider a "sentence fragment" and a "run-on sentence" to be "common sentence problems." (Hint: In Fiction Those Are Not Problems. They're just two more tools you can use to create a particular effect in the reader.)
Also, many of the "included in this session" bits they list are pure, unadulterated BS. For example, they'll show you how to "punctuate phrases and clauses" (this after showing you how to punctuate sentences).
Um, DUH! If you know punctuation and if you're punctuating a sentence correctly (to have an impact on the reader) you're also punctuating phrases and clauses correctly. C'mon man!
If you want to stop fearing punctuation and learn how to wield it as a tool to direct the reading of your work, pick up a copy of Punctuation for Writers, 2nd Edition.
And there's a lot more useless silliness in the WD copyediting course. Like I said, it's too depressing even for me to dissect it all.
But if you're interested in that course, go to the Copyediting Certificate Program and see for yourself. It's your money.
Here's what a copyeditor (even you) should do to your work:
NOTE: I copied and pasted the following paragraph and the list from my copyediting page. If you visit, scroll down to "What I Do."
A copyedit consists of a detailed reading for anything that might interrupt the reading of your work. This includes but is not limited to checking and correcting (or suggesting corrections for) the following:
punctuation, spelling and wrong-word usage
grammar and syntax, but remaining true to the diction of the narrator or character (in other words, your style), including obviously accidental shifts in verb tense and point of view
redundancies (Usually these are in narrative, the result of the writer intruding on the story to tell the reader what the reader already “saw” or “overheard” as he read.)
consistency in punctuation, hyphenation, numerals, fonts, and capitalization
consistency in character names, clothing, scene details, etc.
pacing and flow (primarily I’ll recommend reparagraphing to improve pacing and I’ll provide examples from your work)
anything else that might confuse or otherwise interrupt the reader
If there's enough interest
to make it worth my time to offer a Copyediting for Fiction Writers course, in it I will teach you how to do all of that. Along the way, we will also discuss, In Your Own Work,
Grammar and Punctuation
phrases, clauses, and sentences, including what "run-on" sentences actually are (a run-on sentence is NOT, as Grammarly would have you believe, "a really long sentence") and what comma splices actually are and how to 'fix' them
The direct, inescapable, 'you will be assimilated' effect on the reader of longer and shorter sentences. That effect isn't what you probably think.
the subliminal effect of punctuation, what it actually is and what it forces the reader to do without the reader even realizing it
how to wield punctuation as a writer to direct the reading of your work,
Paragraph Structure (it's SO different for fiction)
opening and closing sentences and what goes in the middle and why
paragraph breakspacing and 'flow' (goes directly to paragraph, scene, and chapter structure),
'nesting' (structure) in sentences, paragraphs, scenes and chapters
Word Choice and Nuances
and why they're important, such as
'then' vs. 'and' (or vs. nothing) to combine parts of the sentence or vs. shortening the sentence
'shut' vs. 'closed' e.g. "slam (or slammed) shut" vs. "slam closed."
the limited use of adverbs (when and why and where to use them )
the use of the word "hard" for effect, e.g. "shoved the door hard open" or "sat down hard" or "fell hard to his knees" etc.
The Importance of Letting the POV Character Notice Tiny Details
Details pull the reader more deeply into the story.
For example here's an excerpt from my current novel. This is the last part of a short, transitional scene that occurred immediately after a high-tension, high-action scene. My and the character's intention is that although the action is over, the tension remains.
In this clip, the POV character, having done his job, leaves the site cautiously, expecting a possible ambush:
I stopped just inside the exit, glad the window in the top of the door was blacked out. I took another deep breath, crouched, and eased it open.
No sirens. No kids, at least to the left or across the street.
I straightened, remained where I was, and shoved hard on the brushed-steel bar.
I waited.
No gunfire.
I let the door slam shut, then quickly shoved it hard open again.
Still no gunfire.
I crouched again, peered past the edge of the door.
Nothing between me and the car.
I leaned forward, sweat beads breaking out on my forehead, and peered to the right.
Nothing. Nobody.
I straightened again, walked out, and went to my rental.
I was a little surprised to see the driver’s side tires were intact. I quickly opened the door, slipped in behind the wheel, started the car, and jerked it into Drive.
All the tires were okay. I’d expected the kids to shred them.
Okay. In this case, you’re the reader.
Were you crouching beside the door with the character? Did your heart rate or breathing change? Did you sense relief in the final paragraph? Etc.
Notice that often what you intentionally omit is as important to pacing as what you include. For example, did the character check all four tires? Of course. But he checked the passenger-side tires by feel as he drove on them.
All of that said, and as I wrote on my copyediting page (linked above), "I only offer copyediting because I enjoy teaching. Hence, when I copyedit your work you get prime rib for the price of high-fat hamburger."
In other words, if I've copyedited a novel for you in the past, you do NOT need ANY copyediting class, including mine, primarily because you already received a class in copyediting in the form of my comments on your copyedit. So just read those over again.
If I HAVEN'T copyedited a novel for you, as part of this course I'll copyedit a limited number of pages from a long work.
That will both show you how to copyedit and what to look for in your own work (we all have our glitches) AND it will show you how to copyedit for others if you choose to do so.
A few days ago I also mentioned that I copyedit my own work on the fly. I can teach you how to do that too, if you want.
If there isn't enough interest
in a 'formal' copyediting course, maybe I'll write a nonfiction book. If I do that, I'll probably present it here in TNDJ first as a series of posts. In that case, you may consider all of the above a partial outline for that series and the eventual book.
Okay, that's probably enough of this drivel.
Talk with you again soon.
Of Interest
Story #19 in 19 Days Includes a warning re tradpubs, bad advice, and publicists
The Numbers
The Journal…………………………… 1260
Writing of Blackwell Ops 35: Seldem Dunn
Day 1…… 3796 words. To date…… 3796
Day 2…… 3389 words. To date…… 7185
Day 3…… 4085 words. To date…… 11270
Day 4…… 4234 words. To date…… 15504
Day 5…… 4543 words. To date…… 20047
Day 6…… 5362 words. To date…… 25410
Day 7…… 2494 words. To date…… 27904
Day 8…… 4626 words. To date…… 32530
Fiction for January…………………… 82993
Fiction for 2025………………………. 82993
Nonfiction for January……………….. 20810
Nonfiction for 2025…………………… 20810
2025 consumable words…………….. 103803
Average Fiction WPD (January)…….. 4150
2025 Novels to Date…………………….. 1
2025 Novellas to Date…………………… 0
2025 Short Stories to Date……………… 3
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)…………..... 105
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)…………… 10
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)……… 274
Short story collections……………………. 29
Disclaimer: Whatever you believe, unreasoning fear and the myths that outlining, revising, and rewriting will make your work better are lies. They will always slow your progress as a writer or stop you cold. I will never teach the myths on this blog.
Writing fiction should never be something that stresses you out. It should be fun. On this blog I teach Writing Into the Dark and adherence to Heinlein’s Rules. Because of WITD and because I endeavor to follow those Rules I am a prolific professional fiction writer. You can be too.
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>>> you do NOT need ANY copyediting class, including mine, primarily because you already received a class in copyediting in the form of my comments on your copyedit.
I can vouch for that. I learned a lot from Harvey's two copyedits (it takes me a while to learn). They were worth every nickel spent. I find myself cycling with my eyes opened a lot wider now, having taken to heart all of his comments and many of his recommended changes. I wouldn't have it any other way.
(Don't flog me too hard, Harvey.) I very quickly reviewed all of my shorts and novels with an eye to removing certain punctuation. While I was doing that, there were a lot of small edits made. I couldn't help noticing them as I read through. I could have left them them the way they were, but I didn't. It took a month to go through all of my product, (with plenty of breaks) but what the hey, I felt better about my readers and what they downloaded to read with my pen name on it.
Hell, I even recall thinking as I was going through it all, when did I come up with some of this, and how did I get it all down the way I wanted?
Would I do it again? No. Of course not. I had to force myself to do it, while keeping Harvey's comments in mind. Do I recommend doing it? Nope. But, I do consider the exercise a learning experience in its entirety, and that's what writing and life is all about, even at my advanced age.