Taking a deep dive . . .

“There is nothing to writing.
All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”
– Ernest Hemingway

What is Copyediting?

Copyediting looks at cohesion, flow, and accuracy within the text. I check grammar, spelling, sentence structure, and punctuation while also looking at technical consistency throughout your manuscript. 

  • Is there uniformity in style, tone, and formatting?  
  • Are names spelt correctly?
  • Does the document use US or UK English, and is it maintained throughout?
  • Does the subject-verb agreement work?

I also check for continuity of character descriptions, scene settings, and plot lines and may improve phrasing and organization to help your writing be more effective and fluid. In non-fiction texts, I may verify dates, names, and references where necessary. 

  • Is the copy clear?
  • Does it comply with style guides (e.g. CMOS, APA)?
  • Does it make sense and flow well?
  • Is anything missing or repeated?

I will respect your voice, writing style, and creativity throughout this process. However, I won’t comprehensively rewrite or restructure your work.

What is Proofreading?

Proofreading is the final stage on the road to publishing and usually takes place after your document has been edited. When proofreading, I look for mechanical errors in punctuation, spelling, grammar, consistency, and formatting.

  • Are commas, apostrophes, hyphens, semicolons, and other punctuation marks used correctly?
  • Are quotes formatted properly?
  • Are fonts consistent?
  • Do chapter headings and numbers match the table of contents?
  • Do illustrations, tables, and figures match their captions? 

Apart from fixing incorrect words (e.g. ‘your’ instead of ‘you’re’, ‘piqued’ instead of ‘peaked’), I will not edit your content – your words and sentence structure remain unaltered.

Note: While I aim to flag elements that may require copyright permissions, I am not responsible for complying with copyright laws or getting the necessary permission to use text, graphics, photos, music or song lyrics, designs, trademarks, or other created work in your document. I do not check for plagiarism. The author is responsible for plagiarized work and any subsequent penalties that apply.

Let's collaborate!

I can't thank Mel enough for the work she did on my article. I realised copyediting is very skilful and that it is worth engaging with a skilled professional like Mel. She added creativity to my piece, editing my waffle but maintaining my voice. I was very happy with the final piece.

Victoria Brookbank
Mindful Community