by Karin Beery Should I offer all services for all projects or specialize in a particular type of edit? That’s a common question among new editors. It’s tempting to do everything because the numbers add up—the more services you offer, the more authors you’ll be able to help. Thus, a full schedule and more money…
by Karen Saari Editing women’s fiction is not like editing other genres. It’s a different way of telling a story. In general, editing fiction follows a prescribed path: There is an antagonist and a protagonist. There is a definite plot arc—Achieve/accomplish this task. Overcome this obstacle. Obtain this goal. It’s the momentum that propels the…
by Bobbie Temple Defaulting to Copyediting Are you a Christian fiction writer who has decided to self-publish your book? Getting your Christian fiction book traditionally published usually means the house hires an editing team—such as a substantive editor, a copy editor, and a proofreader—before it publishes. However, if you self-publish, you might give yourself a…
by Cheri Fields Writing is a mammoth process. Today let’s look at one of the first steps that helps you “eat the elephant.” Books are read one reader at a time. You experience this every day. Even a shared pop phenomenon, if consumed at home, is a private event. Particularly with today’s personal devices, we…
by Ken Walker It’s the dreaded phrase you have likely heard before or will in the not-too-distant future. I think of it as a convenient catch-all, delivered when the company’s human resources department, your supervisor, or—in the case of Christian PEN members, a would-be author—can’t think of anything better to say. They say they have…
by Karin Beery Freelance work is a beautiful idea—no commute, no dress code, make your own hours. You only have to work with the people you want to work with and you can ignore the rest. Except when you don’t have any work lined up, so you take gigs you’re not really interested in or…
By Pamela Cosel Ten years ago, I faced a major life decision. I was going through a divorce in Colorado and had to vacate my house within weeks because it was legally in my husband’s name only. I was his second wife and had moved into his home. At the time of my divorce proceedings,…
by Sue A. Fairchild Last year, when my mom entered hospice care, I kept working. Although I spent much more time at her house helping her and my dad, I still found time to edit for clients when I could. I didn’t think this seemed too outrageous—I take my responsibilities very seriously. However, so many…
by Denise Loock The semicolon awaits trial in global court. The indictment? Uselessness. If convicted, it will be exiled from the Land of the Written Word. This grieves my heart. Worldwide, writers and editors have denounced the semicolon. In its place they have sanctioned unthinkable replacements: Phrases and clauses masquerading as sentences. Groups of words…
by Iola Goulton Do you find similarities in the kinds of writing mistakes your editing clients make? I do, especially when I’m working with less experienced fiction writers. I usually encourage new writers to start with a manuscript assessment, an appraisal and critique of the overall novel. Most authors do a great job with the…
