Comments on: Zen and the Art of Copyediting http://deannahoak.com/2005/08/09/zen-and-the-art-of-copyediting/ SF/F Copyeditor Tue, 02 Dec 2008 22:20:14 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: CJ Caes http://deannahoak.com/2005/08/09/zen-and-the-art-of-copyediting/#comment-198602 CJ Caes Fri, 23 May 2008 13:06:38 +0000 http://deannahoak.com/?p=107#comment-198602 There are indeed many levels of copywriting and no one can be expected to do the perfect job unless they are able to get into the mind of the author. But many copyeditors remain at the technical level -- sentence by sentence editing without payiong attention to the paragraph and the rhetorical flow from sentence to sentence. But are there any software packages that can be useful to copyeditors -- say, perhaps, one that amply takes care of the the grammar and spelling and leaves the the copyeditor to concentrate on the fine art of copywriting -- that is transitions between sentences and between, rhetoric, coherence, etc. Too many copyeditors get caught picking up the stones on a trail and never get to see where things are going. CJ Caes There are indeed many levels of copywriting and no one can be expected to do the perfect job unless they are able to get into the mind of the author. But many copyeditors remain at the technical level — sentence by sentence editing without payiong attention to the paragraph and the rhetorical flow from sentence to sentence.

But are there any software packages that can be useful to copyeditors — say, perhaps, one that amply takes care of the the grammar and spelling and leaves the the copyeditor to concentrate on the fine art of copywriting — that is transitions between sentences and between, rhetoric, coherence, etc. Too many copyeditors get caught picking up the stones on a trail and never get to see where things are going.

CJ Caes

]]> By: The Copyediting Process at Deanna Hoak http://deannahoak.com/2005/08/09/zen-and-the-art-of-copyediting/#comment-2462 The Copyediting Process at Deanna Hoak Tue, 25 Jul 2006 16:42:35 +0000 http://deannahoak.com/?p=107#comment-2462 [...] I posted several months ago on how I decide what to leave alone in a novel I’m copyediting. I’ve been meaning ever since to post an article on exactly what my copyediting process is, but I’ve been putting it off because it seems so difficult to condense and codify the steps I take when I work on a manuscript. I’ve decided to give it a try, though. [...] [...] I posted several months ago on how I decide what to leave alone in a novel I’m copyediting. I’ve been meaning ever since to post an article on exactly what my copyediting process is, but I’ve been putting it off because it seems so difficult to condense and codify the steps I take when I work on a manuscript. I’ve decided to give it a try, though. [...]

]]> By: willshetterly http://deannahoak.com/2005/08/09/zen-and-the-art-of-copyediting/#comment-375 willshetterly Sat, 26 Nov 2005 13:30:09 +0000 http://deannahoak.com/?p=107#comment-375 Oh, I definitely think authors should be indulged in their stylistic quirks, and the kindest copyeditors make those quirks consistent. Commas, like paragraphing, are an element of style, and style shouldn't be stripped to the bone. The singular "their' is hard for me (grammar was fascistic in the US in the '60s), but I keep telling myself that if it's good enough for Shakespeare, Austen, and the translators of the King James Bible, I should happily give in. Especially since I don't like any of the alternatives much, and some expressions don't work well when made plural. Enough on that! I look forward to a post on pronouns someday. Oh, I definitely think authors should be indulged in their stylistic quirks, and the kindest copyeditors make those quirks consistent. Commas, like paragraphing, are an element of style, and style shouldn’t be stripped to the bone.

The singular “their’ is hard for me (grammar was fascistic in the US in the ’60s), but I keep telling myself that if it’s good enough for Shakespeare, Austen, and the translators of the King James Bible, I should happily give in. Especially since I don’t like any of the alternatives much, and some expressions don’t work well when made plural.

Enough on that! I look forward to a post on pronouns someday.

]]> By: deannahoak http://deannahoak.com/2005/08/09/zen-and-the-art-of-copyediting/#comment-374 deannahoak Sat, 26 Nov 2005 12:41:36 +0000 http://deannahoak.com/?p=107#comment-374 Hi, Will. I haven't written anything on pronouns, but I'll add it to my list of things people might be interested in hearing about. I do sometimes deliberately mix pronouns in my own writing, using "her" in some places and "his" in others (though I wasn't aware I had done so in this post, which actually fascinates me and adds one more reason why <i>everyone</i> benefits from having someone objective looking at their writing :-)). In general, though, I prefer to use "their" as a generic singular possessive in my own writing--it matches common usage. I definitely will not "correct" the usage of it in a manuscript, either. When "and" is used to mean "then," I think you're right that the comma can often be deleted without altering the author's <i>meaning</i> (though I do believe in such cases that the comma often results in more immediate clarity). However, such preferences also affect an author's style and voice, so I prefer to leave them as the author has them. Thank you for the interesting comment. :-) Hi, Will. I haven’t written anything on pronouns, but I’ll add it to my list of things people might be interested in hearing about.

I do sometimes deliberately mix pronouns in my own writing, using “her” in some places and “his” in others (though I wasn’t aware I had done so in this post, which actually fascinates me and adds one more reason why everyone benefits from having someone objective looking at their writing :-)). In general, though, I prefer to use “their” as a generic singular possessive in my own writing–it matches common usage. I definitely will not “correct” the usage of it in a manuscript, either.

When “and” is used to mean “then,” I think you’re right that the comma can often be deleted without altering the author’s meaning (though I do believe in such cases that the comma often results in more immediate clarity). However, such preferences also affect an author’s style and voice, so I prefer to leave them as the author has them.

Thank you for the interesting comment. :-)

]]> By: willshetterly http://deannahoak.com/2005/08/09/zen-and-the-art-of-copyediting/#comment-373 willshetterly Sat, 26 Nov 2005 09:31:35 +0000 http://deannahoak.com/?p=107#comment-373 I noticed, "every single author has their own particular style" and thought, "Ah, she likes 'their' as the generic singular posessive." And then came to "One author may decide not to use a serial comma and have his sentences be perfectly readable," and wondered if you deliberately mix the choices in your own writing. Which made me wonder if you've written anything about pronouns. I followed sartorias's link and like what I've read so far. (Though I'm still weighing ", and". I confess, that comma feels to me like the grammatical equivalent of "for a moment," which can in every case I know be deleted without affecting the sense of the sentence.) I noticed, “every single author has their own particular style” and thought, “Ah, she likes ‘their’ as the generic singular posessive.” And then came to “One author may decide not to use a serial comma and have his sentences be perfectly readable,” and wondered if you deliberately mix the choices in your own writing. Which made me wonder if you’ve written anything about pronouns. I followed sartorias’s link and like what I’ve read so far. (Though I’m still weighing “, and”. I confess, that comma feels to me like the grammatical equivalent of “for a moment,” which can in every case I know be deleted without affecting the sense of the sentence.)

]]> By: deannahoak http://deannahoak.com/2005/08/09/zen-and-the-art-of-copyediting/#comment-371 deannahoak Sat, 08 Oct 2005 07:55:27 +0000 http://deannahoak.com/?p=107#comment-371 Yeah, I know. That's my problem with the rule that they should never be split: it's completely unnatural to English. Yeah, I know. That’s my problem with the rule that they should never be split: it’s completely unnatural to English.

]]> By: shalanna http://deannahoak.com/2005/08/09/zen-and-the-art-of-copyediting/#comment-370 shalanna Sat, 08 Oct 2005 07:24:36 +0000 http://deannahoak.com/?p=107#comment-370 Comes out of Latin, which doesn't HAVE the two-word verb and thus there's no way to split an infinitive. Scholars who admired Latin as the Ultimate Language imposed the rule on English. That said, sometimes it's idiomatic to split the infinitive, and other times it makes you sound like a William Shatner record. You really have to fly by the seat of your knickers on that one. *grin* Comes out of Latin, which doesn’t HAVE the two-word verb and thus there’s no way to split an infinitive. Scholars who admired Latin as the Ultimate Language imposed the rule on English.

That said, sometimes it’s idiomatic to split the infinitive, and other times it makes you sound like a William Shatner record. You really have to fly by the seat of your knickers on that one. *grin*

]]> By: deannahoak http://deannahoak.com/2005/08/09/zen-and-the-art-of-copyediting/#comment-369 deannahoak Mon, 22 Aug 2005 04:03:38 +0000 http://deannahoak.com/?p=107#comment-369 Thank you, Anonymous. :-) Thank you, Anonymous. :-)

]]> By: anonymous http://deannahoak.com/2005/08/09/zen-and-the-art-of-copyediting/#comment-368 anonymous Sun, 21 Aug 2005 11:42:43 +0000 http://deannahoak.com/?p=107#comment-368 Excellent.Someone with clear common sense. The sounds you hear are the sighs of relief from myriad writers. Excellent.Someone with clear common sense. The sounds you hear are the sighs of relief from myriad writers.

]]> By: deannahoak http://deannahoak.com/2005/08/09/zen-and-the-art-of-copyediting/#comment-367 deannahoak Fri, 19 Aug 2005 12:21:07 +0000 http://deannahoak.com/?p=107#comment-367 Copyediting can be very much feast or famine, and it can also be difficult working alone every day. Many freelancers only last a few years full-time. Most copyediting these days pays between $18-25 an hour. Copyediting can be very much feast or famine, and it can also be difficult working alone every day. Many freelancers only last a few years full-time.

Most copyediting these days pays between $18-25 an hour.

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