Copyediting Examples
Copyeditors edit on a spectrum of light to heavy. A light edit focuses on objective mistakes and small changes needed to bring a draft in line with a style guide. A heavy edit comprises objective errors and more subjective suggestions that aim to improve the draft’s flow and style.
I’ve edited the first five hundred words of a story from my backlog twice below, demonstrating the difference between a light and heavy copyedit.
I’ve also included an example style sheet, which shows just how many style decisions are made in the first few pages of a new editing project. The style sheet will grow as the project goes on, and this example is in no way a complete and final document.
Light edit
Heavy edit
Style sheet
A style sheet is a technical document compiled by an editor over the course of a project. It is essentially a record of all the decisions the editor has made regarding punctuation, typography, spelling, and so on. It also records story details about characters, places, and timelines.
Uses:
Understand the editor’s style decisions.
Ensure details about characters and places are consistent and correct when compared with your author notes/outline documents.
Maintain consistency when revising the manuscript after editing.
Brief a proofreader or future editor on established style and editorial decisions.
Develop a consistent ‘house style’ and record new editorial decisions as your book, series, or body of work develops.
Good editors will create a style sheet as standard (or follow and update an existing one). They should also ask whether you have been writing in line with any established style guides, such as New Hart’s Rules or The Chicago Manual of Style. The style decisions an editor makes and records in the style sheet should reflect and reference your preferred style guide, if you have one.