My previous post “Ten Handwritten Editing Marks” demonstrated the copyediting and proofreading marks for deletions, insertions, transposed letters, paragraphs, periods, commas, apostrophes, quotation marks, capitalization, and lowercasing. Today’s post demonstrates ten more handwritten editing marks: parentheses, spaces, bold font, italic font, remove formatting, en dashes, em … [Read more...] about Ten More Handwritten Editing Marks
copyediting
Ten Helpful Writing Websites and Blogs
I previously published a post called "Five Helpful Writing and Editing Websites and Blogs." A five-item list is a measly attempt for such a large topic, so today’s post expands that original list to ten writing websites and blogs. These resources cover a wide variety of subjects, so I’m confident that you’ll find something here that you can apply to your business or nonfiction … [Read more...] about Ten Helpful Writing Websites and Blogs
How to Use Track Changes in Microsoft Word (Tutorial)
This tutorial is a basic overview of how to use Track Changes in Microsoft Word. Word’s Track Changes tool helps us edit documents by tracking insertions, deletions, and format changes. The term track changes is commonly used for both editing and commenting, so this tutorial also includes Word’s comment tool. Please note that the images in this tutorial are from Microsoft … [Read more...] about How to Use Track Changes in Microsoft Word (Tutorial)
How to Use Adobe Acrobat DC’s Comment and Mark-Up Tools (2016 Update)
Today’s tutorial explains how to edit PDFs with Adobe Acrobat DC’s comment and mark-up tools such as the sticky note, strikethrough, and insert-text tool. The first section shows you how to access the tools, the second section shows you how to use the tools, and the final section explains a recent update to Acrobat DC’s instant mark-up process. This is an update to my 2015 … [Read more...] about How to Use Adobe Acrobat DC’s Comment and Mark-Up Tools (2016 Update)
Book Review: The Subversive Copy Editor by Carol Fisher Saller
My Very Occasional Book Review series is back with a review of the second edition of The Subversive Copy Editor: Advice from Chicago by Carol Fisher Saller. The Positives Carol Fisher Saller is the editor of the Chicago Manual of Style Online’s Q&A. She also writes a column called the Editor’s Corner for the CMOS Shop Talk blog. As a longtime reader of both of these … [Read more...] about Book Review: The Subversive Copy Editor by Carol Fisher Saller
Thirteen Technology Questions to Answer before You Hire an Editor
There are many questions to answer before you hire an editor. Does the editor have experience in your field or genre? Is the editor’s technique compatible with your writing style? Can the editor meet your scheduling needs? In addition to those important questions (and many more), here are thirteen technology questions to ponder. Of course, some of these questions may not apply … [Read more...] about Thirteen Technology Questions to Answer before You Hire an Editor
How to Change Your Name for Existing Comments and Mark-Ups in Adobe Acrobat DC (Tutorial)
Have you ever used Adobe Acrobat DC’s comment and mark-up tools to edit an entire document only to realize afterward that you should have used a generic name, such as Editor, rather than your own name? This tutorial demonstrates how to change your name for existing comments and mark-ups in Adobe Acrobat DC---so you no longer have to live with an unwanted moniker (at least not … [Read more...] about How to Change Your Name for Existing Comments and Mark-Ups in Adobe Acrobat DC (Tutorial)
How to Change Your Name for New Comments and Mark-Ups in Adobe Acrobat DC (Tutorial)
My last post explained how to change your user name for the track changes tool in Microsoft Word 2016 and Word 2013. Today’s post shows how to change your name for new comments and mark-ups in Adobe Acrobat DC. Note that in Acrobat, the name you work under is sometimes referred to as your author name even when you’re not the author. The term author name is similar to the term … [Read more...] about How to Change Your Name for New Comments and Mark-Ups in Adobe Acrobat DC (Tutorial)
How to Change Your User Name for Track Changes in Microsoft Word 2016 and Word 2013 (Tutorial)
Have you ever wanted (or needed) to be an incognito editor, a covert reviewer, or a clandestine collaborator? If so, this post is for you—or for your secret identity—because it demonstrates how to change your user name for Track Changes in Microsoft Word 2016 and Word 2013. This tutorial is also available as a YouTube video, which you can watch on my YouTube channel or in the … [Read more...] about How to Change Your User Name for Track Changes in Microsoft Word 2016 and Word 2013 (Tutorial)
How to Reply to Comments and Mark-Ups in Adobe Acrobat DC (Tutorial)
My last post explained the basics of how to use Adobe Acrobat DC’s comment and mark-up tools. Today’s post explains how to reply to comments and mark-ups in Adobe Acrobat DC through written responses and by changing the status of individual or multiple comments and mark-ups. As mentioned in the previous post, Acrobat’s comment and mark-up tools can't change the document. … [Read more...] about How to Reply to Comments and Mark-Ups in Adobe Acrobat DC (Tutorial)
How to Use Adobe Acrobat DC’s Comment and Mark-Up Tools (Tutorial)
Update: Adobe has modified Acrobat DC's comment and mark-up tools since the publication of this tutorial. For the most up-to-date information, please visit my new tutorial "How to Use Adobe Acrobat DC's Comment and Mark-Up Tools (2016 Update)." Copyediting in Adobe Acrobat used to be quite cumbersome; however, Adobe has noticeably improved the copyediting tools (which Adobe … [Read more...] about How to Use Adobe Acrobat DC’s Comment and Mark-Up Tools (Tutorial)
Six Tips for Handling Unwanted Writing Advice
As a business and nonfiction copy editor, I provide unvarnished (but still polite) writing advice for my clients. But another part of my job is less direct: I talk with people about their relationship with writing so that I can customize my approach to their professional or personal needs. Unsurprisingly, many people have negative feelings about writing because they have … [Read more...] about Six Tips for Handling Unwanted Writing Advice
A Brief Overview of Adobe Acrobat’s Spell-Check Tool
Adobe has noticeably improved the editing tools in the most recent versions of Acrobat Pro and Acrobat Standard. The tools feel more fluid and integrated into the user interface than they did in previous versions; and while they aren’t as intuitive as Microsoft Word’s Track Changes, Acrobat’s text comments, highlight comments, and sticky notes (shown below) actually provide … [Read more...] about A Brief Overview of Adobe Acrobat’s Spell-Check Tool
Four Tips for Using Microsoft Word’s Spelling and Grammar Check Effectively
When you inherit a Word document, the original author's settings can affect the document even when you open it on your own computer. These lingering and potentially unwanted settings may prevent you from receiving a complete spelling and grammar check. Here are four quick tips for using Microsoft Word's spelling and grammar check effectively---even if your document was … [Read more...] about Four Tips for Using Microsoft Word’s Spelling and Grammar Check Effectively
Am I a Copyeditor or a Copy Editor?
Copyeditor or Copy editor? That is the million-dollar question! (Okay, maybe the thousand-dollar question.) I have been a proud member of the writing and editing community for over a decade. That’s long enough to have witnessed epic battles over the serial comma and near fisticuffs over hyphenation. (Believe me, no one wants to witness actual grammar-induced fisticuffs. That … [Read more...] about Am I a Copyeditor or a Copy Editor?
Editing Checklist for Long Documents
When we're editing long documents, such as manuals and research reports, we can easily get so focused on the main content that we forget to check ancillary items. Here is a basic list of things to review after you edit the main content: Cover or Title Page—Are the title, subtitle, and author's name spelled correctly? Front Matter—Have the preface, acknowledgment, and … [Read more...] about Editing Checklist for Long Documents
Ten Handwritten Editing Marks
Today, Microsoft Word's Track Changes features are the editing tools of choice. But, red pens and hand-marked edits won't journey to the land of dinosaurs and VHS tapes as long as we still use real paper from time to time. Here is a simple graphic demonstrating ten handwritten editing marks: delete, insert, transpose, paragraph, period, comma, apostrophe, quotation marks, … [Read more...] about Ten Handwritten Editing Marks
How to Hire an Editor, Part 3: Tips for Working with Your Editor
Throughout this how-to series, we've explored various editing services and ways to find editors online and through professional organizations. We've also discussed the finer points of interviewing and hiring editors. Let's wrap things up with five tips for working with your editor so that you can make the most of your editing experience: 1. Document everything. As mentioned … [Read more...] about How to Hire an Editor, Part 3: Tips for Working with Your Editor
How to Hire an Editor, Part 2: Interviews, Payments, and Schedules
Over the past several weeks, we've discussed different types of services provided by freelance editors and how to find editors through Internet searches and professional organizations. Today, we'll cover the final phases of the hiring process: interviewing an editor, discussing payment, and establishing a schedule. Interviewing an Editor Once you've narrowed down your search … [Read more...] about How to Hire an Editor, Part 2: Interviews, Payments, and Schedules
How to Hire an Editor, Part 1: Where to Find an Editor
Last week we talked about the different types of editing services provided by freelance editors: developmental editing, substantive editing, copyediting, and proofreading. Today we'll get down to the nitty-gritty of how to hire an editor or editors for your project. Deciding What You Need Will Help You Figure Out Whom You Need In a perfect world, every writer would hire a … [Read more...] about How to Hire an Editor, Part 1: Where to Find an Editor
Different Types of Editors
[Updated June 30, 2016] A reader recently asked me to explain the different types of editors available to help her with her book. Although I have mentioned several types of editing services on my FAQs page, I thought I'd delve into the subject a bit more deeply here—after all, I'm always happy to oblige my readers! The four basic types of editors are developmental, … [Read more...] about Different Types of Editors
Six Tips for Editing Other People’s Writing
Editing our own writing may not be easy, but it is generally a walk in the park sipping an iced latte compared to the difficulty of editing another person's writing, particularly if that person is a coworker, friend, or relative. Here are six tips to take the sting out of editing other people's writing. 1. Ask the writer what he or she expects from you. Should you offer … [Read more...] about Six Tips for Editing Other People’s Writing