Course Manual Content — Copyediting Fiction

What the Course Covers

Approaching the Manuscript

• A Sense of the Edit Needed
• A Few Mechanics of Editing

Preserving the Author’s Voice

• Elements of Voice
• Leeway in Grammar, Usage, Punctuation, Spelling
• Voice Consistent with the Conventions of the Genre

Overediting

Characters

• Consistency
• Similarities
• Overdescription
• Speech Patterns
• Terms of Address

Editing Additional Elements

• Character Distinctions
• Paragraphing
• Identifying the Speaker
• Avoiding “Said” Repetitions
• Verisimilitude
• Grammar in Dialogue
• Dialect
• Characters’ Thoughts
• Odd Punctuation

Assignment One

Plot Inconsistencies

• Time Periods
• Places
• Events
• Characters Present in a Scene
• Descriptions of Characters

Excess Verbiage

• Criteria

Rearranging Sentences

• Scattered Description
• Interrupted Dialogue or Narrative
• Unplanned Violations of Chronology

Assignment Two

Breaks in Text

Querying

• When to Query
• How to Query

The Style Sheet for Fiction

Finding Work

• From Publishers
• From Agents
• From Literary Journals
• From Authors and Self-Publishers
• Marketing Your Skills and Networking

Assignment Three — Send-in Exercise

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