Services

Cathy has extensive experience and qualifications in the following editing areas:

I consider all the aspects of a manuscript that make the book readable and enjoyable. This will entail:

Structural and organizational problems.
Judging whether the author’s concept or theme works throughout the manuscript.
Check if the structure is logical and appropriate.
Look at the author’s voice if it is: consistent, appropriate for the story and audience and sections that don’t work, whether they ramble on or are starved for detail.
Analyse if the plot make sense, if it holds together and if there are any holes
Are the timelines logical and believable, Do events advance the plot? Build character? Are there any events that don’t add to the story in some way?
Is the setting appropriate for the story? Does it enrich the story or seem at odds with it?
Pacing. Different stories have different speeds. Does the pacing here seem to drag? Move too quickly?
Characters. Are the characters well-formed and believable? Do they grow, as real people do? How well do characters interact with each other?
Dialogue. Does the dialogue match the character? Does it seem believable? Move the plot along? Is there any dialogue that seems mismatched in some way?

My task as a beta readers is to help predict how the story’s real audience would respond to it. This prediction allows the writer to intervene before problems are printed. I will generally :

Focus on my experience, whether I felt confused or bored, found something unrealistic, were guessing the ending, or enjoyed something
Mark places in the document that stood out for whatever reason, and add comments explaining with words what my reaction was.
Give an overall summary of whether I enjoyed the work

Copy Editing

This is the process of checking for mistakes, inconsistencies, and repetition and it entails:

Checking for and correcting errors in grammar, spelling, syntax, and punctuation.
Checking for technical consistency in spelling, capitalization, font usage, numerals, hyphenation. Do you use both British and American English spelling, for example variations interchangeably, such as favourite vs. favorite?
Checking for continuity errors and makes sure that all loose ends are tied.
Checking for factually incorrect statements. This is a necessary part of the copy editing process for non-fiction manuscripts, such as historical pieces and memoirs. I must check if the facts in your manuscript are accurate and if the names and dates are correct.
Checking for potential legal liability. I verify that your manuscript does not libel others.
Checking for inconsistency within the story. This includes character description, plot points, and setting. Does each character stay true to his own description throughout the story? Are there conflicting descriptions of the house? For example, have you described the setting as “a yellow brick home” on one page but “a weathered wooden home” on another page?

Proofreading

Proof reading entails correcting minor errors such as

Commas, hyphenation, and other punctuation
Consistency of word usage
Consistency of tense usage
Misplaced or missing modifiers
Proper capitalization
Ambiguous pronoun usage
And plain, old-fashioned typos