Posted on

Immersion in Developmental and Content Editing

Editors, by now you know that immersion editing is all about going deeper. Well, there’s no better way to go deeper than with developmental editing and content editing. So come take the plunge with Immersion in Developmental and Content Editing on Tuesday nights, April 23 through June 4.

scuba diver in water

Please allow me to continue the water analogies: Developmental editing and content editing are uncharted seas for most editors. I know many editors who have never taken on a developmental and/or content editing assignment.

Why? Perhaps because they assume they’ll be sailing into choppy, murky waters where monsters abide.

In contrast, proofreading and copyediting are (usually) crystal-clear waters with easy-breezy cruising. After all, those editing levels are about mechanics. They boil down to rules and standards someone else has established. You can lean heavily—if not fall back on—CMOS, M-W, and in-house guides.

But there are no quick lookups with developmental editing and content editing. They’re not about grammar, spelling, style, punctuation, and other surface issues. Rather, they’re about organization, clarity, flow, intention, voice, and other in-depth issues.

How do you master developmental and content editing? By going deeper with immersion editing. So come take the plunge.

In this seven-week course, we’ll learn how to navigate these sometimes challenging waters. We will:

  • Define developmental editing, content editing, and copyediting—and see why the lines often blur.
  • Explore how developmental and content editing are perfect opportunities to go deeper with the immersion editing approach.
  • Compare and contrast developmental and content editing across the spectrum of traditional publishing, hybrid publishing, and self-publishing.
  • Uncover the secret immersion step that sets you up for success with developmental and content editing. (Spoiler: It happens before you make a single edit.)
  • Understand why developmental editing is so much more than a beta read.
  • Discover why content editing is the most important—yet most overlooked—level of editing.
  • Learn why it’s crucial to create positive, trust-based relationships with authors, project managers, and other key collaborators.

If you’ve ever worked with me, you know my copyediting and proofreading mantra: “Look up everything—even if you know it.” But developmental and content editing are things you can’t just look up. You have to learn it, swim it, sail it.

So let’s dive in together, matey.

Posted on

Two Classes This Fall

What’s better than one immersion editing class? Two immersion editing classes, of course. The fun begins on September 15 for Going Deeper: Immerse Yourself in Immersion Editing. Then join me again for Immersion in Proofreading and Copyediting on Tuesday evenings, October 9 through November 13.

Let’s take a closer look at each course.

 

Going Deeper class title

Going Deeper: Immerse Yourself in Immersion Editing

September 15

This is the foundational class for immersion editing and what it truly means to go deeper. This one-day intensive is a game-changer for editors of all levels, authors, project managers, and basically anyone who works with writing.

We’ll discuss how immersion editing is like scuba diving and what it has in common with servant leadership, emotional intelligence, and even “whispering.” It’s a whole new—and better—way to take authors, manuscripts, and your own career to the next level.

 

Immersion in Proofreading and Copyediting

Tuesdays, October 9 through November 13

Editors, this is the nitty-gritty, in-the-trenches, getting-your-hands-dirty class you’ve all been waiting for. In this in-depth six-week course, we’ll explore all sorts of “secrets” about proofreading and copyediting—from mechanics and style sheets to best practices and tips. I’ll walk through sample edits to give you a glimpse into my mind. (Scary stuff—I know.) And you’ll get plenty of hands-on exercises to practice what you’ve learned. Authors, come join us too if you’ve ever wanted to be your own first editor or perhaps get a foot in the editorial door.

 

With both courses, what excites me the most is that they bring like-minded people together in our growing network of immersion editors. It’s a bit of a revolution, and it’s incredible to see how it’s growing.

I wholeheartedly believe that editors learn best from each other. In these classes, I swear I learn more from the participants than they learn from me. It’s an enlightening experience for all.

Immersion editing is about making the world a better place for authors, manuscripts, and editors. So come take not one but two plunges with me this fall.

Posted on

Editing Secrets Made Easy: April 19

hand on laptop

There’s so much to remember when it comes to grammar, punctuation, style, and other mechanics. Sometimes it seems as though these are secrets only your eighth-grade English teacher knows. With that said, I’m happy to invite editors and authors to Editing Secrets Made Easy on April 19, 6:30–8:30 p.m. at Beaver’s Pond Press. (Many thanks to the Pond for graciously opening their office for these classes. It’s a wonderfully creative and inspirational space for bookish folks to gather.)

This will be my second time presenting this class. It’s easily my most popular class to date. Last time, we packed in nearly twenty people, a mix of editors and authors and a few in-betweens. Here’s hoping we get a big turnout this time too. If you didn’t join us for the first go-around, please check it out this time.

I think the class is so popular because everyone wants and needs a better grasp on grammar, punctuation, style—the nuts and bolts. Specifically, everyone wants and needs someone to explain it all in simple, common-sense, easy-to-remember terms. That’s true not only for writers but for editors, and we’re the so-called experts.

Case in point, I’m the first to admit I’m no grammarian. I often forget the difference between a misplaced modifier and a dangling participle. But it doesn’t really matter, so long as I know how to identify each of them in a manuscript and polish them up.

Along those same lines, the class won’t focus on jargon. Rather, it’ll help you recognize there’s something wrong with this sentence: “Sensing a collision, the oncoming bus made Sherry brace herself.” (By the way, that’s a misplaced modifier. I think…)

The other reason Editing Secrets Made Easy is so popular is because these “secrets” are culled from real experiences, real manuscripts, real authors, real editors. With eighteen years of professional editing, I’ve seen these issues pop up in countless raw manuscripts from authors. I’ve also seen them pop up in countless copyedited manuscripts when I do proofreads. For that matter, some of these issues have baffled me too for years. (Lay versus lie. I swear I have to look it up every time, just to be safe.)

Authors, this is a great way to boost your writing. Knowing the ins and outs of mechanics will make you a better writer, hands down. Fact is, master wordsmiths have also mastered the basics of language. And the more you know about mechanics, the better shape your manuscript will be in when it comes time to start the publishing process. You will save yourself time and quite possibly money.

Learning the basics will make all your writing better, including the pieces that don’t go through a professional editor. Think about every tweet, blog post, email, cover letter, and so on. What effect will you create as a professional author if you mistakenly use affect instead of effect?

Editors, this is a great chance for us to gather and learn together. I’m all about sharing knowledge, especially because we no longer have an apprenticeship model in our industry. (Something I’ll discuss more in posts to come.) We need to find our own ways to share trade secrets. There’s something here for everyone, from newbies to seasoned pros.

This particular class creates a unique experience to learn alongside authors. You’ll see how to approach copyediting mechanics in an author-friendly, common-sense way. So, let me break out some jargon here: Maybe you know the difference between a restrictive and nonrestrictive appositive, but do you know how to explain it to an author without making her eyes cross—or worst yet, without sounding patronizing?

So, come one, come all—join us for Editing Secrets Made Easy on April 19. Let’s shed some much-needed light on these secrets!