Cathy Copenhagen, Editor
Editing Services
"Thanks for all of your help. You really guided me and helped me make sense of some of my ideas so I could move forward and simply write. "
Consultation and developmental edit, PhD Dissertation
"I absolutely love what you have done. For the first time, really, truly, I can see an “I” here that actually has a story to tell. THANK YOU! THANK YOU!"
Developmental edit, Memoir
"This is really scary, sending this much out to a stranger, but it feels good. I'm very excited to have goals and to move forward.
Manuscript Consultation and editing plan, Non-fiction book
Consultation
For writers who have an emerging idea for a piece of writing, or maybe a start at a chapter or outline for a book-length project, a consultation can include an email or phone consult to develop the ideas and set up a proposed plan to move forward with the writing.
Manuscript Analysis
For writers in the early stages of writing, on a partial or full-length manuscript. Based on a close reading of an early draft, I write an editing plan that outlines how best to move forward. An email or in-person consult follows to discuss the editing plan.
Developmental Editing
Often called "big picture" editing, this type of editing also involves editing at the early stages of writing with a focus on content development, structure and organization. Revision is the key word here with the editor and author in collaboration to develop a manuscript to meet the author's vision and to maximize appeal to the audience and publisher. This type of editing may include a memo or letter outlining strategies, a Word track changes markup, and an author consult.
Line Editing
Later in the writing process, line editing often overlaps with developmental editing and copyediting. The manuscript is read line by line for sentence structure, wording, transitions and other elements to help improve the flow of the text. Editing is done in Word track changes accompanied by a style sheet that outlines consistency in the manuscript.