Copy editing

Copy editing is a favourite pastime of mine. Monitoring for inconsistencies, repetition, style incongruities, and readability is both deeply relaxing and a fun puzzle to solve.

Below are two instances of previous copy editing work I have done as freelance.

The first is a collection of content for a real estate consultant. This project was an exercise in audience, tone, and intention. While Adelia was familar with the audience and confident in her approach, she found that her existing content gave the wrong impression. Her request was to create a specific tone, one of “empowerment, approachability, human, and encouragement.” The content required several rounds of collaborative review until we were able to settle on a specific style guide and approach. You can find more information about Adelia and her company on LinkedIn.

The second is a framework that I did for a University of Calgary acquaintance. M is responsible for writing the policies and procedures required at her engineering firm. I made some suggested changes to encourage a firmer tone and identified inconsistencies. As always, my favourite part of any copy editing project is the creation of a unique style sheet.

This work is an example of the copy editing approach I take in all of my technical writing and documentation work.

(While M has kindly allowed me to publish this piece, she requested that some of the proprietary information be redacted.)

Copy editing: hardcopy

Copy editing: text editor

Custom style sheet