Become Your Own Best Editor with Julie Kliegman
Become Your Own Best Editor with Julie Kliegman
April 14th, 1pm-4pm on Zoom
This course is for anyone looking to polish off writing—either their own or someone else's. We'll discuss the ins and outs of rearranging commas and correcting grammar, of course, but we'll also go much deeper into how to handle writing on sensitive subjects and how to communicate effectively with writers and other editors. Students will learn what makes a modern copy editor who can expertly refine anything from tweets to longform work. They'll practice making swift, thoughtful changes to copy that let the writer's unique voice shine. We'll also review what goes into crafting style guide entries of our own and highlight must-have copy editing resources. Students will walk away with an understanding of how to copy edit with confidence.
COURSE TAKEAWAYS:
- Receive personalized feedback from the instructor on a tracked-changes assessment, as well as peer edits on a 500-word writing sample
- Learn best practices for copy editing short- and longform, along with resources to fine-tune skills
- Develop skills to craft and edit stylebook entries
- 10% discount on all future Catapult classes
COURSE EXPECTATIONS:
The students are expected to read four articles on copy editing before class, as well as bring about 500 words they've written or edited for peer review. In the week after class, they will take a one-hour copy editing assessment (which involves tracking changes to correct errors on a sample article) so that I can provide individualized feedback.
COURSE SKELETON:
Hour 1:
- make intros and learn what everyone wants to get out of the course
- go over common grammar, punctuation, and style mistakes
Hour 2:
- discuss readings and how to justify copy edits you want to make to a piece of writing
- peer-edit each other's roughly 500-word samples (I will have some text on hand for those who forget to bring a sample)
Hour 3:
- discuss what makes a clear, concise style guide entry, with examples
- share resources for copy editors including style guides and networks