Description
Self-paced courses are undertaken by the student at their own pace. No instructor feedback is given, although models are provided in the lessons. All self-paced courses include at least one live Q&A session, held via Zoom. Students will have 365 days to access the course material. To extend access by 3 to 12 months from the initial access end date, email the education coordinator. More information about how our classes are conducted is available here.
After placing your order, your course will be added to your personal course library on our education site. That site has different login information from the main EFA site. Please check your email for information on how to access the course.
Access to course materials begins immediately and lasts for 365 days.
Fiction copyeditors not only look for misspellings and punctuation errors, but edit for voice and technique. This class will explore:
- the differences between fiction and nonfiction editing
- where copyediting ends and developmental editing begins
- common manuscript errors, as well as style issues particular to fiction
- what to include on style sheets
- the mechanics of dialogue and interior monologue
- narration flaws
- authorial voice
- copyright concerns
- breaking into fiction editing
- working with indie authors or new writers
To take this course, you will need:
- Microsoft Word (you will need to be comfortable working with Track Changes)
- Access to at least one print or online dictionary, preferably Merriam-Webster
Required texts:
- The Chicago Manual of Style, 18th ed. If you’re an EFA member, don’t forget to apply your 20% discount!
- Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, 2nd ed., by Renni Browne and Dave King
This course assumes that students have had some training or experience in the basics of copyediting.
Lourdes Venard (she/her) has more than 35 years of writing and editing experience, including at major newspapers Newsday, The Miami Herald, Chicago Tribune, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and The Washington Post. She currently works for the News Literacy Project, an education nonprofit, and teaches copyediting at the University of California, San Diego. She also has experience as a freelance editor. She is co-author of the EFA booklet Sensitivity Reads: A Guide for Editorial Professionals and served on the advisory board of The Chicago Manual of Style, 18th edition.
