Cherry Edits: Editing and proofreading scores on the doors. 🔢

I’ve been proofreading and editing for several years now. Here’s a brief overview of how much experience I’ve had. The first five years (part-time): ◽ 49 projects ◽ 2,132,069 words Year six (full-time): ◽ 23 projects ◽ 1,356,360 words Total so far: ◽ 72 projects ◽ 3,488,429 words Thank you to all the authors whoContinue reading “Cherry Edits: Editing and proofreading scores on the doors. 🔢”

When words cross borders. Are we on the same page about literary translations? Considerations as a reader, an educator, and an editor.

Discover the world of literary translations and gain insights as a reader, educator, and editor. Explore considerations, cultural perspectives, and the importance of staying true to the author’s intention. Join the conversation on words crossing borders in this thought-provoking blog post.

It’s an indie life for me, but I have a healthy respect for traditional publishing.

I bang on about indie publishing because it aligns with my values. But that doesn’t mean I have a problem with traditional publishing. For instance, I like to know how things are done in traditional publishing to make sure my indie clients get a professional service from me, even though they’ve not gone the tradContinue reading “It’s an indie life for me, but I have a healthy respect for traditional publishing.”

What are metonyms? What are anaphoric references? And (why) do they matter in fantasy writing?

❓ Do you know your metonyms from your anaphoric references? This week, some terminology that was relevant when I was teaching A level English language has popped into my head. It doesn’t really matter what these things are called, but what does matter is that these things are *things. One term was metonymy. The otherContinue reading “What are metonyms? What are anaphoric references? And (why) do they matter in fantasy writing?”

Sending your book to an editor is like sending your kid on a school residential.

🚸 Am I talking about sending your kid on a school residential? 📚 Or might this be an analogy…? And when they get back…? This analogy can run much further. But I reckon that’ll do. 😃 Handing over your manuscript to an editor might be like sending your kid on their school residential. Be brave.Continue reading “Sending your book to an editor is like sending your kid on a school residential.”

‘Looking up, his heart sank.’ Did it? How bothered are you about dangling modifiers?

Can your heart look up? 💓⬆️ ▫️Looking up, his heart sank. I know what the author means. They mean that whatever the character has seen has made their heart sink. 🎣 But the way it’s written causes something called a ‘dangling modifier’. The subject of the sentence is ‘heart’ and the heart is said toContinue reading “‘Looking up, his heart sank.’ Did it? How bothered are you about dangling modifiers?”

Is an editor with a website a more attractive proposition to an author than an editor without one?

🎉 It’s my website’s second birthday. And it’s got me thinking … While my professional platform on LinkedIn pre-dates cherryedits.com by three years, it wasn’t until I got my website that I felt legitimate. 🌐 Two years ago, I reached the this-is-not-a-dress-rehearsal phase of my professional life. Buying the domain name, building the site, puttingContinue reading “Is an editor with a website a more attractive proposition to an author than an editor without one?”

Will you be having a break this Easter, or is it business as usual?

📍 I’ll finish the edit I’m on by Friday, then it’s a change of pace for the next two weeks. 🐰 My son is off for Easter. Whether I work while he’s off is up to me. Experience tells me that it’s not a great time for me to be doing focused work. That’s whyContinue reading “Will you be having a break this Easter, or is it business as usual?”

POV: Improve your writing by doing more of it.

☺️☺️ Just to be sappy a moment… I love seeing writers improve over time. I am lucky enough to work with some authors whose creative wells seem bottomless. They are always writing. There are always more stories to tell. And I get to read them. And when you’ve seen someone’s early stories, then later ones,Continue reading “POV: Improve your writing by doing more of it.”

Will an editor judge me for my poor grammar?

When an author is worried an editor will consider their writing to be poor due to grammatical mistakes, my message is: don’t stress. We are not here to judge.  In England, when 15/16-year-olds do their English exam and are asked to write a story, a whopping 40% of their mark for that story comes fromContinue reading “Will an editor judge me for my poor grammar?”