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Course

Copyediting for Fiction

WCWP-40343

Copyediting for Fiction (WCWP-40343)
10 Weeks | Online

As a fiction copyeditor, you will be expected to guide the author through a full edit of their manuscript, including working with them on sentence structure, word choice, consistency, plot holes, timelines, and point of view. In addition, you’ll often be asked by authors to guide them through the publishing process after editing is done. In this course, you’ll learn how to execute a copyedit of fiction, create and maintain a style sheet, and how to fact-check fiction, all while sustaining a collegial relationship with the author and maintaining the author's voice.


What you will learn:

  • Understand and edit punctuation in fiction
  • Understand the levels of editing and different types of editing
  • Work with an author on appropriate dialogue
  • Handle issues with timelines, plot, and setting
  • Point out and fix competing points of view
  • Create and maintain style sheets
  • Preserve the author’s voice
  • Politely and appropriately query the author
  • Fact-check fiction
  • Complete sample edits and proposals
  • Guide an author through the publishing process

Requirements:

  •     Microsoft Word 2016/Office 365 (PC or Mac) or higher required.
  •     Working knowlege of Microsoft Word and its Track Changes feature
  •     Native-level fluency with English
  •     Ability to write clear, logical, and grammatically correct sentences

Note: This online course is not self-paced. There are assignments and readings with weekly due dates. Please purchase textbooks before class begins.

Course Information

Online
3.00 units
$705.00

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This course applies to these programs

Copyediting

Course sessions

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Section ID:

192600

Class type:

Online Asynchronous.

This course is entirely web-based and to be completed asynchronously between the published course start and end dates. Synchronous attendance is NOT required.
You will have access to your online course on the published start date OR 1 business day after your enrollment is confirmed if you enroll on or after the published start date.

Textbooks:

All course materials are included unless otherwise stated.

Policies:

  • No refunds after: 10/3/25

Note:

This is an online course; all class sessions are taught online. There are no face-to-face class sessions. You will have access to your online course on the published start date OR 1 business day after your enrollment is confirmed if you enroll on or after the published start date. To login to your course, go to your MyExtension account, select My Courses, select this course and then click the link that appears in the LOCATION section.<br><b>NO CLASS 11/11 OR THE WEEK OF 11/24-28

Schedule:

No information available at this time.
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Instructor: Karen Robinson

Karen Robinson
Karen Robinson, Ph.D. English (medieval literature), has been copyediting for over 20 years in fields as varied as financial services, oncology/medical publications, academic writing, and fiction. She has been freelance copyediting for writers of fiction, mostly fantasy and speculative fiction, for the past 8 years. In addition, she is the Managing/Copy Editor for PLY, a quarterly magazine about spinning fiber into yarn (she is also a spinner and knitter). Karen has taught courses at the college level in composition, technical writing, and literature (as well as Latin). For the UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies, she teaches Copyediting for Fiction.
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