Creative Writing

An archive of posts related to editing and proofreading creative writing, including fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. Find out how to edit and proofread for authors and publishers.

  • Narrative Structure: The Hero's Journey

    Narrative Structure: The Hero's Journey

    Sep 28, 2022

    • Creative Writing
    • Editing Tips

    For anyone who edits creative writing, understanding narrative structure can be extremely useful. There are many different ways of conceptualizing narrative structure, but one of the most common is known as the Hero’s Journey. In this post, we’ll explain what the Hero’s Journey is and how you can use it when editing your client’s work. […]

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  • Editing Tips: Fact-Checking Fiction

    Editing Tips: Fact-Checking Fiction

    Jul 03, 2021

    • Creative Writing
    • Editing Tips
    • Proofreading Tips
    • Style

    Fiction is all about the suspension of disbelief, and factual errors can be distracting. Thus, when editing or proofreading a novel, you might need to raise issues of factual accuracy for your client, especially when a work of fiction is set in the real world. In this post, then, we set out some tips on […]

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He Said, She Said: Tips for Editing Dialogue Tags

  • Editing Tips: Scene Breaks in Books and Manuscripts

    Feb 21, 2021

    • Creative Writing
    • Editing Tips
    • Formatting
    • Proofreading Tips
    • Style

    When a book is divided into sections, each chapter will typically start on a new page. But what about scene changes within a chapter? How do writers and publishers indicate a shift of perspective, time, or location? And what do you need to know about this as a proofreader? In this post, we take a […]

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  • Proofreading Tips: Plagiarism and Copyright in Creative Writing

    Nov 15, 2020

    • Creative Writing
    • Proofreading Tips
    • Style

    Plagiarism in creative writing is harder to identify than, say, academic plagiarism. Despite this, proofreaders may want to look out for potential plagiarism and copyright issues in creative writing. To help you navigate these muddy waters, we’ve prepared a quick guide to the basics. What Is Plagiarism in Creative Writing? It is hard to define […]

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  • Proofreading and Editing Tips: Proofreading Creative Writing

    Proofreading Creative Writing

    Jul 30, 2018

    • Creative Writing
    • Proofreading Tips
    • Style

    Truth hurts. That’s why everyday life is full of little white lies, and why most of the human race avoids telling anyone that their baby isn’t all that pretty. But proofreaders aren’t so lucky. Our career is a world of uncomfortable truths. And this is especially true when working with authors and other creative writers. […]

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  • Narrative Structure: The Hero's Journey

    Narrative Structure: The Hero's Journey

    Sep 28, 2022

    • Creative Writing
    • Editing Tips

    For anyone who edits creative writing, understanding narrative structure can be extremely useful. There are many different ways of conceptualizing narrative structure, but one of the most common is known as the Hero’s Journey. In this post, we’ll explain what the Hero’s Journey is and how you can use it when editing your client’s work. […]

    Read more
  • Editing Tips: Fact-Checking Fiction

    Editing Tips: Fact-Checking Fiction

    Jul 03, 2021

    • Creative Writing
    • Editing Tips
    • Proofreading Tips
    • Style

    Fiction is all about the suspension of disbelief, and factual errors can be distracting. Thus, when editing or proofreading a novel, you might need to raise issues of factual accuracy for your client, especially when a work of fiction is set in the real world. In this post, then, we set out some tips on […]

    Read more