We live in an age of technological marvels. One of these is the ability to save documents to the cloud and have autosave preserve your every revision. But whether by preference or by necessity, we may sometimes still find ourselves working from a document that has been saved to our local hard drive. In this case, I recommend you save your document after every revision. What! Does that sound cumbersome and time consuming? It’s not. And it will serve you well if the unfortunate happens.

There have been multiple times I’ve spent hours on a document only to have Word freeze up or my computer randomly restart itself. There’s even been the occasional time when I shut down Word in a hurry and accidentally told it not to save my changes. If you run into something like this without saving your document, you might lose hours of work. How discouraging!

The good news is that there’s a quick and easy way to continually save your work. After you’ve used “Save As” and named your document, you can continue to save the document under that same name by pressing Ctrl + S (PC) or Cmd + S (Mac). I’ve gotten into the habit of hitting this combination of buttons after almost every edit. The fraction of a second it takes to do it is well worth the time you would lose if you have to make those edits again.

Another work-rescuing decision is to tell your computer to always create a backup of your documents. This way, if something happens to corrupt, damage, or delete the document you’ve been working on, you have a recent copy ready for you to access, and very little of your time and hard work has been wasted.

Windows Users: To do this, click on the File tab in the upper left-hand corner. Select the very last item on the list, Options. Choose Advanced on the left side of the dialog box and then scroll down to the Save section. Make sure there is a checkmark in the Always create backup copy box. This will save a backup copy in the same file location as your main copy, but it will add “Backup of” to the beginning of the name of the backup file.

Mac Users: Click on the Word drop-down menu in the upper left-hand corner. Select “Preferences.” Click on “Save.” And then make sure there is a checkmark in the Always create backup copy box.

Take a few minutes to do this now, and save yourself an unnecessary headache in the future. As you move forward to greater heights of writing and editing, remember that your voice is significant, and your contribution is unique.

 

Pleasant penning,

Rachel E. Bradley
Freelance Editor and Indexer
NAIWE Copyediting Expert
Revisions by Rachel Inc.
www.RevisionsbyRachel.com

 

Rachel E. Bradley holds a BS degree in Paralegal Studies from Northeastern State University in Oklahoma. She graduated summa cum laude in 2006 and was awarded the Advanced Certified Paralegal designation by the National Association of Legal Assistants. She is a gold member of the Christian PEN: Proofreaders and Editors Network, is an established freelance editor with the Christian Editor Connection, is an instructor with the PEN Institute, is a judge for the Editors’ Choice Award, and has served as faculty for PENCON, the only conference for editors in the Christian market, Experience , and WriterCon.

After nine years in the legal field, Rachel transitioned to her current career as a freelance editor and indexer. She now owns Revisions by Rachel Inc. In 2018, she lost her first husband, Matthew, after an intense battle with brain cancer. That experience has given her a new understanding and a fierce compassion for people who feel broken and are hurting. In celebration of continued life and hope, she became a licensed skydiver. When she is not at her computer diligently editing for her clients, you can find her in the skies flying her rainbow canopy, “Promises,” after a jump from 10,000 feet.

In early 2021, she asked God to give her an arranged marriage and gave him permission to choose her next husband. In an incredible tale of trusting God and giving him her yes without exception, she is now gratefully and blessedly married to Alexander Bradley. They have been assigned the awe-inspiring and continually humbling task of raising two incredible children.

Rachel enjoys, among other things, Bible studies, dancing during church worship, skydiving, swing dancing, rock climbing, reading, teaching, discussing important issues, watching Star Trek, sewing, cooking, Pilates, horseback riding, water sports, playing guitar, and snow skiing.

 

The biblical number for God’s grace is five. For that reason, it’s one of my favorite numbers. God’s grace is what empowers me to do anything I do and especially to run my business. As I gathered with family on New Year’s Eve 2024, it occurred to me that the year ’25 is five squared—God’s grace times God’s grace.

WOW.

I can’t express how full of expectation I am to see what this year holds. And the first month did not disappoint. Let me explain.

I started out the year strong, hitting my financial goals for the first solid week of the month. Then the Holy Spirit moved my husband and I to give a large sum of money away. And right after we followed through with that, we were struck with the rhino pneumonitis virus, which knocked us down for almost two weeks—no work.

So why wasn’t this disappointing? Because God’s grace empowers his children. It is even more crucial to recognize it during times of challenge. Romans 5:3 says that we rejoice in tribulation because tribulation works patience, and patience works experience, and experience works hope, and hope makes not ashamed. Challenges are just opportunities to rely on God’s grace to do what we cannot. What does rejoicing in tribulation look and feel like? PEACE.

In the middle of a challenge, where what you see tempts you to worry, that is the time to cast your care on the Lord and celebrate that he’s got this. He knows what you need before you even ask, and he’s a Good Father.

So we’ve entered into 2025 with unexpected circumstances saturated in anticipated grace. I can’t wait to see what God does, and I hope our difficult time inspires you to experience God’s peace and provision through whatever challenge this year has already presented.

As you move forward to greater heights of writing and editing, remember that your voice is significant, and your contribution is unique.

 

Pleasant penning,

Rachel E. Bradley
Freelance Editor and Indexer
NAIWE Copyediting Expert
Revisions by Rachel Inc.
www.RevisionsbyRachel.com

 

Rachel E. Bradley holds a BS degree in Paralegal Studies from Northeastern State University in Oklahoma. She graduated summa cum laude in 2006 and held for ten years the Advanced Certified Paralegal designation by the National Association of Legal Assistants. She is a gold member of the Christian PEN: Proofreaders and Editors Network, is an established freelance editor with the Christian Editor Connection, is an instructor with the PEN Institute, is a judge for the Editors’ Choice Award, and has served as faculty for PENCON, the only conference for editors in the Christian market.

After nine years in the legal field, Rachel transitioned to her current career as a freelance editor and indexer. She now owns Revisions by Rachel Inc. In 2018, she lost her first husband, Matthew, after an intense battle with brain cancer. That experience has given her a new understanding and a fierce compassion for people who feel broken and are hurting. In celebration of continued life and hope, she became a licensed skydiver. When she is not at her computer diligently editing for her clients, you can find her in the skies flying her rainbow canopy, “Promises,” after a jump from 10,000 feet.

In early 2021, she asked God to give her an arranged marriage and gave him permission to choose her next husband. In an incredible tale of trusting God and giving him her yes without exception, she is now gratefully and blessedly married to Alexander Bradley. They have been assigned the awe-inspiring and continually humbling task of raising two incredible children.

Rachel enjoys, among other things, Bible studies, dancing during church worship, skydiving, swing dancing, rock climbing, reading, teaching, discussing important issues, watching Star Trek, sewing, cooking, Pilates, horseback riding, water sports, playing guitar, and snow skiing.

Thoughts are an important part of copyediting fiction and creative nonfiction. Taking your reader deep into the point-of-view (POV) character requires opening up the character’s mind. But how do you do this? Here are the industry standard techniques for handling internal musings.

Direct vs. Indirect Thoughts

Direct thoughts are thoughts the character thinks word for word. Express them in present tense. And if the story is in third person, write direct thoughts in first person. Set them in italics, not within quotation marks.

She covered her ears with both hands, shutting her eyes. I must be brave. I’m not really alone.^[i]

Indirect thoughts are still thoughts the character thinks, but they are expressed in the same tense as the surrounding text. If your story is in third person, keep the thoughts in third person and set them in Roman typeface along with the surrounding text.

Sir Cecil brushed his sleeve, avoiding Baret’s gaze. This wasn’t like Cecil. What was he trying to hide?^[ii]

Both direct and indirect thoughts rarely require thinker attributes (he thought, she thought). These may be useful if you’re editing for omniscient POV. But if you are in a single POV, the POV character is the only one doing the thinking, because the reader can’t be in more than one head at a time.

Thoughts in Deep POV

If you are going for deep point of view, you might tend to overuse direct thoughts. After all, if you want readers inside the character’s head, wouldn’t it be better for them to hear the thoughts exactly as the character is thinking them? The natural assumption is that if you are using a direct thought, you are in a deeper point of view than an indirect thought. This is not, however, the case.

Since direct thoughts are set in italics and written in first person, present tense, they not only cause a visual interruption in the text but also give the subtle impression that the thinker and the narrator are not the same. This has the effect of disturbing the reader’s deep point of view.

Rachel sat at the computer, her fingers hammering out the next few sentences. Her cat’s insistent meow sounded again. How many times is he going to want to go outside today? Yeah, it’s gorgeous outside. The fall weather seemed to be moving in right on time, and a cool breeze was taking the edge off the UV heat from the sun. But I’m never going to get this work done if he doesn’t make up his mind to stay in or stay out. She rose a couple inches out of her chair and reached over to open the back door.^[iii]

(Ah! Pretty cool that you know that subtle nuance now, huh?)

In contrast, indirect thoughts blend into the text. The line between experiencing the world through the character’s eyes (what they are seeing) and through the character’s minds (what they are thinking) becomes almost indistinguishable. This allows readers to remain in deep point of view. See the difference indirect thoughts have made to the paragraph below.

Rachel sat at the computer, her fingers hammering out the next few sentences. Her cat’s insistent meow sounded again. How many times was he going to want to go outside today? Yeah, it was gorgeous outside. The fall weather seemed to be moving in right on time, and a cool breeze was taking the edge off the UV heat from the sun. But she was never going to get this work done if he didn’t make up his mind to stay in or stay out. She rose a couple inches out of her chair and reached over to open the back door.

If you are writing deep point of view, make sure you don’t use direct thoughts often. The seamless integration of indirect thoughts will help the text become transparent and the fictional world come alive.

As you move forward to greater heights of writing and editing, remember that your voice is significant, and your contribution is unique.

Pleasant penning,

Rachel E. Bradley, ACP
Freelance Editor and Indexer
Advanced Certified Paralegal
NAIWE Copyediting Expert
Revisions by Rachel Inc.
www.RevisionsbyRachel.com

 

[i]. Linda Chaikin, The Pirate and His Lady (Chicago: Moody Press, 1997), 64.

[ii]. Linda Chaikin, The Pirate and His Lady (Chicago: Moody Press, 1997), 21.

[iii]. Based on a true story.

 

Rachel E. Bradley holds a BS degree in Paralegal Studies from Northeastern State University in Oklahoma. She graduated summa cum laude in 2006 and has been awarded the Advanced Certified Paralegal designation by the National Association of Legal Assistants. She is a gold member of the Christian PEN: Proofreaders and Editors Network, is an established freelance editor with the Christian Editor Connection, is an instructor with the PEN Institute, is a judge for the Editors’ Choice Award, and has served as faculty for PENCON, the only conference for editors in the Christian market.

 

After nine years in the legal field, Rachel transitioned to her current career as a freelance editor and indexer. She now owns Revisions by Rachel Inc. In 2018, she lost her first husband, Matthew, after an intense battle with brain cancer. That experience has given her a new understanding and a fierce compassion for people who feel broken and are hurting. In celebration of continued life and hope, she became a licensed skydiver. When she is not at her computer diligently editing for her clients, you can find her in the skies flying her rainbow canopy, “Promises,” after a jump from 10,000 feet.

 

In early 2021, she asked God to give her an arranged marriage and gave him permission to choose her next husband. In an incredible tale of trusting God and giving him her yes without exception, she is now gratefully and blessedly married to Alexander Bradley. They have been assigned the awe-inspiring and continually humbling task of raising two incredible children.

 

Rachel enjoys, among other things, Bible studies, dancing during church worship, skydiving, swing dancing, rock climbing, reading, teaching, discussing important issues, watching Star Trek, sewing, cooking, Pilates, horseback riding, water sports, playing guitar, and snow skiing.

By Rachel Bradley

 

Comforting.

Safe.

The brand new bed frame, distressed to appear old,

weathered.

 

Elegant curves.

Cradling the nest where I find repose.

It has been a place of refuge, a place of fear, a place of solace,

a place for tears.

But as God would have it, as he weaves the good, it is the peace of safety,

the calm waters of forgiveness,

the birthplace of mysterious dreams and divine messages.

 

The day begins here as the sun goes down, shrouding the earth in darkness.

It is at the end where life begins.

And under the covers I rest in the arms of my Savior.

 

One of the first things I remember from my early days of editing is wondering what on earth em dashes and en dashes were. I’d come across the words on occasion, and it was finally time to get to the bottom of this mystery.

If you’re going to write or edit with excellence, you need to know their distinctions. When I finally found the answer in CMOS 6.75, it left me with a statement forever impressed on my mind: “correct use of the different types is a sign of editorial precision and care.”

Hyphens (-)

The hyphen character has a dedicated key on most keyboards. It’s usually located next to the “0” key. Hyphens are used as a separator for compound words and names. They are also used between numbers that don’t signify a range and numbers that represent an individual date.

well-known

David Martyn Lloyd-Jones

978-0-226-10420-1

2016-02-01

En Dashes (–)

What an odd name! Why would you call this character an en dash? The answer is quite logical. An en dash measures the width of an n, hence, en dash. En dashes can be created by holding the Ctrl key and pressing the minus key on your numeric keypad (for PC) or holding the Option key and pressing the hyphen key (for Mac). En dashes are used as connectors. They signify up to and including (or through). They are used for ranges of various kinds.

The year 2000–2016

John 3:16–18

Chapters 6–9

8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

Em Dashes (—)

 

Like en dashes, em dashes have a reasonable explanation for their funny-sounding name. Have you guessed it? Em dashes measure the width of an m (at least at some point, some m must’ve measured that wide). So there you go. Em dashes can be created by holding the Ctrl and Alt keys and pressing the minus key on the numeric keypad (for PC) or holding the Option and Shift keys and pressing the hyphen key (for Mac). Em dashes are used in place of commas, parentheses, or colons. They are especially useful when an abrupt break in thought is needed. They are also used to set off a noun preceding a pronoun that introduces the main clause.

Since she hadn’t retrieved the receipt from herpurse—let alone listed the expense in her ledger—her records were not current.

The song—which I remembered from last night—blared through the speakers.

“I’m not sure I—”

Galatians—that was her favorite book at the moment.

The thing you need to watch out for in fiction editing is the overuse of the em dash. It’s easy to get em-dash happy (they’re so fun!). When the em dash is used in dialogue to signify interruption, its use is usually appropriate, even if frequent. But when you use it for effect—to give that “hard break” feeling—it needs to be used sparingly. How sparingly? Well, that’s up to your judgment, your editor’s judgment, and what works and how the MS reads.

 

As you move forward to greater heights of writing and editing, remember that your voice is significant, and your contribution is unique.

 

Pleasant penning,

 

Rachel E. Bradley
Freelance Editor and Indexer
NAIWE Copyediting Expert
Revisions by Rachel Inc.
www.RevisionsbyRachel.com

Rachel E. Bradley holds a BS degree in Paralegal Studies from Northeastern State University in Oklahoma. She graduated summa cum laude in 2006 and has been awarded the Advanced Certified Paralegal designation by the National Association of Legal Assistants. She is a gold member of the Christian PEN: Proofreaders and Editors Network, is an established freelance editor with the Christian Editor Connection, is an instructor with the PEN Institute, is a judge for the Editors’ Choice Award, has served as faculty for PENCON—the only conference for editors in the Christian market—and presented at the 2024 Experience Writing Conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

 

After nine years in the legal field, Rachel transitioned to her current career as a freelance editor and indexer. She now owns Revisions by Rachel Inc. In 2018, she lost her first husband, Matthew, after an intense battle with brain cancer. That experience has given her a new understanding and a fierce compassion for people who feel broken and are hurting. In celebration of continued life and hope, she became a licensed skydiver. Any chance she gets, she takes to the skies with her rainbow canopy, “Promises.”

 

In early 2021, she asked God to give her an arranged marriage and gave him permission to choose her next husband. In an incredible tale of trusting God and giving him her yes without exception, she is now gratefully and blessedly married to Alexander Bradley. They have been assigned the awe-inspiring and continually humbling task of raising two incredible children.

 

Rachel enjoys, among other things, Bible studies, dancing during church worship, skydiving, swing dancing, rock climbing, reading, teaching, discussing important issues, watching Star Trek, sewing, cooking, Pilates, horseback riding, water sports, playing guitar, and snow skiing.

For a group of people who adore rules and guidelines, it’s ironic that a clear-cut definition for copyediting is hard to come by. Publishers will likely have their own definition and expectations, which can vary from publisher to publisher. And you can be sure that if you’re searching for a freelance editor, what they offer and the methods they use will also have at least slight variations. For this reason, clear and effective communication is crucial to ending up with the product you want.

 

Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary defines a copyeditor as “an editor who prepares copy for the typesetter.”[1] That doesn’t tell you much, does it? So let’s get into practical terms and talk about what copyeditors actually do on the day-to-day.

I love the way Amy Einsohn describes a copyeditor’s main responsibilities in The Copyeditor’s Handbook:

 

If you like alliterative mnemonic devices, you can conceive of a copyeditor’s chief concerns as comprising the “4 Cs”—clarity, coherency, consistency, and correctness—in service of the “Cardinal C”: communication.[2]

 

Copyeditors work with manuscripts that have been edited for major structural and big-picture issues and are ready for the nitty-gritty. A copyeditor will comb the manuscript for mechanical errors, looking at every letter and punctuation mark individually. They will ensure consistency within the text and conformity to the chosen style, and they will correct any grammar issues they find.

 

Generally, they will make all of their corrections directly on the manuscript using a Track Changes feature and will add explanations in comment bubbles.

 

Communication is the most important part of an editor’s job at any level. They need to be able to figure out what their author wants to convey and determine if the message is delivered as intended. There are a lot of tools to work with in the form of context, spelling, usage, punctuation, sentences, paragraphs, and a whole host of fiction techniques that bring the text to life and form lasting impressions on everyone who reads the finished product. The fact they are working with the English language makes all of this complicatedly delightful—or am I speaking only for myself? I mean, perhaps there are those out there who might use the words tedious, excruciating, and stressful to describe the task of a copyeditor, but thank God he created such wonderfully diverse people. Those who loathe doing what copyeditors do keep me gainfully employed!

 

As you move forward to greater heights of writing and editing, remember that your voice is significant, and your contribution is unique.

 

Pleasant penning,

 

Rachel E. Bradley
Freelance Editor and Indexer
NAIWE Copyediting Expert
Revisions by Rachel Inc.
www.RevisionsbyRachel.com

Rachel E. Bradley holds a BS degree in Paralegal Studies from Northeastern State University in Oklahoma. She graduated summa cum laude in 2006 and has been awarded the Advanced Certified Paralegal designation by the National Association of Legal Assistants. She is a gold member of the Christian PEN: Proofreaders and Editors Network, is an established freelance editor with the Christian Editor Connection, is an instructor with the PEN Institute, is a judge for the Editors’ Choice Award, has served as faculty for PENCON—the only conference for editors in the Christian market—and is presenting at the 2024 Experience Writing Conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

 

After nine years in the legal field, Rachel transitioned to her current career as a freelance editor and indexer. She now owns Revisions by Rachel Inc. In 2018, she lost her first husband, Matthew, after an intense battle with brain cancer. That experience has given her a new understanding and a fierce compassion for people who feel broken and are hurting. In celebration of continued life and hope, she became a licensed skydiver. Any chance she gets, she takes to the skies with her rainbow canopy, “Promises.”

 

In early 2021, she asked God to give her an arranged marriage and gave him permission to choose her next husband. In an incredible tale of trusting God and giving him her yes without exception, she is now gratefully and blessedly married to Alexander Bradley. They have been assigned the awe-inspiring and continually humbling task of raising two incredible children.

 

Rachel enjoys, among other things, Bible studies, dancing during church worship, skydiving, swing dancing, rock climbing, reading, teaching, discussing important issues, watching Star Trek, sewing, cooking, Pilates, horseback riding, water sports, playing guitar, and snow skiing.

 

[1] Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, s.v. “copy editor,” accessed April 17, 2024, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/copy%20editor.

[2]. Amy Einsohn, The Copyeditor’s Handbook (Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2000), 3.

Correlative conjunctions are used in pairs. They join two parts of the sentence that depend on each other to form a complete thought. Today the spotlight is on one specific pair, either-or.

As a correlative conjunction, either-or must connect matching sentence parts. If either is followed by an adjective and a noun, or must be followed by an adjective and a noun. This is called parallel construction.

A common mistake authors make is to place either too early in the sentence which throws off the parallel construction. For example:

Wrong Sentence Structure: You either received the Spirit of God by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith.

 

In this example, either is followed by received the Spirit of God by the works of the law. This is the first element of the sentence in our two-part matching game. So whatever follows or should match the structure of this phrase. Or is followed by by the hearing of faith.

You can see right away that we’ve got a problem. Either is followed by a phrase with a verb, direct object, and prepositional phrase; and or is followed by only a prepositional phrase. Since the verb received comes after the first correlative conjunction, it only attaches to the first element of the pair and doesn’t apply to by the hearing of faith.

But don’t worry. There is an easy fix. Look for the words in the first phrase that should belong to both parts of the sentence. Once you find those, simply move either to follow those words. The corrected sentence looks like this:

Correct Sentence Structure: You received the Spirit of God either by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith.

 

Now our two parts are by the works of the law and by the hearing of faith. They match and this sentence is now grammatically correct!

Not only is it grammatically correct but it also conveys a spiritual truth. (Bonus points if you can spot the correlative conjunction I just used.)

It Conveys a Spiritual Truth

Many of us become followers of Jesus and then think we must obey a certain set of rules to stay in His family. The apostle Paul addresses our tendency to do this in his letter to the churches of Galatia.

This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? . . . ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

—Galatians 3:2–3, 26–28 KJV

Paul makes it clear that we received God’s Spirit, became part of His family, through faith in Jesus Christ. It wasn’t because we were really good at following a set of laws. So why do we think that being really good at following a set of laws is what is required to keep us in God’s family? For many of us, it is because that’s what we are being taught in our local assembly of believers. If you are in a church right now that teaches you must follow a set of rules or you will lose your place in God’s family, get out of that church.

Remember, you received the Spirit either by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith.

It’s one or the other, folks. Don’t trust in your good works when the source of your relationship is trusting in Him (faith). As you move forward to greater heights of writing and editing, remember that your voice is significant, and your contribution is unique.

 

Pleasant penning,

Rachel E. Bradley, ACP
Freelance Editor and Indexer
Advanced Certified Paralegal
NAIWE Copyediting Expert
Revisions by Rachel Inc.
www.RevisionsbyRachel.com

*The grammatical rules used in this post can be found in The Chicago Manual of Style, 5.199 and 5.244.

Rachel E. Bradley holds a BS degree in Paralegal Studies from Northeastern State University in Oklahoma. She graduated summa cum laude in 2006 and has been awarded the Advanced Certified Paralegal designation by the National Association of Legal Assistants. She is a gold member of the Christian PEN: Proofreaders and Editors Network, is an established freelance editor with the Christian Editor Connection, is an instructor with the PEN Institute, is a judge for the Editors’ Choice Award, and has served as faculty for PENCON, the only conference for editors in the Christian market.

After nine years in the legal field, Rachel transitioned to her current career as a freelance editor and indexer. She now owns Revisions by Rachel Inc. In 2018, she lost her first husband, Matthew, after an intense battle with brain cancer. That experience has given her a new understanding and a fierce compassion for people who feel broken and are hurting. In celebration of continued life and hope, she became a licensed skydiver. When she is not at her computer diligently editing for her clients, you can find her in the skies flying her rainbow canopy, “Promises,” after a jump from 10,000 feet.

In early 2021, she asked God to give her an arranged marriage and gave him permission to choose her next husband. In an incredible tale of trusting God and giving him her yes without exception, she is now gratefully and blessedly married to Alexander Bradley. They have been assigned the awe-inspiring and continually humbling task of raising two incredible children.

Rachel enjoys, among other things, Bible studies, dancing during church worship, skydiving, swing dancing, rock climbing, reading, teaching, discussing important issues, watching Star Trek, sewing, cooking, Pilates, horseback riding, water sports, playing guitar, and snow skiing.

 

 

 

I used to be a planner. My first husband once told me I was the most dependable, disciplined person he knew. As the second of only two of us in my family of eight children to graduate from college, I had given it my everything and graduated summa cum laude. Over the years, my husband and I were the ones you could rely on to be early for every event and meet every deadline we were given. Then we had our first baby.

Perhaps every parent can say this, but having children has been the most humbling experience of my life. Maybe God intended it that way. Everything changed when we threw a little, unpredictable, uncooperative, and completely dependent miniature person into the mix. Then my husband died from a brain tumor; I spent a season as a widow; the Lord brought me another husband; we completed two major, cross-country moves; and in between those, we had another baby. Add another layer of humility to the mix.

The most recent major life-change was when my husband and I decided he would take over as Stay-At-Home Dad, and I would run my editing business full time—a prospect we both were super excited about. Our personalities took to the new arrangement with aplomb. And I started to fall back into planning. I have a schedule, goals, deadlines, and expectations for my business and my performance. This return to my former way of approaching life added a new layer of stress to the unpredictable nature of life in general and especially that of a family with a nursing baby and a young son.

Wouldn’t you know, life events derailed my disciplined planning efforts. My son came home from school with a nasty virus that knocked the family out of commission for a week. And as we were bouncing back, a close family member passed away. We loaded up the kids and made the twelve-hour trek to support our family and attend the funeral, not knowing how long this trip would last or when we would return home. Two weeks later, I had yet to get back to my gracious and patient clients and resume our family’s normal routine.

Throughout this unexpected adventure, I was tempted to allow stress and worry to torment me. But as I made the concerted effort to rest in the love of my Father God and trust him to light my path, a Scripture verse from the Bible continually came to mind. I meditated on it and let my soul marinate in its truth.

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into this city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit,” whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? It is just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” But now you are rejoicing in your boastings. All such rejoicing is evil. Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, it is sin. (James 4:13-17 MEV)

It humbles me again. I realize that in my efforts to return to my previous planner ways, I’ve stepped into a form of pride and a false sense of control. My life is not my own; I’ve given it to follow Jesus Christ, and that means I do life very differently from those who live for themselves. I gave up my control to allow God to work his plan in my life. And I’m understanding that means a deeper level of humility when it comes to my expectations for tomorrow. When I remember that tomorrow may not be anything like what I think it will, it gives my soul freedom to trust and rest and adapt to the challenges that will undoubtedly arise. For some, this approach to life may be very unsettling, scary even. I understand that. There are all sorts of ways people handle the unpredictability of tomorrow. Some of those ways are unhealthy and lead to chronic illness and mental health issues. Other ways help release tension and build character. What do you do about tomorrow, and how is it working for you? I’d love to hear your perspective from your own unique experiences.

As you move forward to greater heights of writing and editing, remember that your voice is significant, and your contribution is unique.

 

Pleasant penning,

 

Rachel E. Bradley, ACP
Freelance Editor and Indexer
Advanced Certified Paralegal
NAIWE Copyediting Expert
Revisions by Rachel Inc.
www.RevisionsbyRachel.com

 

Rachel E. Bradley holds a BS degree in Paralegal Studies from Northeastern State University in Oklahoma. She graduated summa cum laude in 2006 and has been awarded the Advanced Certified Paralegal designation by the National Association of Legal Assistants. She is a gold member of the Christian PEN: Proofreaders and Editors Network, is an established freelance editor with the Christian Editor Connection, is an instructor with the PEN Institute, is a judge for the Editors’ Choice Award, and has served as faculty for PENCON, the only conference for editors in the Christian market.

 

After nine years in the legal field, Rachel transitioned to her current career as a freelance editor and indexer. She now owns Revisions by Rachel Inc. In 2018, she lost her first husband, Matthew, after an intense battle with brain cancer. That experience has given her a new understanding and a fierce compassion for people who feel broken and are hurting. In celebration of continued life and hope, she became a licensed skydiver. When she is not at her computer diligently editing for her clients, you can find her in the skies flying her rainbow canopy, “Promises,” after a jump from 10,000 feet.

 

In early 2021, she asked God to give her an arranged marriage and gave him permission to choose her next husband. In an incredible tale of trusting God and giving him her yes without exception, she is now gratefully and blessedly married to Alexander Bradley. They have been assigned the awe-inspiring and continually humbling task of raising two incredible children.

 

Rachel enjoys, among other things, Bible studies, dancing during church worship, skydiving, swing dancing, rock climbing, reading, teaching, discussing important issues, watching Star Trek, sewing, cooking, Pilates, horseback riding, water sports, playing guitar, and snow skiing.

 

9. Eliminate Distractions

This key compliments keeping a schedule. It’s mind-blowing how quickly phone calls, text messages, emails, and social media can drain our work time. When you’re on the clock, focus on the job that’s in front of you. Check messages at your next break to see if any of them are work related. And have an appointed time to check and answer emails.

10. Get Dressed

I hope this one made you smile. Or maybe it made you roll your eyes. But there’s something about getting dressed for the day and putting on shoes that signal to your brain that it’s go-time. Even if you change from one set of pajamas to another, getting dressed makes a difference. On top of that, if you can fit in a shower or at least wash your face, this will also contribute to positioning your mind to produce quality work.

11. Go Slow

Now we get into the nuts and bolts of copyediting. You’ve taken care of your body and you’re ready to hit the ground running. Pull up the manuscript, and slow down. Examine every character and question if it should be there, whether it be a punctuation mark, a capital letter, a lowercase letter, a numeral, a spelled-out number, a source citation, a word with multiple spellings, etc. Question everything. And if you don’t know the answer, stop and look it up.

After you finish a sentence, question the sentence. Did it make sense? Did it flow well?

After you finish a paragraph, question the paragraph. Did all the sentences belong in this paragraph? Are they in the right order? Do they make sense? Do they flow well?

An attorney I once worked for told me, “Haste makes waste.” And I’ve proven this to be true too many times. Trust me. Slow down.

12. Trust Your Gut

If something doesn’t feel right. Stop and look it up. I can’t tell you how many times my brain has said, “This is right,” but my gut said, “Something’s wrong.” Once in a while, my gut will be wrong, but more often than not, it is spot on. Give your subconscious some credit. Sometimes it sees things our consciousness just can’t.

 

Giving a quality product every time will set your business apart and give you a great deal of satisfaction. With these twelve keys in place, doing your best will be as easy as breathing. Were any of these twelve keys new to you? Which ones do you find the most difficult to remain disciplined at? As you move forward to greater heights of writing and editing, remember that your voice is significant, and your contribution is unique.

 

Pleasant penning,

Rachel E. Bradley, ACP
NAIWE Copyediting Expert
Freelance Editor and Indexer
RevisionsbyRachel.com

 

To add to this discussion, please post a comment in the NAIWE Member’s Library.

 

Rachel E. Bradley holds a BS degree in paralegal studies from Northeastern State University in Oklahoma and graduated summa cum laude in 2006. She is a gold member of the Christian PEN: Proofreaders and Editors Network, is an established freelance editor with the Christian Editor Connection, is an instructor with the PEN Institute, is a judge for the Editors’ Choice Award, and has served as faculty for PENCON, the only conference for editors in the Christian market. After serving nine years in the legal field and becoming an advanced certified paralegal, Rachel started her business as a freelance editor and indexer. She now owns Revisions by Rachel Inc. In 2018, she lost her first husband, Matthew, after an intense battle with brain cancer. She now edits with a new understanding and a fierce compassion for people who feel broken and hurt. In celebration of continued life and hope, she became a licensed skydiver and takes to the skies with her rainbow canopy, “Promises,” any chance she gets. In early 2021, she asked God to choose her next husband. In an incredible tale of trusting God and giving him her yes without exception, she is now joyfully married to Alexander Bradley. They have been assigned the awe-inspiring and continually humbling task of raising two incredible children. Beyond reading, Rachel enjoys Bible studies, dancing during church worship, skydiving, swing dancing, rock climbing, reading, teaching, discussing important issues, watching Star Trek, sewing, cooking, Pilates, horseback riding, water sports, playing guitar, and snow skiing.

5. Invest in a Blue Light Filter for Your Computer

I only discovered this after I started working full time. I realized my eyes were beyond fatigued after standing at my computer eight hours a day. So I did some research and discovered that our computers put off something called “blue light.” It’s very hard on our eyes, and you know how important our eyes are to this kind of work. If your computer doesn’t already have a blue light filter, don’t wait another day. Find a product that has great reviews and order it!

 

6. Invest in a Standing Desk

 

Having a standing desk contributes to frequent exercise. Our bodies weren’t designed to sit all day, and since I began using a standing desk with a cushioned mat, I have less back pain and have noticed that my knees, ankles, and feet have gotten stronger. It’s nice to be able to take a thirty second break and do some squats and spine twists.

7. Invest in an Ergonomic Keyboard

 

Anyone who’s been in this business long understands the kind of pain that can develop in your wrists. Although there may be a short learning curve as you adjust to the different position that an ergonomic keyboard requires, you’ll likely find immediate relief. One other side note here: when I started getting chiropractic adjustments in my neck, that also greatly relieved my wrist pain. Chiropractic may be a great option for you when it comes to taking care of your wrists.

 

8. Keep a Schedule

 

Working from home requires a great deal of discipline. It’s amazing how quickly the time it takes to do “quick” house chores eats away at your work time. Set a schedule for yourself and stick to it. Avoid the temptation to put a load of laundry in the washing machine or vacuum the floors “real quick.” Instead, remind yourself that you can do these once your workday is over.

 

Pleasant penning,

Rachel Bradley
NAIWE Copyediting Expert
www.RevisionsbyRachel.com

 

To add to this discussion, please post a comment in the NAIWE Member’s Library.