Beginnings

Darlene began her copyediting career in 2002 while working on the very popular Lamplighter series. She has had the joy of helping several first-time authors polish their books for print, and squeezed in four years as the editor of a quarterly magazine and multiple newsletters while continuing to balance her highest priority of raising her four wonderful children.

With over 300 books under her belt, she continues to encourage – and correct – authors as they strive to get their inspiration on paper and then before the reader.

Over the course of assimilating these new responsibilities, she also managed to homeschool her four children successfully from kindergarten through high school, all the while enjoying the adventures to be found in editing.

Workshops

Darlene also shares her joy of copyediting through various speaking events where attendees will learn about her five C’s of copyediting: to make the copy Clear, Correct, Concise, Comprehensible, and Consistent. Darlene lives by this motto: “I’m serious about editing — but not too serious to enjoy a good laugh over it!”

Session Titles

Aspects of the Editing Process:

Let’s talk about what seems like top-secret information! Learn the difference between proofreading and copyediting, and gain insight into the typical processes of a freelance editor and a publishing house. We’ll discover what it means to be “serious about editing — but not too serious to enjoy a good laugh over it!”

Proofread with Excellence (Proofreaders’ Lingo):

In this lighthearted, hands-on workshop, we’ll have fun mastering all those puzzling proofreaders’ marks. As writers, you may see these marks during the pre-publication proofing stage, in style manuals, or from an editor prior to submitting your manuscript to an agent or publisher. Let’s decode some of the most useful ones together, and I’ll give you a tool that will save you time, should you have a need to use these markings in the future.