In the Editing Sphere: Utilizing Nuance When Editing
Most often, the process of copyediting covers grammar usage, spelling mistakes, and attention to details throughout the novel, from a character’s physical traits or worldbuilding notes to consistent spelling or usage of specific words. Although copyediting in this kind of description just looks like following a set of rules and notes, it’s far more than that. An excellent copyeditor knows how to read and edit the nuances in a story, and how to work the words and grammar to highlight that so the reader has a very clear picture of what the author is saying. This goes beyond the known and followed rules of grammar and spelling and into a territory experienced editors work within to help their clients’ manuscripts really stand out.
Merriam-Webster defines “nuance” three ways:
- a subtle distinction or variation
- a subtle quality
- sensibility to, awareness of, or ability to express delicate shadings (as of meaning, feeling, or value)
These three definitions all have something in common—nuance isn’t an easy thing to spot, because it’s meant to be “under the surface” so to speak. It’s meant to work “in the background” of your story, bringing additional meaning to readers they might not notice for another few chapters. But how is this related to copyediting?
A lot of nuance happens in the placement of commas, or what kind of punctuation is used. Most often, nuance within the written word is meant to convey emotion without naming that emotion. It’s a way to bring the reader right up close to the story and character, creating a bond that makes the reader care what happens.
Take this sentence, for example (from the short story Mired in Despair). It can be written in a number of different ways, with just a few word and punctuation changes. But those changes affect the flow of the sentence and how it comes across to the reader and changes the voice.
Original:
Breathing slowly in through my nose, I remind myself where I am. The announcer’s voice talking about Showa era, the freshness of the air, the students sitting around me.
Modified Version 1:
Breathing slowly in through my nose, I remind myself where I am. The announcer’s voice talking about Showa era and the freshness of the air and the students sitting around me.
Modified Version 2:
Breathing slowly in through my nose I remind myself where I am. The announcer’s voice talking about Showa era, the freshness of the air, and the students sitting around me.
You’ll notice only minor changes were made to the modified versions, but they completely change the voice and how the information comes across to the reader. Now, read each sentence aloud, and listen for how the cadence and tone change; this, in turn, slightly changes the meaning that comes across to the reader.
In the original version, we get a sense of the narrator/character taking a moment to ground themselves in their current reality, focusing on the details specifically. The omission of “and” as a connector in the second sentence and use of the commas creates short, natural pauses in the reader’s consciousness (or if they’re reading aloud), giving the impression the character is focusing on each thing purposefully. Overall between the two sentences, the punctuation and word choice and placement give the impression of slowing down, exactly what the character’s experiencing in the moment.
In the first modified version, removing the commas from the second sentence and adding the connecting “and” words speeds up the reading, which can make readers feel like they’re racing through the sentence to the next one. If the character is the narrator and they’re slowing down, we’ve removed the character’s voice and how they’re experiencing the moment, simply by changing a couple of commas to words.
In the second modified version, the first sentence moves fast by taking out the comma, which allows readers to jump through it quickly (and possibly miss the meaning we’re trying to convey). In the second sentence, adding “and” before the last phrase “the students sitting around me” changes the meaning of the sentence by reducing it to something that sounds like a listing of items, rather than the character taking careful note of each thing mentioned.
Another instance of nuance in regards to punctuation—specifically commas—often comes at the beginning of sentences. Grammar rules dictate that if a sentence begins with “And,” “However,” “But,” or similar words, it should be followed by a comma. Yet there are many instances in popular fiction where this rule is broken for the clarity and flow of the sentence.
For instance, this quote from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix:
“He was really good at it, or he could never have got to the middle of that maze. But if Voldemort really wants to kill you, you don’t stand a chance.”
If we followed the rules of grammar, we’d add a comma after “But” at the beginning of the second sentence. However, the sentence flows better without the comma there, because there’s no need for a pause.
As an editor myself, utilizing nuance during editing is an important aspect of the craft. If we simply followed every single rule to the letter, so much of the emotion, heart, and meaning of the stories we love would be lost. This is especially important to me with the rise of programs that utilize Artificial Intelligence and claim they edit just as well as a human editor. Sure, they can apply the rules to the letter and leave you to accept or reject the changes, but Artificial Intelligence cannot understand nuance, and it never will. Seeing and understanding nuance isn’t a matter of the head, but of the heart and soul, of which Artificial Intelligence will never have (hence artificial).
Can these Artificial Intelligence-powered editors catch the grammar and spelling errors in regard to the rules of editing? Sure, even in fiction. But what they cannot, and will never, grasp is nuance. Every rule will be applied ruthlessly, and you, dear author, are far too close to your work to see it from a reader’s perspective. But a human editor can see it from a reader’s point of view. They’ve never read your story before, and they’re aware of how the industry changes with rule updates (based on the Chicago Manual of Style).
Human editors see your story with a new perspective, with new eyes, and they’re able to see the big picture of what emotions you’re looking to convey to the reader—whether those emotions are stated in the prose or not. Are human editors more expensive than what Artificial Intelligence-powered programs can offer? Yes, they often are, because they’re living, breathing people who have bills to pay and have to eat (and trust me, they know authors don’t have deep pockets). Artificial Intelligence-powered programs can be offered cheaper than human editors because they’re static things, processing only data, never emotion and nuance.
Nuance is a big part of what sells excellent fiction—and why people will continually recommend it to their friends, family, and libraries. It’s an important part of the process, and the best editors will be able to pull it out of your story with simple grammar and word choice updates.
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