copy-editing

to establish

your voice

by Matthew Charles Salway, Ph.D.

What impression

will you make?

In 1842, Edgar Allan Poe used the term unity of effect to describe the desired impact of any text on its reader.

When you are intentional about the “end” of what you write—where you want it to go and what you want it to do—this projected unity of effect will inform every word.

  • I’ve taught literary studies at the University of Leeds and the University of California, Los Angeles. Across 15 lecture courses at UCLA, I received an average instructor rating of 8.63 out of 9. (Don’t ask me why it wasn’t out of 10—I’m not a statistician.)

    I have a B.A. in English and American Literature from the University of Warwick (2011), an M.A. in American Literary Culture from the University of Leeds (2012), and a Ph.D. in English from Leeds (2017), for which I received a Research Excellence Award.

    You can read my dissertation, “The Pursuit of Character,” by requesting a copy from me directly.

  • In the face of fascism, we need diversity of expression—not sameness.

    I understand the appeal of “generative” artificial “intelligence.” It makes a lot of things easier.

    But it doesn’t just make us less capable communicators, and it doesn’t just make us reliant on—addicted to—yet another “convenience.”

    It also means everyone speaks with the same voice. It’s a voice that we’ve been led to believe is the “right” and “proper” way to express ourselves.

    This voice is corporate but edgy, inclusive but rigid, sincere but aloof, connected but detached.

    Maybe that’s simply what the world demands of us now, but I know I’m not the only one who misses the way we used to sound: different from each other.

Subtlety isn’t dead

(yet)

Editing is about continuity, not correction.

It is the art of the implicit:

implied—suggested by indirection;

inherent—inferable as essence;

absolute—unmistakable.

Define

and refine

your tone

The world today glorifies conformity.

But a work of art that stands the test of time speaks to a world yet to come

—and may even speak it into being.

Always affordable

£20/$25: five-minute live consultation and first page (double-spaced, size 12, sensible margins).

Subsequent rate: determined by your means and needs (ask me for a quote).

Invest in your voice.

Contain

your multitudes

An original is distinct, irreducible, and consistent—though, in its consistency, there may be great variety.

Like the taste produced by a mixture of ingredients, each component retains its own flavour within the whole—and is transformed by the combination.

Unity of effect is the aftertaste of art.

What are you putting into your writing?

(Are your ingredients even organic?)

Some unprompted feedback:

“Thank you for everything you have taught me and thank you for helping me find my voice in my writing.”

—Angelica V.

“Thanks for all your help editing my essays! Truly, I appreciate all the time and hard work you put into them.”

—Kurt K.

“I can’t thank you enough for your determination, guidance, and motivation.”

—Maricela G.