Lost in Thoughts About Editing...

"Editing......... again?"

"Yes, Alice. Again."

As a writer, I get a host of requests from other writers who need information about editing. Mostly other writers want to know who I use and if I might refer them.

But I don’t use one person, I use a few who I trust because of what type of editing they excel in.

1.      Content editing

2.      Line editing

3.      Developmental editing

4.      Proofreading

So, when folks come to me for editor names, I ask them what type of editing they need for their work. Lots of people don’t realize what they need.

Some folks actually need review services and help with their storylines or “what to do next.”

So, let’s look at each of these types of editing so that you can decide which you need for your work.

Content editing is a comprehensive form of editing that focuses on improving the overall quality and effectiveness of written content. It involves reviewing content for clarity, accuracy, flow, and adherence to brand guidelines, ensuring the final piece is impactful and well-suited for its intended audience. 

Line editing, also known as stylistic editing, is a type of editing that focuses on the clarity, flow, and effectiveness of a piece of writing at the sentence and paragraph level. It involves refining the language, sentence structure, and word choice to ensure the writing is engaging, precise, and achieves the desired impact on the reader. While line editing improves the overall quality of the writing, it doesn't involve correcting grammar, spelling, or punctuation errors, which are typically addressed in copyediting. 

Developmental editing focuses on the "big picture" of a manuscript, analyzing its overall structure, content, and coherence. It's a comprehensive review that happens early in the editing process, often before line editing or copyediting. A developmental editor helps authors refine the core elements of their work, such as plot, characters, pacing, and overall message, to ensure it effectively communicates with the intended audience. 

Proofreading is the final stage of reviewing a document to catch and correct errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, and formatting before it's published or shared. It's a meticulous process focused on the surface-level details of the text to ensure clarity and accuracy. 

WHEN SHOULD I USE EACH KIND OF EDITOR?

Each type of editing comes at different points throughout your writing process. Arguably, developmental editing should come at the beginning stages of any story, whether fiction or nonfiction, and when the writer is working on fleshing out metaphor, and the beginning, middle, and the end of the story. But sometimes as we write, unless we use some kind of outline, we can get lost and so it’s always good to use a developmental editor at different points along the writing process.

When I first started writing I used a set and structured outline which employed each point and beat in action. However, lately, I simply write softer outlines using only story elements from the beginning, middle and end. Or sometimes, I write out a chapter outline of the story’s progression. Outlines are writing tools that should NOT be written in stone. They should be fluid and provide signposts rather than hard ideas to follow.

Content and line editing are great forms of editing that might wait until the first draft is complete. I have used both during my writing as well. The reason is to see how the editor makes structural changes to sentences, paragraphs, and chapters. But also how the editor changes my grammar. As an author with only a high school level English-study background, I tend to make grammar errors. So, content and line editing are my go-to choices. Again, I use these editors throughout the writing process.

Proofreading is probably best to wait on doing until you complete all the other types of editing. The proofreader is our best “friend” editor who catches all our silly mistakes we have made. Although I do know some line and content editors who try to catch the boo-boos but when we’re writing to fix line and content edits, we sometimes write with typos.

Now, one thing you need to know is that editing can be costly. The cost should not keep you from understanding how important editors are and why they charge what they do. If you want to mitigate the costs of editing services, you might think about using the Word editor within your document. And yes, Word is the go-to software for agents and publishers so if you’re still not using Word, start. But Word has a great editing tool within the Review tab called Editor. It’s an incredible and valuable tool right at your fingertips. As well, Word has an option called Read Aloud (again, under the Review tab). Read Aloud reads for you so that instead of reading your entire manuscript, you can hear it. Audio and visual are two completely separate ways of learning. It’s easy to miss errors using only reading or listening to your work. So, I advise you to use both functions.

As well, I offer writing services on my website. You can find them at www.susanwingate.com/writing-book. Contact me anytime at susan (at) susanwingate (dot) com.