I am by nature a dealer in words, and words are the most powerful drug known to humanity.
~ Rudyard Kipling
Editing is an umbrella term for levels of the work that begin with a wide-angle view of a piece of writing and progressively narrow that focus to the final close-up. I can help at any level.
Editorial Assessment. This is a close reading of an entire work, followed by recommendations for next steps. An assessment highlights a work's strengths and areas that need more attention to improve quality and impact.
An editor doesn't just read, he reads well, and reading well is a creative, powerful act. — Susan Bell
Developmental Editing is big-picture editing that can happen before writing begins, while writing is in process, or even after the first draft. Developmental editing organizes, structures, and shapes content. Big-picture questions guide this process: What do you want to say? Why? Who is your audience? What do you want them to take away from your work? What would be the most effective way to put this all together to reach your readers?
Structure is not a straitjacket for your words. It is an architect that moves readers through and allows them to pause, not randomly, but with direction. — Susan Bell
Substantive Editing, like developmental editing, examines a work's structure. It may involve reorganizing, deleting, or adding content, but the structural work in a substantive edit is less extensive than a developmental edit and happens after a draft has been completed. At this stage, the work of line editing also begins, fine-tuning sentences for clarity, pace, tone, and style.
Rewriting is a wonderful thing. It's the only department in life where you get to say something and then take it back and figure out how to say it better before anyone has to see it. — Tracy Kidder
Copyediting addresses the details in your writing: grammar, syntax, and punctuation. Word choice, treatment, and placement are also considered, and consistency in style and tone is established. Fact-checking is another essential part of copyediting.
Word choice is more than just a question of precision; the change of word can completely reorient the meaning. The inaccessible word, when suddenly accessed . . . can suggest an entirely new avenue to drive down. — Luc Sante
Editorial Assessment. This is a close reading of an entire work, followed by recommendations for next steps. An assessment highlights a work's strengths and areas that need more attention to improve quality and impact.
An editor doesn't just read, he reads well, and reading well is a creative, powerful act. — Susan Bell
Developmental Editing is big-picture editing that can happen before writing begins, while writing is in process, or even after the first draft. Developmental editing organizes, structures, and shapes content. Big-picture questions guide this process: What do you want to say? Why? Who is your audience? What do you want them to take away from your work? What would be the most effective way to put this all together to reach your readers?
Structure is not a straitjacket for your words. It is an architect that moves readers through and allows them to pause, not randomly, but with direction. — Susan Bell
Substantive Editing, like developmental editing, examines a work's structure. It may involve reorganizing, deleting, or adding content, but the structural work in a substantive edit is less extensive than a developmental edit and happens after a draft has been completed. At this stage, the work of line editing also begins, fine-tuning sentences for clarity, pace, tone, and style.
Rewriting is a wonderful thing. It's the only department in life where you get to say something and then take it back and figure out how to say it better before anyone has to see it. — Tracy Kidder
Copyediting addresses the details in your writing: grammar, syntax, and punctuation. Word choice, treatment, and placement are also considered, and consistency in style and tone is established. Fact-checking is another essential part of copyediting.
Word choice is more than just a question of precision; the change of word can completely reorient the meaning. The inaccessible word, when suddenly accessed . . . can suggest an entirely new avenue to drive down. — Luc Sante
The first draft is just you telling yourself the story.
~ Elizabeth Gilbert
