What Kind of Editing Do You Need?

In spite of *gestures at everything*, I am still a professional editor, and I still want to help you with your writing. So let's talk about that for a bit.

It's not uncommon for writers to be unsure of what kind of editing they need. They want to make their novel the best it can be, but they also don't want to break the bank doing it. Once you've determined whether you need an editor, how do you know what kind of editing to get?

This isn't helped by the fact that different editors use different terms and definitions. I'm going to use my terms here, which should give you a foundation for talking to any editor even if they use these terms slightly differently.

I'm going to talk about three very broad categories of editing:

1. Developmental edit
2. Line edit (a.k.a. copy edit)
3. Proofread

Developmental Editing

This is what you want when you've finished an early draft and want to know whether the story works. A developmental edit (or dev edit) looks at the big picture—structure, pacing, plot holes, themes, characterization, world-building. Does each scene and chapter serve a purpose and move the story forward? Does every major character have an arc?

From a practical standpoint, a developmental edit will consist primarily of comments in your document and a thorough editorial letter.

This edit is for writers who are ready to dig deep and do major revisions—adding or removing characters, combining subplots, cutting or rewriting whole chapters. You might even decide the best way forward is to rewrite the whole thing! (That's not as bad as it sounds, mind you. I'll talk about that in a future post.)

A dev edit might be less helpful if you're satisfied with the story's plot and structure and you just want it to be written better or if you're on a tight deadline and don't have time for major revisions.

This kind of edit is generally better earlier in the writing process, when the novel still feels soft and malleable. (Technically, novels are always soft and malleable, but it's hard to feel that way after the 50th revision!)

Line Editing (or Copy Editing)

This is for when you know the story and structure are sound, but the writing just isn't where you want it to be. A line edit (sometimes called a copy edit, though some editors have different definitions for each of these terms, so always ask!) looks at the writing and the craft—description, dialogue, sentence length, character voice, emotional impact. Does each sentence and scene convey the feelings you want them to? Are the style and detail choices consistent throughout? Is the word "just" used too many times, and does the main character sigh too much?

From a practical standpoint, a line edit will consist primarily of (lots of!) tracked changes with additional comments throughout the document to explain those changes or query the author's intent.

Line edits are useful when you're getting ready to publish and want to make the novel sound as good as it possibly can.

Proofreading

This is the last step before publication. The editor will be looking for objective errors—typos, grammar issues, punctuation. The goal is to create a document that is completely error free (even though, as any writer knows, that's virtually impossible).

Deep Edit

There's another kind of edit, sometimes called a deep edit, which is like all three of these rolled into one. The editor provides developmental comments, line edit changes, and an error free document all in one.

As you might imagine, this is a lot of work—some of which could be wasted if, for example, a developmental comment motivates the author to rewrite an entire chapter! On the other hand, this can be a good way to get a lot of information all at once.

Because every kind of edit not only improves that manuscript but also helps the author level up their knowledge and writing skills. Even if you don't end up using all of the tracked changes in a chapter you rewrite, you will still benefit from understanding why those changes had been suggested at all.

These Categories Overlap!

The way I've laid it out here can make it feel like editing is black and white—either you get developmental comments or line editing changes but not both. The truth is that there is a lot of overlap between each type of editing.

For example, I will often make line editing comments on a dev edit to help the author learn and save time in their revisions, and I will frequently leave developmental comments in a line edit as I go. And a line edit always looks for objective errors. These categories are really more about what the editor focuses on rather than rules about what they Will and Will Not Do.

How Do I Know What I Need?

In an ideal world, a novel would have a developmental edit (or two!) on an early draft followed by a round (or two!) of line editing and a final proofread before publication. But for an author on a budget, that's a lot! So what do you really need?

Ultimately, only you can decide, but these questions might help:

• What stage is the novel at? Earlier stages benefit more from a dev edit, while a line edit is usually better if the novel's close to finished.
• What aspects of your manuscript are you confident about? If you know the plot and chapter structure is good, for example, then you probably don't need a dev edit.
• What level are your writing skills at? For example, experienced writers who have published a solid story or two might (MIGHT!) have less to gain from a dev edit. Newer writers might benefit from a deep edit as a way to acquire a lot of knowledge all at once. (Note that everybody needs a good line edit.)
• What can you afford? A single round of editing can be very expensive, with no real guarantee of a return, so only you can decide what's most important to you. Maybe you can lean on beta readers for free developmental feedback. Or maybe you have a good sense of craft but less of whether this story will work, so you risk skipping the line edit. Or maybe you want to get a deep edit to learn as much as you can from it to apply to all future revisions.

Again, you're the only one who can decide, but also, talk to your (prospective) editor! Even before you hire them, most editors are happy to discuss what kind of editing might be best for you, and many (like me) offer free sample edits that can help you figure out what kind of feedback seems most useful.

Do your research and trust yourself. You know what you need better than anyone.

Who Are You Writing For?

With the US's ongoing slide into a literal banana republic,* it is very difficult for me to think about writing and writing tips. I'm sure I'm not alone in this.

* Wikipedia defines a banana republic as a country with an economy of state capitalism, where the country is operated as a private commercial enterprise for the exclusive profit of the ruling class. Show me the lie.

But one thing I keep thinking about—that applies equally to writing a sci-fi novel or arguing on Facebook—is who are you writing for?

Because here's the thing. There will always be people who don't like what you have to say. They will tell you your story is slow or predictable or confusing or has too many made-up words. They will try to convince you that the US government's actions aren't authoritarian actually, and why do you keep comparing everything to Nazis?

These people are not your audience.

Write for the people who enjoy your work, who identify with your characters, who know it's unconstitutional for press outlets to be denied access because they still call it "Gulf of Mexico."

I mean, sure, you want as many people as possible to enjoy (or agree with) your writing, and you should continue to work on your craft (and empathy and accurate information) toward that end.

But you can't please the haters. Don't spend your time on it. Diluting your vision can rob your work of what makes it unique and valuable. Arguing with someone who believes Elon's dismantling of the government is fine, actually, wastes both your time and theirs (not to mention the mental health costs of arguing online).

Remember who you're writing for. They're your people. Write for them.

You don't even have to acknowledge the others.

But What Can *I* Do?

When I rebooted this blog, I told myself it was going to be for writing and editing tips. But now, the US president decided to do an authoritarianism, and I mean... come on.

A lot of us are feeling fear, despair, and motivation to do something but also confusion about what will help. This is my attempt to distill what I've been learning, what each of us can do to help, and why even the smallest act matters.

What Action Feels Like

I think one of the most important things to remember is that, very often, it will feel our actions have no effect. We want to call our representatives and see laws enforced. We want to donate to an organization and see criminals face consequences. We want to call out what's happening on social media and see minds changed.

It almost never works like that.

But these actions do matter.

One person on a street corner holding a sign that says "Nobody elected Elon" feels pointless, but that small, seemingly ineffectual protest can encourage others. It names the falsehoods and gaslighting for what they are. It encourages others that they're not alone in seeing what's happening. One person can even give some the courage to stand alongside them, until that one person becomes thousands.

Action looks like a meaningless ripple over and over and over, until one day, it's a tidal wave.

Actions for Yourself

You can't help anyone if you aren't okay. There's a reason airlines tell adults to put their mask on first before helping a child. But how can you do that?

• Stay informed. Find trustworthy sources so you know what's going on. A major authoritarian trick is to convince people that they can't trust the mainstream media, so that facts are just their word against their enemies. But there will always be people and organizations who care about truth, objectivity, and democracy. Be discerning and seek them out.
• Stay sane. You need to be informed, but you don't have to swallow a 24/7 firehose of bad news. Pace yourself. Focus on the topics you care about. Give yourself permission to step away. You don't have to be aware of everything, nor can you. Trust others to take what you can't.
• Find joy. Read books. Watch movies. Enjoy music. Be with those you love. Remind yourself why any of this matters.

Direct Actions

Everything above is important, but what can you do? There is a lot, it turns out, so long as you remember that it doesn't have to feel impactful to be impactful.

• Bother your representatives. Bug them in person if you can. Call if you can't. Email if you've got nothing else. It doesn't matter whether your representatives are for or against the current administration; every voice serves as ammunition or encouragement.
• Join communities. There are people already out there resisting. Most of them aren't advertising it online; they're just doing it. Find them. Join them. Ask how you can help. Listen and learn.
• Donate to organizations that are fighting. Don't break your bank, but as with every action, every little bit helps.
• Protect your people. If you know folks who are directly affected by the administration's actions, help them. Speak in their defense. Stand beside them. Protect them if you can. (Though as with helping anyone, find out what they find helpful before just diving in.)
• Talk to people about what's happening. Only you can decide what conversations you can handle and with whom, but in-person conversations can be far more effective than online ones, especially if the person you're talking to knows you care about them.

Resistance

If you're in a position where the administration is looking right at you, action is scarier but also more impactful. Always take care of yourself, but in as much as you can...

• Resist
• Protect
• Do not comply
• Play dumb
• Move slow
• Make things worse

Helpfully vague, I know, but if you're in such a position, ways to resist may become more clear, and sometimes just slowing things down can be enough to give others time to mount a response.

Online Actions

I'll be honest. Living overseas makes me wonder if there's anything I can do that will matter. Social media feels so ineffective, and I'm still figuring out how best to use it. But here are some things I've learned:

• Inform. Not everyone is an information-gatherer. For some, you might be their only source of information. Don't assume everyone knows what you know.
• Encourage. Don't flood people's feeds with doom. Encourage them. There are good things happening out there, and hearing about them is often what people need to take action themselves.
• Delight and amuse. Be a source of light and humor. These are far more effective tools than rage and despair.
• Limit pointless arguments. The effectiveness of social media to change people's beliefs is... arguably not great. We've all had arguments with That One Guy who's "just asking questions," until it becomes clear they never wanted a genuine discussion. Ignore them. Mute them. Block them. Your information, encouragement, and joy is not for those who have decided but for those with ears to hear.

• Be kind and compassionate—not just toward those who need help but also toward those on "the other side" when they begin to see or question what's really happening. Schadenfreude and "I told you so" are so, so cathartic, but the way through this danger is to work together—all of us, from every side and background and belief. Don't shame people. Welcome them.

Above All, Don't Give Up

A lot has happened these last weeks, and that is intentional. They're trying to flood the zone, to overwhelm the public and the media so nobody can focus on any one thing. But we're not a single entity. Working together, we can focus on several things at once.

The suggestions above are really just a kind of starter pack. There is much more that can be learned and done, and people are already doing it. Keep learning, and don't give up.

Authoritarians want us to give up, but their power is brittle, and they know it. Force and fear can only hold them up for so long. Eventually, they will crumble.

Heck, that's how the US started. We can continue the same way.

What To Do With All That Feedback

If you're serious about writing, then you need to be serious about getting feedback. You might ask friends to read your work, swap drafts with writers online, or hire an editor—or even all of the above! The bottom line is you're too close to your story to be objective, so you always need to see how it flies with other people.

And when you do, you will often find one or more of the following happens:

• Readers provide conflicting feedback—one likes a passage, while another hates it.
• One reader suggests a sweeping change that changes your vision for the novel—it's not what you were trying to do.
• A reader hates a part that you absolutely love.
• Readers are confused about something you know you explained.

It can be frustrating, especially for new writers, to try to figure out how to handle feedback like this. You want to please everybody, but it seems impossible!

A key way to approach this is to treat the feedback like a doctor: interpreting it as symptoms, diagnoses, and prescriptions.

SYMPTOMS are what the reader feels as they're reading. Maybe they're confused, frustrated, or bored. The important thing to remember is that the reader is (almost) never wrong about what they feel. It doesn't matter what you intended; if the reader is bored, they're bored. Start there.

Many readers will then try to provide a DIAGNOSIS of what they think the problem is. They might think they're bored because they don't care about world-building, or they're confused because a fantasy term wasn't explained properly. Remember that the reader is not your doctor. They are usually right about what they're feeling, but they're not always right about why.

Maybe the world-building is really interesting, but in that particular moment in the story, the reader cares more about whether the protagonist escapes the people hunting them. Maybe the fantasy term is explained perfectly fine later, but there needed to be just a little more context so the reader could understand the sentence where it was introduced. (Or maybe that particular reader isn't used to holding things in abeyance.)

Readers aren't always aware of what causes their feelings, but if you assume that their feelings are real, then you stand a much better chance of addressing the root cause of the problem.

Finally, some readers will try to PRESCRIBE A SOLUTION. Readers are often wrong here. They know what they're feeling, they maybe know why, but they aren't you. They don't know your story or what you're trying to accomplish. They don't live in your head. Most people's prescriptions are likely to be wrong.

Who Can You Trust?

It's important to learn who to trust. Trust readers to know what they're feeling, but beyond that? It depends.

You can probably trust readers who are fans of books like yours. They might know the market better than you, or they might have insight that you lack. Their solutions might not perfectly fit your story, but their diagnoses might spark some good ideas.

You can usually trust readers you've worked with or those who really get your work. You'll know these folks from your relationship with them.

You can often trust professionals. Editors aren't perfect—they can provide bad diagnoses and prescriptions like anyone else—but the more experienced they are in your genre, the less likely they are to give you bad advice.

More than anyone else though, trust yourself. You alone know your story and what you are trying to accomplish, and you alone are responsible for turning the story into whatever it becomes.

Sometimes, a reader's diagnosis or prescription will feel right—it will strike a chord, possibly even solving multiple problems for you at once. This is great! It's exactly what you want feedback for.

But other times, a prescribed solution won't sit right, and you won't really know why. Trust your feelings, but don't ignore the feedback entirely. Something didn't work for the reader, and it's up to you—and only you—to figure out what.