editing essentials

Today, a practical tip on editing. Some of you know more than me about this, but here are my brief definitions to help you when you have written enough to require an edit.  This is about the stage when the draft is in front of you and it needs fixing. There are three levels of editing. 

Level 1 Simple
This is almost the same as proofreading. You notice a sentence that is too long. You make it two. You think of a better word for the one you had used. You correct the punctuation so the meaning is clear. 

Level 2 Complex
You move sentences or even paragraphs to a place where the sequence works for the reader. You realise that paragraph two needs further elucidation and add in four more sentences. You discover you have a habit of starting every second sentence with So and do a search in the document to discover them and delete them. You do a Readability Test and find that the level is too high for your audience, so some rewriting is necessary. 

Level 3 Structural
The outline of the book makes sense and the writing is clear, but the overall structure needs radical shifts to make sure the ideas are carried smoothly across the whole publication. 

I can edit my own work up to a point. And I can edit other people's work using Levels 1 & 2.

Level 3, however, is something only a trained professional editor can do. The last two books I edited definitely needed structural changes. I knew they did, I just couldn't see how to make it happen without a great deal more time and possibly collaboration.

If you are working on a book, you may need to factor in the investment of having an editor.

It will be worth it.