The 30,000-foot view of writing by donalee Moulton
We’ve been talking about editing, an essential element in the writing process that writers relish. When you’re creating characters, polishing plot, and tossing red herrings around to mystify readers, it can be easy to lose sight of the book as a whole, to remember what happened in chapter four when you’re on chapter fourteen.
Writers also get close to their work, sometimes too close. We spend time, often at 4 a.m., thinking about the novel, the action, the actors, the unfolding of the story. It’s hard to see the whole when you’re immersed in the parts.
That’s where editing comes in. But we’ve been talking about editing as if it’s one thing. It isn’t. There are several kinds of editing, and they take place at different points in the writing process.
Substantive editing. This is where the high-level work begins, the 30,000-foot view before we delve into the weeds. It involves rethinking and rewriting. This may mean rewriting whole paragraphs or the entire document. It may involve restructuring or reorganizing parts of the text. It may include identifying where new information is required or existing information should be deleted.
Editors Canada has this to say about substantive editing, which is also called structural or developmental editing.
Structural editing
Assessing and shaping draft material to improve its organization and content. Changes may be suggested to or drafted for the writer. Structural editing may include:
· writing original material
· determining whether permissions are necessary for third-party material
· recasting material that would be better presented in another form, or revising material for a different medium (such as revising print copy for web copy)
· clarifying plot, characterization, or thematic elements
Substantive editing is major surgery. It is about ensuring the medical team is ready to operate. Blood work has been analyzed, the plan for the procedure reviewed, the instruments lined up neatly, everything and everyone sterilized. The goal: to ensure a successful outcome.
That’s what writers want for their readers. Substantive editing helps them do that. Editors Canada notes that this type of editing supports writers as they define their goals, identify their readers, and shape the manuscript in the best possible way. It enables writers to clarify the argument, fix the pacing, suggest improvements, and draw missing pieces from the author.
It makes the view from 30,000 feet truly spectacular.
Interesting post about editing.
ReplyDeleteFor me, editing happens at every stage of writing. Usually, when I write the end of the first draft, I already dissected, ripped, and put the scenes together again, sometimes in a different order, more than once. I create a new character, implement new scenes, add subplots. But I also relish polishing the finished first draft immensely. And at any point in the process, I always have my editor's cap on, and an eye open for line editing as well (grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc.). Thanks for sharing your process.
ReplyDelete