Did you know that there are different levels of editing? I bet you did, but do you understand them?
Editing is much more in depth than most people believe it is. Thus, making editing seem even more overwhelming than it really is.
It’s a lot to take in at first, but it’s actually not that bad. I think the most confusing part about it is that different types of editing have various names that all mean the same thing.
I myself get confused, so let’s talk about it.
Developmental Editing | Structural Editing | Substantive Editing
This is one of the heavier forms of editing and definitely the most in-depth. With this form of editing, you’re looking at:
1. Overall plot (the big picture, goals of the story) 2. Character development 3. Pacing and tense (voice, tone, etc.) 4. Dialogue
5. Possibly rewriting entire paragraphs or chapters (add or remove information, reorganize scenes, revise sentence structure)
