Focus
A content edit is a big picture look at the whole story. It focuses on the plot (and subplots), pacing, characters, worldbuilding including setting, time, and theme.
Sample Content Edit
M. K. Martin (that’s me!) leaves comments for Diana Lorenz (the author). Diana’s changes show up in purple.
During the Content Edit, finer aspects of the story, such as spelling, grammar and/or punctuation aren’t being reviewed or revised.
Editor role:
- Read and review the full story
- Provide the author with a thorough overview
- Note what the author is doing well
- Note opportunities to improve with suggestions as appropriate
Author Role:
- Read editor’s feedback
- Ask for clarification as needed
- Accept compliments (difficult for most authors due to imposter syndrome)
- Decide which suggested revisions will benefit the story and which will not
- Implement helpful suggestions
Note: Some authors like to let editors know why they are not accepting a suggested revision. This is helpful for the editor to better understand the author’s vision but is not necessary. It’s perfectly fine to ignored 20-40% of what your editor suggests. If you notice you’re ignoring half or more of what they say, this could be a sign that this editor isn’t the right one for your story OR that you are simply not ready to edit this story.
In the next edit, we’ll take a look at some of the ways the author’s and editor’s cultural backgrounds can work together to strengthen the story. Hint: Communication is key.
M. K. Martin 