Structural & Substantive Editing

Description

Clarifying or reorganizing a manuscript for content and structure. Does not include research or writing original material unless otherwise specified. The level of edit may be heavy or light, depending on the passage. Changes will be drafted to the electronic manuscript.

Structural & Substantive edits may:

• Trim words, phrases, or sentences that are extraneous and do not contribute to the story;
• Establish a good rhythm by rearranging passages and suggesting new passages;
• Tighten dialogue, point out inconsistencies, tonal shifts, and unnatural phrasing;
• Suggest changes to the prose when the momentum of the narrative is disrupted;
• Add words or phrases that clarify or enhance your meaning.

An editor may draw your attention to:

• Words or sentences that are extraneous or overused;
• Run-on sentences;
• Redundancies from repeating the same information in different ways;
• Dialogue or paragraphs that can be tightened;
• Scenes where the action is confusing or the author’s meaning is unclear due to bad transitions;
• Tonal shifts and unnatural phrasing;
• Passages that don’t read well due to bland language use;
• Confusing narrative digressions;
• Changes that can be made to improve the pacing of a passage;
• Words or phrases that may clarify or enhance your meaning.