Process

Editing levels

You might say: developmental edit, line edit, copyedit, proofread

Editing in passes from big to small: content and structure, then sentences, then correctness, then typos on the final pages.

What it does

Fixes each kind of problem at the right time, so nothing is polished twice.

Ask

Which level does this draft need now?

Trouble

Paying for a proofread while the plot still has holes.

Parts

• Final manuscript: The edited text in standard manuscript format for agents or publishers.

Catalogue: Level

• Developmental edit: Content and structure: plot, pacing, character arcs and point of view.
• Line edit: Sentences and paragraphs: style, clarity, flow, voice and word choice.
• Copyedit: Correctness and consistency: grammar, spelling, usage and the style sheet.
• Proofread: The last check of the typeset pages for typos and layout errors.

Sources

1. Editorial Freelancers Association, Editorial Service Definitions, service definitionsEditing is taking an author’s words and turning them into a final product.

Use it on your project

teardown-apply: hold "Editing levels" (editing-levels) from the teardown at https://teardownatlas.com/fiction-writing/ against my project

Paste it into a coding agent that has the teardown skills.

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