The 4 Layered Body of the Editing Process
Drafting is only the beginning. Learn the specific mission of each editing stage so your book can become whole and complete.
Congratulations, you did it. You completed your first manuscript draft!
Or at least, complete-ish? You’ve hit your target of 80k words and have already taken a long, luxurious bubble bath to congratulate yourself.
But once the bubbles have popped and the bathwater has cooled to frigid ice, you must face the facts: your book needs a lot of work.
Before you (or your editor) dive back into the word mines and search for gold, it’s important to understand the different editing stages. Often people lump them all into one process, checking for grammar while filling in plot holes. But with the number of things to keep track of, doing it all at once is a recipe for stress, burnout, and 372 pages of perfectly good prose chucked out a window because you were convinced it was unsalvagable.
To ensure your book is whole and complete, it helps to think of each editing stage as part of a body, as each type has a specific mission. Breaking down the process will help you work smarter and become less bogged down with the weight of your towering genius.
So let’s begin by talking about what matters most: the heart. ❤️
Developmental Editing, aka the beating heart
The first stage you need to focus on is developmental edits, where you analyze the plot to make sure the characters and structure support your story. Perhaps I'm biased because this stage is my bread and butter, but developmental edits are the heart of your book. Keep your story pumping efficiently by keeping track of the following aspects:
Plot/Story structure
Characterization
Worldbuilding
Theme
Narrative flow
As with the other stages of editing, you can find specialized resources to shore up your understanding. Take in as many theories of story structure and characterization as you can to build your skills. You may even find new techniques that you never realized you needed!
One great book to explore is Story Genius by Lisa Cron, which helps you know how to plan your book from the start to make editing easier down the road. If you already have a manuscript to fix up, Revising Your Novel by Janice Harding or Intuitive Editing by Tiffany Yates Martin are great guides to help you see the forest for the trees.
Your story may feel like a maze of subtle and complex twists, but having an organized, focused, and heartfelt guide to plan your book makes the whole ride smoother. Even if you write by the seat of your pants, knowing how to see your story with a bird’s eye view will save you time and stress in the future.
Line/Stylistic Editing, aka strong bones
Most commonly called line editing, though I prefer to call it stylistic, this stage is where you make sure your words can hold up the story you're trying to tell. Like bones, the words hold up the weight of everything we want our writing to become. Each phrase and sentence plays its part in an elegant system of your design. Learn how to fix the problems in your prose, such as:
Imagery
Pacing (see: The Rate of Revelation)
Word Choice
Simile and Metaphor
Sentence Structure
This is the more invisible stage of production. Understanding writing voice is especially tricky because most guides encourage you to use your intuition, but what do you do if you don’t know your femur from your tailbone, so to speak?
For something more instructive, check out Voice: The Secret Power Of Great Writing by James Scott Bell. Or if you are signed on to Kindle Unlimited, you can read Finding Your Writer’s Voice by Bria Quinlan and Jeannie Bin.
Copyediting, aka the muscle
Good grammar and proper punctuation are the pulleys that ensure your story makes sense, much like the muscles and tendons you’re currently using to read this article. Moving is awkward when muscles are cramped and stiff. As such, reading becomes awkward—even frustrating—if obvious errors find their way into your published draft.
People typically picture copyediting when they ask for editing in general, so perhaps you're already aware of what to look for. Just in case, here's a quick and handy list:
Punctuation errors
Spelling mistakes/Typos
Inconsistent verb tense
Subject-verb disagreement
Passive voice
While grammar rules may seem like a puzzle, understanding those rules will signal to readers that you are an authority in the book world. Editors you hire will weep at your feet (probably) if you show that you know your way around the Chicago's Manual of Style, or whichever style guide you follow.
Need a refresher on the ins and outs of grammar? The website Grammar Monster is a wonderful resource to give you the basics, even on more esoteric topics. If you're looking for something more practical that could help you upgrade your writing style, look into a book called The Curious Case of the Misplaced Modifier.
Proofreading, aka the skin
Proofreading is the final stage of editing, done after your book has been formatted into its print or e-book version. Aka the home stretch! Proofreading is like skin because it keeps everything in place and protected, allowing the heart, bones, and muscles to do their job without worry.
At this final stage, look for any remaining problems before you press publish, such as:
Formatting errors
Missed corrections
Final checks
Seriously, triple-check for everything that could possibly be wrong
You’ll thank me later
At this point, you should hopefully not find any problems, but if you or your editor notice developmental, stylistic, or copyediting errors at this stage, you need to fix them immediately. Your due diligence in the previous stages will keep your publishing process running smoothly, no matter how many books you produce.
If you've done all the editing work on your own so far, your brain may accidentally gloss over probably too used to seeing your creation, meaning you may miss several crucial problems. They say many hands make light work, so the same goes for different sets of eyes. Look for volunteers or professional editors to make sure no problems slip through.
Take Action
When you're just starting, the most cost-effective thing you can do is self-edit your manuscript. So of the 4 types listed, which one do you think you're best at right now? Once you've narrowed that down, you can look for outside help to cover your blind spots.
Beta readers can help you at any stage, and you can hire editors to cover any gaps you can't fill yourself. But we can't just cover our eyes and tell an editor, “Okay, fix it!” and expect a miracle. We need to develop a keen eye for good editing. That way if an editor makes a change you don't agree with, you can readjust so your work best matches your vision.
No matter what, readers look for tidy, engaging, well-edited books. While writing may come easier for you, your editing skills must be on point. Start looking into the editing resources I shared above so your plan is set once you've crossed that first finish line. Then when you take your victory bubble bath, you can relax knowing everything is going according to plan!
At least until it’s time for your next book. Then the big beautiful process starts all over again.
What a comprehensive article! Thanks for sharing it.
Great post. I love the analogies.