The "Alpha Read" - Many authors have the benefit of an alpha reader, even if they don't call them that. They are the first set of eyes to see an author's writing. The alpha reader is also, many times, another writer or critique partner. Sometimes a trusted relative or friend performs this service. They can be very helpful in setting the author on the right path with their story idea.
The Alpha Reader is the workout buddy. They see the untoned and unflattering beginnings of the body you are building. They should be honest yet supportive and able to give tough love.
The Alpha Reader is the workout buddy. They see the untoned and unflattering beginnings of the body you are building. They should be honest yet supportive and able to give tough love.
The “Developmental Edit” – This editing stage offers support and guidance as the writer crafts their story outline, creates the structure, develops the plot, characters, and themes, wrestles with tension and pacing, settles on a consistent narrative style, sorts the POV (point of view), etc. It looks at the big picture. The Developmental Edit looks at organization, continuity, and big picture elements of crafting the story.
Developmental editing deals with the bones of the piece. They need to be balanced and strong to support the weight of the writer's meaning and vision.
Developmental editing deals with the bones of the piece. They need to be balanced and strong to support the weight of the writer's meaning and vision.
The “Beta Read” - Beta is a term adopted, I've been told, from the beta testers of computer software. The ideal beta reader gives honest feedback (see Beta Reading Questions for suggestions) about how the story and characters affected them. Many authors will request that a beta be alert for certain things, like how quickly they felt a connection with the protagonist, whether or not they found the dialogue natural or situations funny, etc. Authors need to know if the story resonates with readers.
The Beta Reader tests the reflexes of the story as well as whether it is pleasing to the senses. How does the story make them feel?
The Beta Reader tests the reflexes of the story as well as whether it is pleasing to the senses. How does the story make them feel?
The “Line Edit” and "Substantive/Content Edit" – The Line Edit looks at each line or sentence in the context of the story and takes into consideration vocabulary and syntax, general word choice and connotations, the structure of the sentence and the meaning it conveys.
The Substantive or Content Edit is more in depth than the Line Edit. It is similar to the Developmental Edit in that it looks at the overall story structure, but whereas the Developmental Edit looks at organization, continuity, and big picture elements of crafting the story, Substantive Editing looks at tightening the prose and crafting the language so that the meaning is clear.
Line and Substantive/Content Editing work with the meat and muscle of the story. This is when we tone and tighten and trim away the fat to make it as sleek, strong, fit, and functional as possible.
The Substantive or Content Edit is more in depth than the Line Edit. It is similar to the Developmental Edit in that it looks at the overall story structure, but whereas the Developmental Edit looks at organization, continuity, and big picture elements of crafting the story, Substantive Editing looks at tightening the prose and crafting the language so that the meaning is clear.
Line and Substantive/Content Editing work with the meat and muscle of the story. This is when we tone and tighten and trim away the fat to make it as sleek, strong, fit, and functional as possible.
The “Copy Edit” and "Mechanical Edit" - Copy Editing checks grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Mechanical Editing is about the Manual of Style used which includes spelling, abbreviations, punctuation, capitalization, formatting, etc.
The Copy and Mechanical edit both deal with the overall professional look of the piece. I think of them as the wardrobe and cosmetics that make the piece feel and look well-put-together and stylish.
The “Copy Edit” and "Mechanical Edit" - Copy Editing checks grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Mechanical Editing is about the Manual of Style used which includes spelling, abbreviations, punctuation, capitalization, formatting, etc.
The Copy and Mechanical edit both deal with the overall professional look of the piece. I think of them as the wardrobe and cosmetics that make the piece feel and look well-put-together and stylish.
The “Proof Read” – Proofreading is a stage of the process that originally applied to the word-by-word comparison of a first printing with the final draft of the story, making sure that the typesetters hadn’t accidentally changed anything. Nowadays, with online digital publishing, we have no worry regarding typesetting issues, but it often takes many eyes and read-throughs to catch all the typos and little errors humans invariably make or miss.
Proofreading is like checking in the hall mirror right before you walk outside, to make sure your shoes match, slip isn't showing, tie is straight, and hair is behaving.
Proofreading is like checking in the hall mirror right before you walk outside, to make sure your shoes match, slip isn't showing, tie is straight, and hair is behaving.