Wattys 2020 Boot Camp

Editing Tips

To increase your chances of being matched with a mentor, it's crucial to self-edit your manuscript to the best of your abilities. Check especially for typos and obvious grammar mistakes.  We don't expect perfection, but a mentor will likely pass if your first chapter is riddled with spelling errors.

Much of the rest will come with the mentorship program. Most mentors will help you with developmental edits and point out obvious mistakes as they read along, but they are not a substitute for a copy or line editor.

If you're not sure what those terms mean, check out the helpful definitions below:

FREQUENTLY USED TERMS

DEVELOPMENTAL EDIT: A developmental edit aims to improve the content and structure of a manuscript. It takes on topics such as pacing, plot, characterization and setting. If your manuscript lacks focus, a developmental edit will help you find the right direction, which often means the most marketable direction.

CONTENT EDIT: Content editing, also known as substantive editing, comprehensive editing, macroediting or heavy editing, evaluates the overall formatting, style and content of a document in order to optimize visual appeal and comprehensibility.

COPY EDIT: This is the process of checking for mistakes, inconsistencies and repetition. A copy edit focuses on correcting errors in grammar, spelling, syntax and punctuation; locating technical consistencies in spelling, capitalization, font usage, numerals, hyphenation; confirming if the facts in a manuscript are accurate and if the names and dates are correct; and checking for discrepancies within the story. This includes character description, plot points and setting.

LINE EDIT: Line editing can also be called stylistic editing and focuses on how we write scenes and paragraphs. Working line by line, this is where we tighten up sentence structure so the language is sharp and clear, removing extraneous words, such as just, that and only. Line edits focus on how word choice and syntax contributes to the tone or emotion of a piece, while paying attention to the overall pacing and logical flow of the story. Here we check for continuity, making sure a character's eye color remains the same and that limp they started out with is still there. 

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This YouTube video shares some awesome line editing tips. In fact, we suggest you check out some of the other videos on the Reedsy channel. Just don't get sucked in for long. Remember, you have a deadline to meet.

neverfakeit  leads the WattpadBookshelves profile. There you will find a Writing Guide with a copy of this information, plus a goldmine of links to great editing resources. We will share the link to that informative chapter in the comments section.

Happy editing to all!