Thank you to Ryan Lanz for this suggestion-packed article, which first appeared on his website, A Writer’s Path.

For some writers, editing strikes fear into their hearts. Okay, perhaps not fear, but some discomfort. At least a stomach ache, right?

Before you reach for the antacids, let’s discuss the different methods of editing and introduce some ways that might make it less intimidating.

Why do we edit?

I know, it’s a simple question. But as you’ve observed in some of my past blog posts, I strive to get to the root of the subject at hand. By mastering the basics, we can reach many heights (thank you, fortune cookie from lunch).

• To look professional
• To keep from annoying or putting-off your readers
• For the writer to further prove that he/she is not an amateur
• To avoid discouraging an agent, editor, or publisher from considering your manuscript

I imagine those all seem pretty obvious. The last item was particularly interesting to me, though. I’ve read many interviews where literary agents say that spelling/grammar errors are often within the top three pet-peeves. One commented that a writer can’t be trusted with a book deal if the same writer can’t be trusted with basic grammar.

Types of Editing

That also brings us to the different types of editing. I once thought this was fairly straight-forward. Ah, but the life of an editor is anything but simple. There are many types of editing that one can do. Here are some of the different categories:

• Proofreading
• Line Editing
• Copyediting
• Substantive Editing
• Developmental Editing
• Manuscript evaluation
• Manuscript critique

Related: Check out available proofreaders and copyeditors here.

Some editors process these terms/categories a bit differently, but essentially it depends on how detailed you want an editor to go. Sometimes, it’s just easier to pay an editor to work on your manuscript; however, you can always go the route of self-editing.

Self-Editing

So, how do you self-edit? This isn’t too difficult on the surface, but there are a few methods that might help to keep in mind.

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