Is there a difference between revising and editing, or are these just different words for the same thing? Many people would say their meanings are similar, but there are some distinctions and nuances that set these words apart.
Let’s start with some dictionary definitions:
First, let’s look at editing, which means to prepare (something, such as literary material or a movie) for publication or public presentation by correcting, condensing, expanding, or otherwise modifying it. Also, the process of making changes to a text or film, deciding what will be removed and what will be kept in, in order to prepare it for being printed or shown.
Synonyms include revise, adapt, correct, copyedit, emend, improve, modify, redraft, rewrite, reword.
Revising means to re-examine and make alterations to (written or printed matter), to make a new, amended, improved, or up-to-date version of previously produced work. Also, to look over again with the intention to correct or improve.
Synonyms include edit, adapt, alter, emend, makeover, modify, recast, refashion, remodel, revamp, rework.
Note how each word has a number of synonyms in common, including their counterpart? So for a writer, what is the best way to separate out each action, both in terms of the process towards a final written text, and in terms of identifying what kind of work a manuscript needs?
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How to Decide Between Editing vs Revising?
In general, editing is an evaluation of the entire document, with an eye to making the story more accessible and pleasurable for the reader.
This can mean identifying key characters and scenes, anchoring scenes in time and place, suggesting missing motivations or goals, and looking at the balance between action and follow-up. These are typically changes that will affect the text overall and possibly make major changes to the manuscript’s storyline and ending.
In contrast, revising is the actual re-writing, making changes down to the line or word level to make the story more impactful and captivating.
This could mean changes as extensive as revamping a chapter from scratch to incorporate a different point of view, or as small as choosing a more apt synonym to describe a character’s facial expression.
There are sound reasons to keep these two processes separate. An edit, for example, strengthens the underlying story structure. Until the story is strong, revising the underlying sentences won’t be enough to shore up the reader’s flagging interest.
Also an edit might identify parts of the text that should be significantly reworked or even removed from a particular story. In a case such as this, any effort spent on revising ahead of time would be wasted. (It is recommended to keep any cut paragraphs in a safe place — they might be the start of another story, another time!)
Writers, when they are working on their manuscripts, and agencies who offer editing services, have a fairly long list of terms to describe what kind of activity can be performed on a text. Terms such as developmental editing, structural story editing, substantive editing, content editing, creative/artistic editing usually refer to an overall review of the completed manuscript.
Typically editors assess what works and what doesn’t. The editing process offers broader, insightful feedback on a story’s major strengths and weaknesses. It addresses the big picture items which need to be sorted before a manuscript is ready for revising.
Terms such as line editing, copy editing, stylistic editing, consistency editing, mechanical editing, fact-checking editing, and proofreading usually refer to more granular, fine-tuning review of a text at the sentence and word level. These terms apply when it is time to look more closely at details. Examples include finding just the right phrase to describe an atmospheric setting, or making sure each character’s name is spelled consistently throughout the work.
It needs to be said that what one person means by a developmental edit might considered another style of edit by someone else. As we can see from the dictionary definition, one person’s edit is another’s revision!
What is Editing?
When a manuscript is edited, using the word edit as defined above, the story is evaluated to make it solid in a structural sense. This ensures all the elements a reader expects in a good story are present.
An edit focuses on the overall presentation of the text, ensuring story events flow together in a clear and orderly manner, without any impediments to a reader’s journey from start to finish.
An edit evaluates characterization, tension and conflict, pacing, judicious use of backstory and flashbacks, keeping track of clues and foreshadowing, and making sure that all the questions raised through the course of the narrative are answered at the story’s climax.
Putting all the elements together in the right order will allow the reader a deeper understanding and appreciation of the vision the writer intended.
An edit can also identify content that does not fit into a particular manuscript. For example, the adventurous tale of a 18th century whaling ship, whose insane captain is fixated upon a certain white whale, is impeded when the author devotes an entire chapter to classifying fish. (Sorry, Melville!)
An edit will also look at smaller items that make a big impact. It can identify issues that will stop a reader from turning pages. Examples include non-chronological ordering of events in the timeline, or places where a character or a place is given a different name or description from one part of the text to another. Smooth transitions between scenes is another significant factor that can jolt a reader out of the story. Repetitions in exposition or dialog can be marked for revision or exclusion.
An edit will determine anything in a manuscript that can confuse a reader or make them decide to put the book down and possibly never pick it up again.
Tips for Editing
In an edit, there is no need to change any words. The entire document is evaluated as a whole, and an overall plan is devised for the manuscript, which may include proposed options for the revision process.
Modification of individual words is left to the revision stage, because if the edit determines a segment of text should be cut or split, any time spent altering that segment would be wasted.
Instead of changing wording in an edit, a strategy is designed to address any large structural elements. This would include suggestions in regard to:
- Moving sections of text to benefit or clarify the timeline
- Adding more scenes to clarify the plot or reveal more about a character
- Cutting text that does not enhance a particular story line, plot or subplot
- Splitting text where a break would enhance tension, or to signify a change in setting
- Overall suggestions regarding characters, plot, and settings that affect the entire story, with a view to altering anything that might disrupt a reader’s experience.
- Evaluating elements in the text to make sure each is carrying their weight. This would include making sure characters are well rounded, the plot has a well-anchored beginning, middle, and end, and the setting is well-established and enriched with vibrant sensory and emotional description
What is Revising?
When a manuscript is revised, typically all the framework has been already planned out in the editing stage. Now it is time for the writer to decide on the best sentences, phrases, and words.
Obviously this is not as simple as it sounds! Now is the time for the writer to carefully examine the feedback received and decide which words will work best together to make reading the story seamless and enjoyable.
With revision, writers are first looking for clarity, consistency, and cohesiveness. Next, the idea is to invite readers to spend time with the characters and the plot, keeping them engaged from the first word to the last. In the process, anything that doesn’t contribute to moving the plot or the characters forward is a candidate to be trimmed. Anything confusing, such as a plot hole or an inconsistency, is a candidate for adding in the purposeful details.
In the process, the writer chooses strong verbs to describe actions, avoids passive phrasing, and varies sentence structure to create variety and to enhance pacing. The writer reworks dialog until it sounds natural, considers readability, removes cliches and redundancies, and makes considered choices regarding point of view. All of this while constructing dynamic descriptions and making use of powerful language.
Although editing is a task that benefits from having someone other than the writer perform, because a second set of fresh eyes helps in catching incomplete story elements, it is different for revising. Revisions benefit from the writer’s personal touch. It is the writer’s personal sense of style, imagination, experience, and insight that come together in the revision stage.
That said, having a second pair of eyes look at a revised manuscript is very common for published works. A good line editor can help a writer lift a scene from good to even better.
Tips for Revising
- Go for the bigger items first. Make sure all the moving, adding, cutting, and splitting of scenes are completed before tackling the finer points of expression and nuances of story telling.
- Look at all instances where a specific character or place comes up in the story, in order to keep the depiction of their personality or the atmosphere consistent. When people or places change, make sure the changes are intentional.
- While revising, be on the lookout for revisions that add new issues while fixing the old ones. In particular, watch for repetition, unintentional changes in point of view or verb tenses, and instances where characters abruptly appear in the middle of scenes, or where characters are suddenly surrounded by new props or scenery.
- In the process of working through a manuscript, make notes about alternative spellings, capitalization choices, and grammatical preferences. In this way, when each instance is encountered in the text, the same decision can be made each time.
- While exploring the best way to make over the wording, remember every scene and chapter should advance the story being told. Embellishments should fit with the rest of the manuscript.
- Reading the text aloud is a useful technique to inject rhythm and flow into a manuscript. Reading aloud engages both sight and sound, catching typographical errors, homophones, and awkward phrasing.
Difference Between Revising and Editing
As mentioned previously, editing is the first task to undertake after a first draft is completed. Editing is done at the macro level, reviewing the manuscript as a whole and planning out changes to provide the reader with a rewarding experience.
Editing is carried out either by the writer or by a second party who is knowledgeable in this aspect, such as a developmental editor or a substantive editor. Also there are a number of software packages available to assist writers, editors, and revisers in keeping track of all the moving parts.
One of these is Fictionary, which provides the editor a list of points to identify and evaluate. This helps the editor answer the question “Is there a story here?” The software includes graphical insights to highlight strengths in the text, as well as any weaknesses, to aid the editor in the creation of a plan for action for the next step of revision.
After the editing phase is completed, it is time for revising. Revisions in general focus on a more detailed level, concentrating on wording and sentence flow. This is where the writer’s individual voice comes shining through.
Again there are software choices that can offer aid in terms of revising. Fictionary, for example, highlights 38 story elements for review. All of these elements can influence a story, and for each, a writer chooses whether and how they can help in shaping their story.
Last on the list, the final step before publication is proofreading. Some will lump this step in as a part of the revision process. In traditional publishing, this means a proofreader parses the manuscript to fit the publishing house’s preferred “style book” for grammar rules, preferred spelling, and formatting.
This is mostly a mechanical process, and more and more often this step is delegated to software programmed specifically for the purpose. In self publishing, the writer can choose which style they prefer. Taking this last step before self-publishing provides a reader with a clean, easy to read, professional looking book.
Editing and Revising Together
Editing and revising can be tough jobs. Both take time and effort, but the results of both have far reaching consequences, making a noticeable difference to the quality of a manuscript.
It is important to remember that both editing and revising are also artistic endeavors. Both play a significant and valuable part in the creative process. They are necessary parts of the journey of taking a manuscript from the initial idea in the writer’s head, through a first draft of words on the page, and beyond until it reaches the hands of an eager reader.
To quote K. Stanley and L. Cooke in their book, Secrets to Editing Success:
Beautiful prose contains the artist’s voice plus
the style that fits the genre of the story.
And on the way to beautiful prose, essential roles are played by editing and revising.