Hi Jamie! Here's an editing question for you: how can you know whether your edits are making a piece objectively better, or just making it sound more like it would sound if you had written it? In other words, where's the line in your view between objective improvement and transforming the writer's voice into your own?
Great question! And I'm sure every editor would answer differently too ;). For me, that's one of the biggest things while editing - making sure it stays true to the author's voice. In the dev edits stage, its more about structure and making sure the problem and promise are clear (among other big picture things). With line editing, when you might be clarifying a sentence or reshaping a sentence, its helpful to let the author know why the change. That gives them the opportunity keep their voice if you didn't quite capture it right, but also make the manuscript stronger. I also keep the reader in mind. Another main goal is to make sure the promise of the book is clear for them. That helps remove myself. Also, as you edit a book, you get to know the author's voice real well, so it becomes a bit easier to catch when you're adding in your voice. I hope that helps! And that you all are doing well :)
Hi Jamie! Here's an editing question for you: how can you know whether your edits are making a piece objectively better, or just making it sound more like it would sound if you had written it? In other words, where's the line in your view between objective improvement and transforming the writer's voice into your own?
Great question! And I'm sure every editor would answer differently too ;). For me, that's one of the biggest things while editing - making sure it stays true to the author's voice. In the dev edits stage, its more about structure and making sure the problem and promise are clear (among other big picture things). With line editing, when you might be clarifying a sentence or reshaping a sentence, its helpful to let the author know why the change. That gives them the opportunity keep their voice if you didn't quite capture it right, but also make the manuscript stronger. I also keep the reader in mind. Another main goal is to make sure the promise of the book is clear for them. That helps remove myself. Also, as you edit a book, you get to know the author's voice real well, so it becomes a bit easier to catch when you're adding in your voice. I hope that helps! And that you all are doing well :)