Editing: A Comprehensive Guide on Editing Fiction
You may think that editing is only about checking for grammatical errors, but it can become much more complicated than that. Editing is just as much an art-form as writing, but just as good art is subjective, so is editing. Your advice to them is just your opinion, it’s no different than having a favorite food or color, but you have reasons for those being your favorites.
By Lisa Baldwin
Last Updated 10/8/2024
Elements of Fiction
Just like the elements of your favorite food that make you love it, so does fiction. Each element plays a vital role in making or breaking a story and missing just one can throw off the entire work. But remember that these aren’t rules, they are guidelines and there will always be exceptions to them.
Point of View
Point of view is who is telling the story and from where? Third and first person are the most common, second person is least common due to its difficulty. Third person is someone telling the story of others, and never refers to themselves. First person follows a singular character on their journey, while second person refers to the reader. Each of these can be easily identified by the use of pronouns, first person being ‘I saw, I looked, I said,’ second person being ‘you saw, you looked, you said,’ and third person being 'she saw, she looked, she said.’ Editing for this is similar to editing for grammar, but you’re mainly just making sure that the author is consistent with their chosen point of view for the story.
Things such as making sure a first-person story follows the same character, and if it does jump between different characters it is clear with that intention of switching POV so it doesn’t seem like the main character can read everyone’s mind. It's also important as an editor to consider whose POV would suit the story best. Maybe it would be more interesting from a different character’s perspective, or maybe it should be third person or vice versa.
Character
In speaking of character, you must consider every aspect of the characters in the story. Do they seem to fit well in the world, and do they act and speak consistently to their personalities? What is the purpose of the side characters, and do they help move the story forward? Consider each character’s impact on the other elements, and if they feel like cohesive and plausible characters. Plausibility can be important in some cases, it may seem unnecessary to consider for fiction, but for any fictional genre there needs to be some level of plausibility to keep a reader’s attention. The series Lord of the Rings might not be real, but the characters feel real to a reader, their journey and interactions with the world around them allow for a reader to see that world through them.
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Main characters don't need to be likable or 'good', more then anything they need to be interesting. Regardless of POV, do the characters that the story follows most closely able to keep attention? Are they making decisions that push the plot forward, and do the decisions make sense for that character, or does it seem like they are just doing things to do it? Don't underestimate readers, especially for older audiences. Good readers are going to notice lacking characters. If you're reading a piece and it makes you pause, why would another reader not also pause? If you do pause, figure out why, and communicate that to your author.
Narrative
Narrative at its core is how the author is telling a story, which involves the plot and how it interacts with every other element of fiction. This can be an area where an author may imply a larger picture or idea with the plot, these aren’t usually directly talked about and but can be inferred by a reader. The plot of a story is integral, and it’s usually the first of two things to consider when building a story; the second is character. There are many ways to structure a plot, but most commonly there is 5 key points in a story. The character(s) gets introduced, the catalyst happens, the character(s) decide on a plan, the climax, and the wrap up. There are some writers who prefer a three-point story, but a 5 point is often easier for new writers because it’s more detailed. Understanding how a plot functions and its intricate devices is imperative for knowing how to edit them.
Devices such as using a character to provide a catalyst can cause issues if the character lacks depth, or if they only show up to cause a problem and never appear again in the plot. This can often be the cause for villains that are one-dimensional. They are only ever evil, and they have nothing about them that shows why they became this way, nothing to allow the reader to understand their character. Foreshadowing is another tool, and it should be used sparingly and strategically. If it’s too obvious readers will be able to predict what will happen.
Other things to consider is if the story is linear or non-linear, most stories are linear as they are easier to follow. Non-linear stories can be difficult to write, this usually means that an author is using flashbacks or going between POVs of different characters. If done well, it can allow a story to understood more effectively than just one perspective, however, that can also mean losing a reader’s immersion in the story for the sake of clarity. Again, consider whose perspectives are most interesting or important for telling the story.
Details
Details are a key weapon of the writer; they allow readers to see the world as vividly or dully as they choose. When you’re reading a work, take note of the details and how they add to the story. How do they change your perception of the story and characters, what comes to mind when you read the details? Do they make sense together and is it a cohesive idea?
Adverbs are either loved or hated by writers and editors. Many authors use these and they produce excellent work, such as Octavia Butler, but they use them strategically. Overusing adverbs can make a story feel less impactful, for new writers it’s often a way of avoiding writing out the details. The sentence “She gazed at the glittery water” is less detailed than “She gazed at the water that glittered as the sun danced on it.” It’s not that you should avoid them altogether, but oftentimes a better sentence can be made from them. A few great details are often more impactful than a lot of decent ones.
Dialogue
Dialogue is the conversations that happen between characters or themselves, or thoughts they have. Good dialogue will usually feel like conversations you could have or ones you’ve heard. Plausibility is also important in dialogue, characters should have a consistent voice, their ideas or values can change, but there must be a reason for it. It should feel natural to that character, not that it’s predictable.
Every author might format their dialogue differently, but there is universal formatting that most readers are used to. While you could format it differently, oftentimes doing so means making a reader pause at it to understand and losing their immersion in the story.
“You should have never gone there,” she said. “You never seem to listen to me even when it turns out I’m always right.”
The formula is as such, start dialogue on a new line, always place commas and periods inside the quotation marks and always use double quotation marks. Break up dialogue and sentences by having the speaker identified early on. Long dialogue such as speeches should have the speaker identified early on as well and try to break it up by adding back in exposition and details and reidentify the speaker each time. Things such as caps, exclamation points, and italics should be used sparingly, good dialogue that is well supported by details can be just as impactful. It also lessens the chance of a reader skipping ahead because a character screaming in caps-lock caught their eye.
Scene and Exposition
Scenes are the action during the narrative, things such as dialogue and explanations of scenes happening in real time instead of a summary. You could think of them the same as movie scenes. Exposition is more like a montage with a voice over explaining what happened, or what something is. In fiction this is usually the author explaining the world and how it works, it could be the uses or origins of a magic potion, or a summary of a character’s backstory.
Balancing the two is important, an example of an exposition heavy work is Lord Of the Rings, as Tolkien would spend pages explaining work. You may not want your author to do that unless they actually write like him. Regardless, it’s important to note that why his work was successful was because of his use of all the other elements, his work was balanced.
You could have a book of only scenes, but you would never get the level of immersion that you’d want a reader to experience. This would only really work for a short piece, a page perhaps. But even then, the characters would be doing a lot of heavy lifting, not having exposition means there’s little to no room for details, setting, and world-building; you want balance. However, when I say balance I don’t mean a perfect half and half, each one should support the other, and it’s your job as an editor to identify the areas that are lacking support from other elements.​
Diction
Diction is the use of language and style throughout the book. It includes the mood, tone, and accents used by characters. It can also refer to place specific dictions such as African American English (AAE). It has its own set of grammar and vocabulary unique to it, and you should get familiar with it to be able to identify it and edit with it. You should not try to fix or edit out these dictions or accents, work with your author to learn it’s specifics, ask questions and be open-minded.
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Diction can be tricky to get right, especially if an author is not used to it. Encourage them to do more research and if they're writing with a real diction, such as AAE, they need to go immerse themselves within it. Consistency and continuity with diction is important, an example of this could be how people who move to areas where their accent is extremely uncommon and overtime lose their accent and assimilate into that areas accent. Or, how people in that area may begin to pick up on the newcomers accents or grammar. how can you use these as way to discuss the affect this has on those characters and how it affects them? What truths and themes can be explored?
Setting
Setting is when and where the story is set, usually the year and region. Examples could be London in 1910, aka the Edwardian Era. Or it could be 2020 in the US, aka covid. The stories don’t have to surround the settings, but the setting should support and drive the story. Treat it as a character, allow it to grow and change with the story.
This is also where world-building will come in play. There are soft and hard worlds, titles such as Star Wars and Star Trek are hard worlds because they have reasons, rules, and explanations for their worlds. Conversely, soft worlds are not explained, they just continue on as if everything is quite normal. Hayao Miyazaki’s movies are a good example of this, such as Spirited Away all of the spirits and creatures just exist, there is no rules laid to explain them. Think about how either of these would best suit the narrative, how can it best support it? Talk to the author about their intentions with the narrative, which one do they lean towards?
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I find that a good way to keep the balance is to come back to the setting every other paragraph, at least giving some new detail or a continuation of a previous one. New writers often produce work with 'white room syndrome' which is essentially all a reader can gather from a setting is characters in a white room. If an author says the characters are in a room, do you imagine a fully furnished room or a quite empty one? What kind of furnishings? What about the story draws you to believe that's what it looks like. I've been guilty of this myself, I may be able to see exactly where my characters are in my head, but it's more important to get that vision on paper. Remind your author that writing is communication, and they have to share their vision.
Theme
Themes are the singular or multiple topics that a story explores in clear ways. Themes can also be sometimes labeled as a subgenre or help to determine the works general genre.. A list of examples of themes: love, coming of age, good versus evil, death, family, redemption, survival, friendship, justice, power, war, beauty, courage, identity, perseverance, revenge, betrayal, freedom, kindness, nature, society, change versus tradition, heroism, and grief.
How are the themes within your authors story support the overall narrative and other elements? Are they explored fully and clearly? Could they be expanded upon, or do they hamper the story? If you were to change a theme for a similar one, how would that change the story? Having themes can help a story feel more cohesive, but having themes that clash with the narrative can feel polarizing or confusing to read. A happy romance story likely wouldn’t have themes about death and grief, and a story about war likely wouldn’t have themes about beauty. Themes shouldn’t undermine the intent of a story.
Identifying and Managing Elements
You could think of stories as recipes, such as a recipe for a sandwich or hearty soup. There are thousands of recipes for just sandwiches, different breads, fillings, toppings, preparations, and presentations. All the elements that go into a great sandwich, a good bread, delicious fresh or pickled fillings, condiments, and even small details like toasting the bread or adding extra seasonings. Visualizing a book as a sandwich or recipe can be a way to understand exactly what I mean when I talk about balancing elements and how they can all be different but the key is that they harmonize together.
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Let's exercise this idea by building a sandwich. Firstly, the bread, your scenes and expositions. It makes up a bulk of the book, and provides the place for everything else. Next, meats and cheese, your narrative. The 'meat' and juicy parts of your book and cheese being the underlying plot and devices supporting it. Then, you could add any veggies, greens, or fruits of choice, either fresh or pickled or better yet both. These are your characters, dialogue, and the setting, they determine the tactile experience and point of view of the story. Now, the condiments and seasonings, your details. Details, details, details, how can you make a great sandwich without adding your favorite condiments? What would an Italian sub be without a good dressing? What would a meatball sub be without a well seasoned sauce, or a philly cheesesteak served on untoasted bread? Sure, they could still be delicious and they would fill you up, but would they really satisfy you?
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But we're not done with our sandwich yet, how do you serve the sandwich? Is it closed or open-faced? Is it cut in half or diagonally or in squares? This is your diction, your prose, and your overall voice. Lastly but certainly not least, is what is the sandwich? What kind of sandwich did you make? What genre is your story, what do the individual ingredients convey as themes? Do they all fit together to create a mood and tone that is harmonized in every bite? Does it fall apart a bit when you bite into it, and is that it's nature or could it be better structured when you were building the sandwich? Was there something hot that wilted the lettuce, how could you arrange it better or change it out entirely to better suit the sandwich?
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Here is another exercise you can try, and no it won't have anything to do with food. Write down all the nine elements listed and their sub elements. Then, take the story and break it down into each element. This can help you identify each of them to become familiar and also be able to spot gaps in the story. Maybe there are plot holes that could be fixed with a single detail, or a certain character is too flat and needs more scenes to expand. This can also be a good way to orient intention, what message or idea your author wants to convey in the story. I don't mean morals, but what truths about life is being discussed and what might a reader infer.
Editing For Race, Gender, and LGBTQ+
As an editor you’ll likely encounter stories with problematic ideas, whether or not you want them edited out will depend on many factors. First ask yourself if something bothering you is because of your personal ideals and beliefs? Or does it bother you because you know it would be hurtful to people within the demographic written about. Don’t let your personal biases lead your editing, be open-minded and talk to your author about why they included it. If say, they included a scene of a character being harassed for their race, talk to the author about their intention with the scene. How is it meant to affect the character and their journey; how can they use all the elements to achieve that goal?
Stereotypes should generally be avoided because they can lead a story to be cliché or melodramatic. However, that doesn’t mean they can’t be used. Ask your author their intentions with using stereotypes, what are they trying to achieve by using them? Good fiction should reveal truths about the human experience, and stereotypes don’t always fit in with that idea.
Be aware and able to identify micro-aggressions against race, gender, and LGBTQ+, as well as queer baiting. Get familiar with all of them, books should be able to be explored without readers meeting harmful narratives and biases. As mentioned before, good fiction should reveal truths about the human experience, it should not discriminate.
Some articles and documents to get you familiar:
Handling Authors as an Editor
When handling someone’s work, you must treat with the respect you would give an already published book. This is someone’s time and energy, it’s an allegory of their brain on a page. I find that the best way to edit is to ask questions, but good questions only come when you really understand all the elements of writing. When you’re reading a piece and something catches your eye, maybe something doesn’t make sense, ask yourself first why. Maybe it needs to be clarified because it clashes with something said earlier in the piece, or maybe the mood has suddenly shifted and no longer fits the scene. Did a character say something that doesn’t feel right to them, or did the setting change and the details aren’t quite there. Point it out to the author, prompt them to rewrite it, and always give your reasons. No one wants to just read ‘change this,’ it can be harsh and it’s ultimately unhelpful.
It's important to remember that the point of editing is not to fix an author’s writing, it is to enhance the writing. To help them polish their unique style and voice and allow their work to shine the way the author envisioned. You should always be honest with your author, but being overtly harsh will drive away your clients. I often find that editors who are brutally honest are more interested in the brutality than the honesty.
However, that doesn't mean that there are authors who don’t want brutal honesty. It’s important to find a good match on both sides, but always consider that a reputation for harshness will turn people away, no matter how good of an editor you may be. Ultimately, be gentle with your authors, you’re there to help them, and to be better writers and realize their dreams of publishing their work. So, get editing!