The peculiarity of editorial work is that it requires both freedom and subordination. To edit a manuscript and turn it into a complete finished work, it is necessary not only to be able to creatively process the text, but also to constantly remember the supremacy of someone else's intention - the author's.
Instructions
Step 1
Read the entire book in its entirety. You can understand and evaluate the author's intention only after familiarizing yourself with it in its entirety. As you read, you can make small margins or lay down pages, but don't rush into corrections too much.
Step 2
Talk to the author of the manuscript about your comments. Discuss the structure of the novel, the development of the action, breakdown into parts and chapters. Talk about the ideological content of the book and compare your feelings from what you read with those emotions and thoughts that the author intended to evoke. Keep in mind, however, that many writers find it difficult to communicate their opinions logically and consistently orally. Specify the necessary changes in the book. Distribute the editorial workload between you and the writer: what the author wants to fix on his own, and what he can entrust to you.
Step 3
Start with the required cuts. To be published, purchased and read, the text must conform to a specific format. Determine the optimal page size for this book. Consider the number of characters, the number of storylines developing in parallel, the complexity of the composition and the problematic. Cut back on episodes that slow down the action too much.
Step 4
Make composition changes. Pay attention to logical inaccuracies. Trace each storyline from the beginning to the climax and ending. At this stage, it is especially important to remember the original author's intention and avoid radical changes in the text. When making amendments, do not go beyond the limits agreed upon during the discussion of the book with its author. Try to use those speech and artistic means that the writer himself prefers. If it is necessary to significantly change the text, leave it to the author, having agreed in advance on the timing and scale of the rework. Otherwise, there is a risk of getting a completely new book soon.
Step 5
Proofread the text. Check the manuscript for spelling, punctuation, syntax, and grammar errors. Identify factual inaccuracies. Make sure that the departure from the literary norm was not deliberately done by the author and is not a special artistic device.
