I’m trying to read/edit my story as if I have no existing knowledge of the story, no investment in it, no sense of what Herculean effort went into writing page 23, no pretentions as to why the dull patch on page 4 is important for the fireworks that will happen on page 714.
George Saunders
Big Picture Analysis
Substantive editing, sometimes called developmental editing or comprehensive editing, is almost entirely analysis-based. It focuses on a manuscript’s initial concept, the content, the organization, the design, and the style. Substantive editing is about making sure your work isn’t just correct and consistent, but that it’s functional for the readers. It addresses the manuscript as a whole, on a section-by-section basis, per paragraph, and sometimes even at a sentence or individual word level.
What Does Substantive Editing Address in a Manuscript?
Substantive editing is about judgement. It’s not only about what is correct, but about what is right. A professional editor will address the structure of the manuscript to determine if the story is progressing in a way that makes logical sense, whether enough information is included, whether there are details that can be removed or rearranged to improve the logical flow and pacing of the story, and whether appropriate jargon is being used – whether in technical terms or in dialog.
What Does Substantive Editing Include?
- Analysis of the document as a whole
- Analysis of each paragraph, sentence, and even word choice if required
- Suggestions for needed revisions
- Suggestions for reordering information by paragraph or section
- Recommendations for removing information or content that is irrelevant or out of place
Substantive Editing FAQs
What is Substantive editing?
If information is presented in an illogical order, it makes it hard for an audience to connect to key points. If it’s missing key details lacking concrete examples, or doesn’t pull the reader in from the start, then it won’t matter how rich the characters are or how well-built the plot is. A substantive editor will provide a comprehensive analysis of the work as whole, then make suggestions of writing techniques and adjustments the writer can make to ensure that all key points are made, that a logical flow of ideas is followed, and that the reader is engaged and interested.
What Is a Substantive Editor addressing?
A substantive editor deals with the overall structure of the manuscript and will focus on these key points:
- Does the work fit together into a coherent whole?
- Is there a logical progression in the story (from the target audience’s point of view)?
- Is all the necessary information included, and unnecessary information deleted?
- Do the manuscript contain terms that are useful to the target audience and make sense for the writer in the narrative and the characters in the dialog?
When do I need substantive editing?
When you need to see the forest and not the trees, substantive editing can be very helpful. It focuses on analyzing the logical flow of the story, ensuring the content is accurate, that you’ve included all necessary information, and that it’s coherent to the audience. This level of editing typically includes questions and comments such as:
- Why is this important?
- Is there more information about why this is so impactful?
- How does this fact relate to what happened in chapter 5?
- This passage contradicts what is said on page 12.
- This character uses terms that wouldn’t be appropriate for them to know/understand, and there is no substantial explanation for why they would be using them.
- There is information given in chapter 3 that may be better presented in chapter 8.