You could even use it to developmentally edit a full book manuscript. You can use this technique on your own drafts too, whether you’re working on a book chapter, an article, or a shorter document with several different elements, such as a book proposal. When I’m done, I end up with a developmental plan that I can then implement step-by-step if I’m doing the hands on editing myself or write up narratively to share with an author who will be revising their own work. I can usually fit a chapter-length piece on one or two sheets of lined paper. I’ll write things like “need to add clarification here,” “cut repetition here,” “could move these three passages up to the end of section 2,” and then draw arrows from the instructions to the content passages of the draft that they apply to (which are written in the first color ink). I write this as I go to help keep track of my thoughts about the passage. As an extra motivational trick, I make sure to have fun colored pens on hand.Īs I write out the chapter's contents on the pad of paper, I use a different colored pen to make notes on what I think needs to happen to each passage. You could do this on a blank computer document too, but I personally like switching to the tactile experience of writing on paper when I’m feeling stuck. The clean paper is key because it helps me clear my head from the actual manuscript draft, which is typically covered in my notes. (Often each line on my sheet = a paragraph in the manuscript, but sometimes an idea spans a few paragraphs.) Every new idea gets a line, and I note the page numbers and section breaks as I go. On a separate pad of lined paper, I list the chapter's content passage by passage. When I'm working as a developmental editor on a chapter draft that I know needs help with the structure or substance, and find myself getting overwhelmed by all the moving parts, here's what I do: This is a very simple tip but this method has helped me many times when I’ve been feeling stuck or unmotivated to work on a manuscript that has been giving me trouble.
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