Does editing produce a finished product?

Image source: Sarah Pflug via Burst.

The short answer is no.

The editing process is just that, a process. A manuscript will usually go through several rounds of editing before it is considered finished.

When an author sends me their manuscript, I mark it up with a combination of changes, suggested changes, questions, and notes. In addition to correcting grammar, punctuation, and formatting, I write things like:

• "awkward" -> re-word this section for clarity and flow
• "repetitive" -> a certain word or phrase is over-used
• "wordiness" -> too many words are used to express a simple idea
• "irrelevant" -> details added do not advance the story
• "pronouns" -> it is not clear who is speaking or taking an action
• "tautology" -> saying the same thing twice in different words

Most of these edits will require the author's discretion on how they would like to correct the situation. Sometimes I have enough information to make a correction or suggest a change, and sometimes I don't.

When I send an edited manuscript back to an author, I fully expect that they will review my edits, make changes, and consider my notes. Once the author has made their changes, often they will send their manuscript back for another round of editing to assess their work, and the process begins again.

Once an author is happy with their manuscript, then they can move on to the next step to finalize their manuscript: proofreading.

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Questions about the editing process?
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