From the course: Editing Mastery: How to Edit Writing to Perfection

The deep editing framework

From the course: Editing Mastery: How to Edit Writing to Perfection

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The deep editing framework

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- As I said, deep editing has four key stages, and it's helpful to think of these stages as layers. You're attacking a piece of writing basically on four different levels, and the first of those levels is the level of content. And here, you'll ask questions to help evaluate what to keep in, what to take out, and what to change. Questions like is every point unique and different? Does everything make perfect sense? Is everything factually true, and is it relevant? And, if so, is it worth keeping? The second stage is the structural edit, and this is where you organize the points in the writing into an orderly narrative that flows well from beginning to end. The third stage is the style edit, and that's where you make sure that all of the ideas are expressed in a stylish way, which means as simply, clearly, and elegantly and evocatively as possible. And the final stage is the presentation edit, and that's what I talked about earlier where you tidy up the grammar, the spelling, the punctuation, and typos, but also where you check for things like inconsistencies and ideas that might have gone astray during the heaviest stages of the edit. Now once all of those four stages are completed, you really will have a body of writing that is exceptionally polished, and I hope the thought of having those advanced skills fills you with some excitement. I'm definitely excited about being able to teach them to you. So, without further ado, let's get into how this course is going to work.

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