Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Important Attributes That A Developmental Editor Should Have

By Edward Reynolds


The kind of support given in writing where corrections, revisions, and kind of modifications done before a book can undergo production is known as editing. The person running this show referred to as a developmental editor. They usually are self-contracted, but in some cases, offer their services through an intermediary such as an editing firm. They handle a myriad of genres, depending in their specialization areas.

As earlier mentioned, the copy-reader performs a number of core tasks so as to ensure success, one of the roles being giving suggestions. They offer a number of suggestions that seem relevant in the context. These may include the goals of a book, story, character development, style, language just to mention a few. However, they do not perform spelling and grammar corrections. Theirs is to only show the mistakes made and leave it to the writer to make all the necessary changes. In some cases, they help coach writers step by step, though this is uncommon.

Every professional should possess a number of attributes that make them the best at what they do. The same applies to editors. The first good quality being able to highlight clear edits. When going through the script, they should be able to identify the various mistakes made as well as changes that should be made and clearly outline them. This is important because the writer will be able to view them and make all the relevant changes and not give them such a hard time.

They should offer solutions to specific problems. It is their work to inform the writer where the mistakes have occurred and actually suggest a way forward. Mentioning mistakes and not providing any form in which they can be corrected is wrong and shows shallow work.

Creativity is part and parcel of each and every aspect of life. A good editor should possess a lot of it. They should have the ability of thinking beyond the reality of life and embrace impossibilities. They have to be able to visualize things from the perspective of an author and even beyond. This way, they will be able to come up with something creative that if incorporated to the original story-line could see the story becoming more captivating.

In addition, they need to also have respect for the work of the writer. Recognizing that the author has total control over the entire project in the first step into creating mutual respect is important. The author should be the one telling the story and is the only one with the power of making any changes to the content.

They should also be good instructors. They are tasked with the duty of helping a writer become better at delivering their work. They have to try as much as possible to steer this writer in the correct path by informing them what needs to be done. This way the author will avoid repeating similar mistakes in future. They have to also be able to provide market sense for the book. They need to know what the market demands are and advice the writers accordingly.

Writing is a two way thing and it requires equal efforts from both parties that is the publishing supervisor and the author. Therefore, the writer should also try to create an atmosphere where they can both work together to produce quality results. They ought to be open minded and accept corrections.




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