Saturday, July 29, 2017

Key Qualities Of A Developmental Editor

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.

In order to ensure the success of a book, there are a couple of duties that a publishing supervisor needs to do. Number one involves offering suggestions. They should be capable of offering suggestions that are relevant in the context of the story. For instance, looking at the goals of a book, they might give suggestions about how the character may be developed, style that should be used and the language that would effectively pass the message across. They also highlight grammar and spelling mistakes made, but they do not do corrections themselves; though, pass it to the authors to correct them.

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.

Secondly, they need to be problem solvers. Once the problem has been identified, they have to offer alternative solutions. Where mistakes have been made a clear way forward should be given so that the problem is addressed and the author is able to focus on other issues.

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.

Another great quality that they need to possess is respect. They ought to be able to recognize and accept that the author has total control over what goes in and out of a book. They have to also consider the preferences in addition to respecting the views and decisions made by the author.

They need to also possess the capability of giving good instructions. They may for instance instruct a writer to make certain changes or correct certain mistakes made. Their purpose is to help the writer become a better one and avoid making the same mistakes. They are also required to know what the readers want so that they can provide a market outlook of the book. This way they help the authors to know what they should expect.

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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