Scratchworks Media

Introduction: Editing When most people think of editing, they picture someone sifting through a document, correcting punctuation and spelling. While that is what some editors do, there are other kinds of editors as well. These are the editing services that scratchworks provides: PROOFREADING A proofreader is the most basic type of editor. The simple scan of a document for spelling, punctuation, and grammar. It’s the written equivilent of making sure your tie is straight, your shirt is clean, and your shoes are polished. Even the best writers make the occaisional typo, but if it appears in a final document, a contract perhaps, or a public bulletin or newspaper, it stands out like toilet paper stuck to a shoe. It’s such a simple thing to have it proofread before it goes out. This is the simplest editing service offered by Scratchworks, as well as the fastest. COPY-EDITING A copy-editor starts the same way a proofreader does, scanning for spelling and punctuation, but takes it further. Does this sentence read right? Is this idea being conveyed effectively? These are questions a copy-editor asks, as s/he may change the order of words in a sentence, sentences in a paragraph, or paragraphs in a document. The job of a copy-editor is to make sure a document is readable, understandable, and effective. As proofreading is included in this service, it requires a little more time. SUBSTANTIVE EDITING A substantive editor may very well correct a spelling mistake or two, but that’s not what a substantive editor is looking for. This type of editing is about the content of the text, rather than the form. This may mean discussing which topics should be covered, the best way to illustrate a point, or how the piece should end. With narratives, a substantive editor may suggest changes to the story itself, in order to deliver it in the most powerful way possible. Is there a better metaphor, or a more powerful anecdote that can be used to illustrate the point? How can that forest/trees metaphor be adapted to this situation? Did Johnny get shot by the nazi soldier after the allies took the hill, or did he get shot in the battle and keep pushing until the end? Or did he die unnoticed in the middle of the battle? These are a substantive editor’s questions. It’s important to note that with substantive editing, we use the words “suggest,” and “discuss,” when describing a substantive editor’s job. Substantive editing can be a very subjective process, and it can also be very detailed, so it must be interactive. If Johnny dies a different way, the draft may require a substantial amount of rewriting, which the author of the piece may not appreciate or agree with. Because of the work involved in rewriting parts of the draft, it must first be discussed with the author, who may or may not decide to make the changes on their own.