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Writer's pictureJulia Jakus

The Power of Editing: Transforming Rough Drafts into Polished Masterpieces

Updated: Aug 30, 2023

Editing is the transformative process that elevates a rough draft into a polished masterpiece. Discover the techniques, software strategies, and insights that can help you refine your work and unlock its full potential.

Writing, Editing, Grammarly


Finding the Balance: Preserving the Author's Voice while Enhancing Clarity and Coherence


When editing someone else's work, the editor needs to strike a delicate balance between preserving the author's voice and enhancing clarity and coherence. Preserving the author's voice means ensuring that the writing reflects the author's unique style and personality while enhancing clarity and coherence, ensuring that the writing is easy to understand and effective.


There are a few text analysis tools that can help you trim away anything obscuring the author's voice. If you want your text to sing, you have to remove the hiccups.

Grammarly - Your writing at its best

Grammarly is the most well-known, and for good reason. It makes sure everything you type not only upholds accurate spelling, punctuation, and grammar but is also clear, compelling, and easy to read. Their suggestions help identify and replace complicated sentences with more efficient ones, refresh repetitive language, and strengthen your writing to say what you really mean.


However, if you're interested in alternative text editor integrations, below are a few tried and true text analysis software (ranging from free to premium options) as well as the pros and cons for others you may not be as familiar with:

  • ProWriting Aid (PWA) is a powerful online proofreading and editing software. It's a grammar checker, plagiarism detector, writing coach, and overall editing tool in one. ProWritingAid integrates with almost every software and browser that writers use, from Chrome to Google Docs to Scrivener.

  • Hemingway App is an editor that highlights and corrects grammar, fluency, and sentence structure in order to help your writing read and look better. Hemingway Editor (https://hemingwayapp.com) is a free online editing tool. It analyzes text for readability.

  • WhiteSmoke is a world-leading company in the field of English writing technologies, with a focus on products that enhance and correct grammar, spelling, and writing style. WhiteSmoke products are based on natural language processing (NLP) technology, featuring unique and patented artificial intelligence algorithms for text analysis.

  • LanguageTool is an online proofreading service for students, teachers, professionals, and other writers to enhance their written content. The tool is available in more than 20 languages, including English, French, German, and Spanish. It helps to write better content by suggesting changes in grammar, style, and spelling.

One way to strike this balance is to focus on the overall tone and style of the writing. For example, if the author has a particular style or tone, the editor should work to preserve that while making sure that the writing is clear, concise, and effective.


The Editor's Toolkit: From Proofreading to Structural Edits


As writers, we rely on a variety of tools to craft our stories, whether it's a sharp eye or NPL tools. However, different aspects of the editing process demand different types of attention. It's not just about having the toolkit, it's about picking the right one to work with. Although the software above can offer some assistance, it's important to tailor your approach to what the piece needs-- or blend them. Here are the main editorial categories to keep in mind:

  • Copy Editing employs a high level of detail and focuses on correcting mistakes, inconsistencies, and repetitions lurking within the copy. This form of editing is far more attentive than a basic review of a document. In this stage, both the small nuances and the big picture matter.

  • Line Editing focuses on refining the language, clarity, and coherence of the writing at a sentence level. Line editing is typically performed after the broader aspects of the manuscript, such as structure and content, have been addressed.

  • Content Editing is a type of copy editing that refers explicitly to the "macro" elements of the process: formatting, style, content, design, and everything associated with the visual aesthetic and comprehensibility of the work. Like Copy Editing (which focuses on the micro and macro of the ideas at hand), Content Editing adds to these considerations by also taking into account visual impressions and making sure that formatting (like citations) is up to professional standards.

  • Developmental Editing (Structural Editing) supports the structural elements of a manuscript. The main focus is framing, pacing, flow, and narrative arc (for fiction and non-fiction). Although it's often a tool used for publishing books and tightening chapters, it can also be extremely beneficial throughout other genres and publication styles as well from research to screenwriting.

  • Proofreading happens after the article or manuscript has been printed to make sure that everything has truly been taken care of. It is the final step before your work is released to the world. For every essay, article, or chapter that is edited, the reviewer scans the material in stages. In the final proofreading stage, manuscripts can be read aloud to assess general clarity, reviewed in physical print, run through text analysis software, or any combination of these strategies.


Proofreading involves checking for errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation. It's a crucial step in the editing process that should never be overlooked. Structural edits, on the other hand, involve revising the content of the writing, such as the overall structure, pacing, and flow of the piece.

Both proofreading and structural edits are essential tools in the editor's toolkit. While proofreading ensures that the writing is error-free and easy to read, structural edits refine the content of the writing, making it more engaging and effective.


Beyond the Red Pen: Collaborative Editing and the Art of Giving and Receiving Feedback


Collaborative editing is another essential tool in the editor's toolkit. Collaborative editing involves working with the author to refine the content and structure of their writing. Just as a doctor can't perform their own surgery, even the best writers need an outside perspective. By working together, the editor and author can create a polished masterpiece that captures the author's vision and voice.


Pro Tip: Use the "Tracked Changes" feature wherever possible.

This gives the original author the freedom and autonomy to decide what changes to accept and reject. It also highlights how much work has actually been done by the editor. Particularly when you help an author bring to life the emotive tone they spoke about in a prep interview, they may not realize how much of a gap the editor had to close between mission and vision. Plus, people want to know what they're paying for.


The art of giving and receiving feedback is critical to successful collaborative editing. The editor needs to be able to provide constructive feedback that helps the author to improve their writing. In contrast, the author needs to be open to receiving feedback and implementing changes.


Whether you're a professional wordsmith or an amateur writer, the editing phase is crucial to making your work sing. By using the editor's toolkit, striking the right balance between preserving the author's voice and enhancing clarity and coherence, and embracing collaborative editing, you can transform your rough drafts into polished masterpieces.



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