What kind of editing do I need?

For every step in the writing process, there is a type of editing to help you along.

Each stage of editing has a different scope, and you can think of them in terms of what you can expect to change afterwards. Idea-level editing may involve changes on a grand scale, altering an ending, perhaps, or combining characters. Sentence-level editing, meanwhile, will likely introduce changes to flow and structure line by line.

Idea level

Manuscript level

Page level

Sentence level

Word level

Story, theme, character, etc.

Act progression, pacing, tone, etc.

Scene structure, exposition, characterisation, etc.

Flow, word choice, tone, style, etc.

Spelling, grammar, typos, layout, etc.