Creative Writing Editing and Revision 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the difference between 'editing' and 'proofreading'?
- Editing addresses content, structure, and style; proofreading catches surface errors like typos and grammar (Correct answer)
- Editing is done by the author; proofreading is done by a professional
- Editing happens before writing; proofreading happens during
- Editing removes content; proofreading adds content
Correct answer: Editing addresses content, structure, and style; proofreading catches surface errors like typos and grammar
Editing focuses on improving a manuscript's content, organization, clarity, and style, while proofreading is the final check for surface errors like typos, spelling, and punctuation.
Question 2: What is 'developmental editing'?
- High-level editing focused on structure, plot, character, pacing, and overall story architecture (Correct answer)
- Editing that focuses on sentence-level grammar and word choice
- The first round of editing immediately after completing a draft
- Editing performed by the author rather than an outside editor
Correct answer: High-level editing focused on structure, plot, character, pacing, and overall story architecture
Developmental editing (also called structural or substantive editing) addresses big-picture elements like plot, character development, theme, pacing, and overall narrative structure.
Question 3: What does 'killing your darlings' mean in editing?
- Removing beloved passages or ideas that don't serve the story, no matter how much you love them (Correct answer)
- Eliminating antagonist characters from the final draft
- Deleting all adverbs and adjectives from your writing
- Cutting the story's most emotional or dramatic scenes
Correct answer: Removing beloved passages or ideas that don't serve the story, no matter how much you love them
'Killing your darlings' means being willing to cut or revise your most cherished sentences, scenes, or ideas when they don't serve the story's overall needs.
Question 4: What is 'line editing'?
- Editing focused on prose style, sentence clarity, word choice, and language flow (Correct answer)
- Editing that focuses only on dialogue lines
- Reviewing only the first and last lines of each paragraph
- Cutting lines that exceed a maximum word count
Correct answer: Editing focused on prose style, sentence clarity, word choice, and language flow
Line editing addresses the quality of writing at the sentence level—improving flow, clarity, word choice, tone, and style while preserving the author's voice.
Question 5: What is the purpose of 'beta readers' in the revision process?
- They read an early draft and provide feedback from a reader's perspective before professional editing (Correct answer)
- They are paid professional editors who specialize in a specific genre
- They proofread only for grammar and spelling errors
- They compare your manuscript to published books in your genre
Correct answer: They read an early draft and provide feedback from a reader's perspective before professional editing
Beta readers are people who read an unpublished manuscript and provide feedback from a reader's perspective, helping the author identify plot holes, confusing passages, and emotional weak spots.
Question 6: What is 'self-editing' and why is it challenging?
- Revising your own work, which is difficult because familiarity blinds you to errors and weaknesses (Correct answer)
- Writing and editing simultaneously as you draft
- Editing without any outside feedback or guidance
- Correcting only spelling and grammar in your own work
Correct answer: Revising your own work, which is difficult because familiarity blinds you to errors and weaknesses
Self-editing is the process of revising your own manuscript, but it's challenging because writers tend to read what they intended rather than what they actually wrote.
Creative Writing Editing and Revision 1
What is the difference between 'editing' and 'proofreading'?