Excerpt from an interview with Lee Diogeneia. Author, MSPI Editorial Director, vampire advocate, Lee never finds any downtime. But that’s okay. You can follow her on Facebook and Twitter.
There is no ranking of “importance” for editing—only an order in which they are usually done (Substantive and/or Dev first, line editing next, then copy, and finally proof.) Your manuscript needs what it needs. Here’s how I would approach it:
If you are not a trained story-teller or writer; if you can’t explain what a plot point is or have never heard the terms character arc, story structure, theme, or internal/external conflict, hire a developmental editor first or AT LEAST. This person will get your story in order. Skipping this step and going straight to copy editing is like putting a fancy coat of paint on a car that doesn’t run. Save the copy editing for last. Dead last. Just before querying or putting your novel up on Amazon (or wherever).
