"The Artful Edit: A Book Every Editor Needs"

Susan Bell constructed a beautiful book about the means of editing. The main idea behind the book had one thing in mind: there’s more to editing than an edit. The book describes only two ways of editing but after flipping through the document again, I came to realize there’s actually three: the edit, the macro-edit, and the micro-edit.

The first set of editing is understanding what’s being presented. As described to a classmate, the first round of editing is like watching a movie: gaining a perspective. No pens are needed for this round because the best form of editing is being able to soak up the words on the page. When seeing a movie for the first time, there’s no reason to critic it until the very end when a first impression is delivered. From there, Bell rolls into the second round of editing: Macro-edits.

The macro-edits are a part of the big picture. I personally enjoyed how Bell utilized examples of the Great Gatsby to conduct the macro- and micro-edits in order to give the reader a better view and a better history behind the story. The idea behind macro-editing is like seeing a movie for the second time and catching a foreshadow or a reoccurring theme. It’s analyzing the story for the character (palpability, credibility, motive) and the structure. The second round of editing gives the reader an extra sense by looking at the bigger picture; wearing a different pair of eyes, as some would say. Then, after completing the edits of the bigger picture, it’s easier to sink down to the small details that usually go amiss: the micro-edits.

Remember what’s it’s like to watch a movie and from one scene to the next, easily spotting the little changes or disruption to continuity? Or maybe ever picking up a very small detail that meant a lot to the storyline? That’s exactly what micro-editing forces the editor to focus on. Most readers and editors quickly jump to this step; completely missing out on the macro-edits and perspective. Micro-edits look into the beginning, ending, and the transitions in-between. The clarity, authenticity, and language that’s written in the finer details.

Bell encourages the act of editing and provides useful tips and practice near the end of every chapter. She also includes methods to help along with the editing process. It’s not a typical textbook but it doesn’t catch ones’ eye from the beginning either. Instead, it provides a reality check between the overzealous editors and the flimsy editors by creating a more structured editing process. After reading this book, I’ve found my own flaws in editing and will be sure to edit a more proper way in the future.