CA: Three Roles · 5:18pm Feb 27th, 2016
This extension of my Cumulative Advice for New Writers Blog helps distinguish and disambiguate three frequently used terms: Pre-Reader, Proof-Reader, and Editor. The goal of which is to help identify what each term means (through reference), so that when a writer is seeking help they know exactly what kind of help they need, based on the kind of work they want help doing. Or, alternatively, the kind of help they can offer based on the skills they posses. Future blogs will delve into each individual term in more detail, but this will serve as a brief overveiw.
"The power of three will set us free!"
Whatever that may sound like to you in its original context, here it does make sense to see three individuals poring over your book/story. In this case the three, is the three roles of revision of a story. Classically these roles Pre-Reader, Proof-Reader, and Editor held distinct and disjoint duties. On FiMFiction, however, this historical context is not generally observed, so there is frequent overlap in how people approach these roles. That said, I'm going to break them down the distinct nature of these roles, before addressing how identify what needs done in order to fill these roles yourself, or find others to fill them for you.
Pre-Reader: A simulacrum of a target audience.
Like an evil-overlord's ordinary five-year old advisor, it is the role of this person to give your story the once-over and spot any obvious problems in the story's narrative structure, and point them out. A pre-reader’s principle task is to give an author some experience with an audience before their story goes live. A pre-reader’s only requirement is that they’re conscientious (thoughtful) about what they’re reading. They needn’t any technical writing experience and, for the most part, are not there to suggest changes. Though, if they have suggestions, it is worth noting them and taking them under advisement.
Proof-Readers: Idea management.
Rather than simulating an audience, a proof-reader’s task is to reverse-engineer the authorial process. The technical expertises a proof-reader provides is one of disassembling, rearranging, and coordinating ideas to ensure that the story is as engaging, and coherent as possible from start to finish. Since much of what they do is organizational, they may wish to see or help develop an outline for the story so that a natural progression can be established.
Even stories that are “written organically” that is to say, without any planning at all, still posses a central thread that binds the whole story together. A proof-reader’s task is to pick this thread out and help ensure all the other plot threads weave back to this one, in order to keep the story on track, and the pace a manageable one. How these threads interrelate usually reflects the theme, and ensuring thematic consistency is also a task of the Proof-Reader. In short Proof-Readers ensure all of the elements of storytelling are present and utilized in a reasonable way.
Editors: Raw technical power.
By the time you get to an editor your story should have already been pre-read and proof-read to the point where only the specific details remain. Neither a pre-reader, or a proof-reader, should be burdened with the task of editing, because those roles are recommending changes that may waste an editor’s time. It is the task of the editor not to recommend narrative, or structural changes, but technical ones in the form of prose. A good editor will command a very a technical mastery of the language the story is written in (here, nearly all stories are in English).
Editors use both the definitions of words to help ensure what the author has said, is what they meant to convey, as well as a fundamental understanding of grammar to ensure that the statement was said in the way the author had intended. What exactly is being said, and why, generally are not concerns of the editor as they speak to the nature of the story’s concept, narrative, or theme.
Finally, for tips on how to fulfill each role, how to identify which aspect of your story needs which kind of help/work, and which role to recruit (as well as how to do so) see their individual posts (not yet published).
Blog saved in my pearltrees.
3782470 Cool, thanks! :P I hope you find the whole series to your liking. Everything tagged as CA is a sub-topic of my Cumulative Advice blog.