Content editing is a crucial phase in the writing process. It ensures your story’s structure, characters, and themes are finely tuned for maximum impact.

What is Content Editing?

Content editing, also known as substantive or developmental editing, is a substantive review of your manuscript’s core elements. It goes beyond grammar and style, focusing on refining the plot, character development, pacing, theme consistency, and overall storytelling effectiveness. The goal is to create a polished and captivating narrative that engages readers from beginning to end.

Key Objectives of Content Editing:

Plot Evaluation

A content editor scrutinizes your plot’s structure, ensuring it has a strong beginning, middle, and end. They identify potential plot holes, inconsistencies, and pacing issues, providing suggestions to enhance the story’s flow and tension. Here are some common plot holes in romance and fantasy:

1. Lack of conflict resolution: In romance stories, when the central conflict is resolved too easily or abruptly. It can leave readers feeling unsatisfied and unengaged with the characters’ journey. A well-developed resolution should feel earned and logical.
2. Unrealistic world-building: In fantasy stories, inconsistencies or unexplained elements in the world-building can create plot holes. If the rules of the fantasy world are not clearly established and followed consistently, it can lead to confusion and weaken the story’s foundation.
3. Contradictory character behavior: When characters act out of character or make decisions that seem inconsistent with their established traits. Which creates plot holes and undermine the reader’s investment in the story.
4. Convenient solutions: In both genres, overly convenient or contrived solutions to complex problems can feel forced and take away from the story’s authenticity.
5. Time travel paradoxes: Time travel is a common element in both romance and fantasy genres, but it can lead to complicated plot holes if not handled carefully. Inconsistent time travel rules or paradoxes can disrupt the story’s logic.
6. Unresolved subplots: Failing to tie up all subplots and leaving loose ends can leave readers with lingering questions and make the story feel incomplete.
7. Lack of stakes: Without high stakes or consequences for the characters’ actions, the plot can lack tension and fail to captivate the readers.

Character Analysis

Characters are the beating heart of any story. A content editor assesses their depth, motivations, and arcs, ensuring they feel authentic and relatable. They offer guidance on refining character traits, actions, and dialogue to create well-rounded personas.

The only unforgivable flaw is the lack of believability and relatability. They are crucial factors to consider when it comes to character flaws. Readers need to connect with and believe in the characters for a story to be engaging and immersive. If a character’s flaws are too extreme or unrealistic, it can create a barrier between the reader and the story.

common character flaws

1. Stubbornness: A character who is overly stubborn and refuses to listen to reason can lead to conflicts and challenges in the plot. This flaw can create tension and obstacles in their relationships and decisions.
2. Insecurity: Characters with deep-seated insecurities can struggle with self-doubt and make decisions based on their fears, which can drive character development and growth. Lack of Confidence: Characters with low self-esteem may shy away from opportunities and growth, providing opportunities for character arcs and development.
3. Impulsiveness: Impulsive characters may act without thinking, leading to unintended consequences and driving the plot forward. Hot-tempered: A hot-tempered character may act impulsively and say things they later regret. Thus causing interpersonal conflicts and setbacks in their journey. Impatience: Impatient characters may rush into situations without thinking through the consequences, leading to mistakes and complications in the story.
4. Arrogance: Characters with a sense of superiority or arrogance can create conflicts with other characters and undergo humbling experiences.
5. Fear of intimacy: In romance stories, characters with a fear of intimacy may struggle to open up emotionally. Adding depth to the romantic relationship.
6. Trust issues: Characters with trust issues may find it difficult to form meaningful relationships, may sabotage alliances or friendships. Adding layers of complexity to their interactions.
7. Obsessiveness: Obsessive characters may focus intensely on a goal or desire, leading them to make questionable choices or sacrifices.
8. Over-protectiveness: Over-protective characters may stifle others’ growth and lead to strained relationships.
9. Vengefulness: A character driven by a desire for revenge can lead to intense conflicts and moral dilemmas.
10. Naivety: Naive characters may be easily manipulated or taken advantage of, leading to difficult lessons and character growth. And Gullibility: A gullible character may be easily deceived, leading to plot twists and unexpected consequences.

Related: Fictional Characters

1. Selfishness: A selfish character may prioritize their own desires above others, leading to conflicts and challenges in relationships and alliances.
2. Indecisiveness: Characters who struggle to make decisions can create tension and uncertainty in the story, as they grapple with important choices.
3. Perfectionism: Perfectionist characters may be overly critical of themselves and others, leading to internal struggles and strained relationships.
4. Recklessness: Reckless characters may take unnecessary risks, causing conflict and danger in the story.
5. Jealousy: Jealousy can lead to rivalry and conflicts between characters, adding emotional tension and drama to the plot.
6. Inflexibility: An inflexible character may resist change and growth, creating challenges and opportunities for character development.
7. Overambitious: Overambitious characters may prioritize their goals above all else, leading to ethical dilemmas and moral dilemmas in the story.

Theme Cohesion

Themes are the underlying messages and ideas that give your story depth and meaning. A content editor examines the thematic elements, ensuring they remain consistent and impactful throughout the narrative.

As a writer, you may encounter some common problems related to theme cohesion during content editing. Here are a few examples:

Lack of Clear Theme:

1. One of the most common problems is when the story lacks a clear and well-defined theme. If the theme is vague or unclear, it can lead to a disjointed narrative and a lack of focus in the storytelling.
2. Inconsistent Themes: Sometimes, a writer may unintentionally introduce multiple themes that are not cohesive or complementary. This can create confusion and dilute the overall message of the story. Inconsistency in theme portrayal can result in characters behaving in ways that don’t align with the underlying message, making their actions seem out of place or inauthentic.
3. Conflicting Messages: Conflicting messages can arise when certain characters or plotlines convey contradictory themes, causing a lack of harmony in the narrative.
4. Theme Abandonment: A writer may introduce a theme early on but fail to develop or address it adequately throughout the story, leading to unresolved plotlines and unsatisfying conclusions.

Theme Overload:

1. On the other hand, having too many themes can overwhelm the reader and prevent them from grasping the central message of the story.
2. Weak Integration of Themes: If themes are not seamlessly integrated into the plot, characters, and dialogue, the story may feel disjointed and lack depth.
3. Shoehorning Themes: Attempting to force themes into the story that don’t naturally fit can feel contrived and disrupt the flow of the narrative.

Lack of Emotional Resonance: When themes are not emotionally resonant or don’t connect with the reader’s experience, it can lead to a lack of engagement and impact.

Overused Clichés: Relying on clichéd themes without adding a fresh perspective or unique twist can make the story feel unoriginal and predictable.

Narrative Voice and Style

The voice and style of your writing contribute to the story’s tone and atmosphere. The editor helps you maintain a consistent narrative voice and enhances your prose to elevate the reading experience.

Inconsistency

1. Inconsistent Narrative Voice: Switching between different narrative voices (e.g., first-person, third-person) without a clear purpose can confuse readers and disrupt the flow of the story.
2. Tense Inconsistency: Inconsistent use of verb tenses (e.g., switching between past and present tense) within the same scene or paragraph can be distracting and create confusion.
3. Inconsistent Tone: Sudden shifts in the tone of the narrative can disrupt the emotional atmosphere and coherence of the story.
4. Inconsistent Stylistic Choices: Mixing different writing styles (e.g., formal and informal) within the same piece can create an inconsistent reading experience.
5. Lack of Consistency in Character Voices: Failing to maintain consistent voices for different characters can make their dialogue and interactions feel unrealistic.

Language

1. Lack of Clarity: Unclear or convoluted sentences can make it difficult for readers to follow the story and understand the intended meaning.
2. Excessive Use of Adverbs and Adjectives: Overloading sentences with adverbs and adjectives can weaken the impact of the writing and slow down the pacing.
3. Overuse of Passive Voice: Overusing passive voice can make the writing feel weak and less engaging. Active voice is generally preferred for a more dynamic narrative.
4. Wordiness and Redundancy: Using excessive words or repeating the same information in different ways can lead to bloated prose and slow down the pacing.

Voice and Style

1. Disorganized Structure: A lack of clear organization and transitions can make the story feel disjointed and difficult to follow.
2. Unsuitable Voice for the Genre: Using an inappropriate narrative voice for the genre can make the story feel out of place and fail to engage the target audience.
3. Overuse of Dialogue Tags: Overusing dialogue tags (e.g., “he said,” “she replied”) can distract from the dialogue itself and make the writing feel repetitive.
4. Lack of Variety in Sentence Structure: Using the same sentence structure throughout the story can make the writing monotonous and less engaging.

To address these narrative voice and style problems during content editing, writers should carefully review their work for consistency, clarity, and coherence. They should ensure that the narrative voice aligns with the genre and the story’s intended tone. Eliminating unnecessary wordiness, adhering to a consistent tense and style, and crafting clear and well-structured sentences will enhance the overall quality of the writing and create a more immersive reading experience for the audience.

Audience Engagement

Of course all the above mentioned problems also contribute to lack of engagement. Nonetheless, content editing considers your target audience’s expectations, ensuring your story resonates with them on an emotional level. Here are the biggest culprits of lack of engagement:

1. Slow Pacing: A story that moves too slowly can lose the reader’s interest and make it challenging to stay engaged with the narrative.
2. Lack of Tension and Conflict: Without sufficient tension and conflict, the story may feel flat and fail to keep readers invested in the outcome.
3. Predictable Plot: A plot that follows predictable or clichéd patterns can lessen the excitement and intrigue for the reader.
4. Overwhelming Info-Dumps: Excessive information or backstory delivered all at once can overwhelm readers and disrupt the flow of the story.
5. Lack of Emotional Connection: If the story fails to evoke emotion or lacks a strong emotional core, readers may feel detached from the narrative.
6. Lack of Clear Goals: If characters’ goals and motivations are unclear, readers may struggle to understand their actions and decisions.
7. Superfluous Subplots: Subplots that don’t contribute significantly to the main story can distract readers and lead to disengagement.
8. Ineffective Dialogue: Dialogue that feels unrealistic or doesn’t serve a purpose in advancing the plot or developing characters can hinder engagement. (Readers are more unforgiving with dialogue than they are with narrative but neither should feel unrelatable.)
9. Unresolved Storylines: Leaving important plotlines or character arcs unresolved can leave readers feeling unsatisfied and unfulfilled.

Practical Examples of Content Editing:

1. Plot Refinement: In a mystery novel, a content editor might identify that the resolution of the central mystery lacks impact. They may suggest restructuring the clues and red herrings to build greater suspense and deliver a more satisfying revelation.
2. Character Development: In a coming-of-age story, the protagonist’s growth may feel underexplored. The content editor may recommend adding pivotal moments of self-discovery and introspection to strengthen the character’s journey.
3. Theme Strengthening: In a dystopian novel, the themes of resistance and sacrifice may be present but not fully developed. The content editor may advise weaving these themes more deeply into the plot and character arcs to create a more thought-provoking narrative.

Essentially, content editing is a transformative stage in the writing process that elevates your story from good to exceptional. By addressing plot, character, theme, voice, and audience engagement, you can create a narrative that captivates readers and leaves a lasting impression.