A distraught author once came to me tail between her legs admitting she’d used AI to edit her novel. What came back at her was robotic content that a random person would write. Her creativity and style had been lost. I am noticing a turning point in writers’ and publishers’ attitudes to using an AI tool to edit or proofread.
The problem with AI editing
There is a growing trend for authors of note, who have a loyal and passionate following of readers, to no longer use an AI generator to edit their writing. These authors are determined to maintain the value of high-quality human writing by choosing the right human editor to provide an objective critique of their writing project. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has no understanding of an author’s unique creativity. The mountain of data AI can access to correct or edit what the author has written is based on regurgitating what others have written.
Thankfully, the intrinsic value of human editors is starting to dawn on book publishers and corporations that have sought to cut costs by using AI. It’s my belief, maybe more hope, that astute readers will gradually identify automated gibberish and recognise quality human writing that hasn’t been edited by a robot. AI editing cannot draw on the intricacies of human experience. This means there is the potential for misinterpretation of the content, especially if the themes/subject matter are sensitive or controversial.
Handing your writing project to a human editor
Self-editing one’s own writing is an important step in the writing process, but it’s hard to be objective. There comes a time when engaging a professional editor pays dividends. A reputable editor not only has knowledge of the complexity of grammar ‘rules’, but seeks to understand and maintain an author’s unique creativity and style. This article attempts to explain the advantages of engaging a human editor.
Two main editing processes
Structural (developmental or substantive) editing involves an in-depth critique of the flow/structure of the content. I often suggest re-arranging the content, especially if it is obvious that a more powerful introduction is buried a few pages down that would give the opening paragraph more ‘punch’. There may be a need to remove jargon. Verbose sentences dilute the effectiveness of an argument in academic writing or the momentum that is building in a fictional plot. Sometimes it is apparent that an entire section of writing should be reduced or even removed if there is repetition of content. Not all manuscripts/documents require a structural edit to reach a publishable standard. Established authors will most often submit written work that ‘only’ requires copy-editing.
Copy or line editing involves close scrutiny of the text, line by line: correcting any misuse of language, grammar and punctuation; checking spelling; making sure every sentence makes sense and whether long sentences can be broken up into shorter sentences to improve clarity in non-fiction or build tension in a critical fictional scene; and ensuring consistency of design, formatting and references (if any).
What a human editor does well
Editors of the human kind are often brutal with their suggestions. If fiction, I may suggest removing a character who goes nowhere. Sometimes an irrelevant paragraph could be cut or a descriptive passage reduced. A commmon problem is the overuse of adjectives (can three adjectives describing one noun be replaced by just one powerful adjective?) and adverbs. And I frequently suggest rethinking those lazy qualifiers such as ‘rather’, ‘very’, ‘little’, ‘pretty’. Here are a few things that editors face each day:
Inconsistency or an absence of a stylistic conventions within a manuscript. I often set up a style guide with the author’s input; for example, some authors mix US and UK English (harbor/harbour), or one chapter heading capitalises all the words and another doesn’t, or the spelling of a word in the first half of the narrative is spelt differently in the second half (no one/no-one; alright/all right).
Punctuation can be a bone of contention between author and editor. For example, I have an uneasy relationship with semi-colons in fiction writing; I particularly can’t see their purpose in dialogue. Single quotation marks encasing dialogue are more common these days, but many authors prefer double. Some authors overuse commas, others have an aversion to them. This can be sorted out and the author’s preferences entered into the customised style guide.
To capitalise a word or not. Authors tend to over-capitalise words; for example, the Government of France should be the government of France or the French government. Publishers have their own rules (style guide) when it comes to many aspects of writing, including capitalisation of words.
Maybe a manuscript assessment would be beneficial before editing
Publishers and literary agents often read a submitted manuscript and identify its potential, but feedback will be something like: promising but needs professional assessment. At this point, after spending thousands of hours on a writing project, a writer can, understandably, feel a little despondent and deflated. Sometimes, after an initial discussion with a writer of fiction who is looking for an editor, I suggest a manuscript assessment before editing. A manuscript assessment provides a full briefing of the strengths and weaknesses of the writing. I may suggest ways to improve the content, pace, point of view or character development.
Experienced editors take time to identify the essence of a manuscript, to understand the originality in the writing, and then edit to draw out that uniqueness. In general, AI editing produces grammatical and soporifically perfect prose, often sending the reader to sleep …
My personal experience as a book editor has been rewarding, mainly due to my preparedness to develop an in-depth understanding of each writing project that comes my way, which is reassuring for the writer. Here is some feedback from an author whose short story I edited.
Thank you once again, Denise.
I deeply appreciate your assistance, especially considering the deadlines you had to meet. Your ability to perceive the broader scope and identify potential for further development in my initial draft was invaluable. It allowed me to enrich my story, adding layers of depth and meaning. Your edits in the second draft were seamless, expertly meeting the word count limit without compromising the overall narrative. (Cigdem Serce, October, 2023)
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And last … a nugget of wisdom
Why isn’t the manuscript ready? Because every book is more work than anyone intended. If authors and editors knew, or acknowledged, how much work was ahead, fewer contracts would be signed. Each book, before the contract, is beautiful to contemplate. By the middle of the writing, the book has become, for the author, a hate object. For the editor, in the middle of editing, it has become a two-ton concrete necklace. However, both author and editor will recover the gleam in their eyes when the work is completed, and see the book as the masterwork it really is.
― Samuel S. Vaughan (editor and publisher, 1929–2012)
For more information, please visit my Editing & Proofreading page.
If you are ready to have your writing edited, or you would like an assessment of your writing, whether it is a complete manuscript or a work-in-progress, then please email me on denise@denisemtaylor.com.au or via my contact page with a brief overview of your needs.
My editing is based on the Australian Style Manual (ASM) unless an author has been commissioned to write a book using the publishing house style guide. In particular, editing academic writing requires the editor to adhere to the preferred style and referencing of the university department or publisher.
