If your head is spinning when it comes to the difference between a developmental and a story edit, or you’re wondering why it’s called a light copy edit before layout and a proofread after layout… this post is for you.

Line editing is what most people think of when they think of editing—pages of writing marked up in red ink and margin notes scattered everywhere. But despite that quintessential mental image, the differences between line editing and copy editing or proofreading aren’t always straightforward. Here are answers to some of the most common questions about line editing.

The developmental edit is usually the very first type of edit you need when embarking on your revision and editing journey. It looks at the manuscript from a macro level, evaluating each of the different story or narrative elements and considering how to make the story more immersive (in fiction) or logical and engaging (in nonfiction).