Even though we may use the words Editing and Revising interchangeably, we need to remember that they have vastly different functions. 

Yes, they both mean “to change” at their core, but the difference lies in HOW you make those changes. 
Let’s have a look. 

Editing

When you edit your work, you focus on the little details like grammar, punctuation, typos, sentence length, word choice, etc.

Editing looks at the document, not the story, and makes it as presentable and publication-ready as possible by fixing technical mistakes. It also offers insight to the author and helps them find their writing weaknesses with comments and suggestions. 

It’s a service anyone can perform, but it takes skill and knowledge to edit a rough draft into a readable masterpiece. 

Revising

On the other hand, revising your work means looking at it from a completely different angle. It’s changing the storyline, upgrading characters, rewriting or deleting scenes, and modifying the details. 

To revise a story, you have to ask questions about the plot, explore other characters and POVs, and find the best way to deliver your message to the world. 

For example, ask yourself:

• Does this scene still fit the narrative? 
• How many dragons are too many?
• Does the story sound better when told by a side character? 
• Should I change that character’s profession?
• Does it need all the romance?

Questions like these can help you revise your story until it’s the tale of your dreams. 

Final thoughts

Editing and revising may seem the same on the surface, but they serve two different purposes within the writing world. Editing will change and modify the technical parts of your story while Revising will change the story itself. 

Revising is arguably the harder of the two because it has to be done by the author. You can get ideas and suggestions from an editor, but the author has the final say in any fundamental changes. 

It’s also easy to get lost in the revisions and lose sight of the original idea, so make sure you don’t need editing before you pull out the big guns. 

Do you prefer editing or revising? Let me know in the comments!