How Do You Preserve An Author's Voice When Making Edits?
Editing can be a delicate dance between refining a manuscript and maintaining the unique voice of the author. We reached out to editors and writing professionals for their strategies on this intricate task. From understanding and communicating the author's style to immersing in their work for authentic edits, discover the seven methods these experts employ to preserve an author's voice during substantial edits.
- Understand and Communicate Author's Style
- Encourage Revisions in Author's Voice
- Utilize Recordings to Capture Voice
- Provide Guidelines and Request Author Revisions
- Deep Listening to Respect Author's Style
- Focus on Substance to Preserve Voice
- Immerse in Author's Work for Authentic Edits
Understand and Communicate Author's Style
Preserving an author's voice while making substantial edits involves a few key strategies. First, deeply understand the author's unique style by thoroughly reading their manuscript and other works. Maintain open communication throughout the process, using tools like 'Track Changes' to show and explain edits. Focus on necessary changes that enhance readability without altering the original tone. Ensure consistency by checking for shifts in voice, and encourage author feedback after initial edits to refine the manuscript while staying true to their vision. These strategies help improve the manuscript without compromising the author's voice.
Encourage Revisions in Author's Voice
I have a three-step editing process. I proofread to ensure there aren't any grammar or syntax errors. I look for developmental issues to make sure the story is clear and detailed. I also comment on organization and flow. However, I don't micromanage sentences, and I encourage writers to revise in their own voice.
Utilize Recordings to Capture Voice
It's an obvious trick, but when I am editing or ghostwriting for someone else, I imagine their voice saying what I am typing. It helps if I have gotten to know the person a bit, even with a quick half-hour kickoff call. That said, I often work with busy tech leaders who sometimes don't have time for that call, in which case, a recorded interview or existing video can really help. In fact, I prefer working from recordings versus transcripts for this very reason. If I can't hear the person in my head, I cannot do as good a job making it 'sound like them.'
Provide Guidelines and Request Author Revisions
Before the author submits, I send detailed writers' guidelines and a sample copy. This eliminates the need for substantial edits in most cases. However, when I receive a submission that needs substantial edits, I usually return it to the writer with detailed instructions. If I still need to make edits, I start by doing a quick read-through and then edit the submission for basic grammar first. That usually corrects much of the piece without changing the author's voice. Next, I go back through the article, and if I still need to make edits, I can often rearrange entire sentences to create a better flow, which helps preserve the writer's voice and tone. If there are sections I can't make work, I'll email that part to the writer, explain why it isn't working for me, and ask her to rework the paragraph(s).
Deep Listening to Respect Author's Style
Preserving an author's voice during substantial edits starts with deep listening and respecting their unique style. Engage in conversations with the author to understand their personality and tone. Review their past writings to familiarize yourself with their natural flow and distinctive phrases. When editing, focus on enhancing clarity without disrupting the author's original voice. Keep key phrases intact and ensure that changes align with the narrative's natural rhythm and tone. This approach maintains authenticity while improving the document.
Focus on Substance to Preserve Voice
When editing an author's work, it's important to preserve their unique voice and style while still making necessary improvements. One tip is to focus on substance over style when editing. Ask yourself: Does this convey the key information the author wants to communicate in a clear manner? If so, resist the urge to change phrasing just for the sake of changing it, even if you might have phrased it differently. Try to identify major issues like clarity, flow, and structure, and focus your edits within those constraints while leaving the author's word choice, phrasing, and tone intact as much as possible. Edit for the core message to come through rather than rewriting in your own voice. With substantial edits, run the changes by the author and explain your reasoning to make sure you preserved and enhanced their voice rather than replaced it. Communication and alignment on objectives are key to ethical editing.
Immerse in Author's Work for Authentic Edits
Preserving an author's voice while making edits is equal parts art and science. As a ghostwriter working with folks across a wide spectrum—my clients run the gamut from Gen Z to Boomer, from a wide range of cultures including Punjabi, British, and Mexican-American—I spend a fair amount of time immersing myself in their work.
My "discovery" process includes reading their works aloud (including texts beyond the immediate assignment) and conducting Zoom chats to capture the nuances of their speech and to get a sense of their personalities.
Then, when it comes to editing, I tend to rely on Strunk and White's "The Elements of Style" to refine the language without stripping away too much of their personality, ensuring that the prose remains clear and accessible to a wide audience while maintaining the author's original tone and intent.
