The Ground in the Clouds: An Introduction to Structural Editing

Video Description

Structural editing distinguishes itself by being a high-level kind of editing that might not touch the draft’s original language at all. However, that does not mean the structural editor works on groundless whim; because each structural editing choice is large in scope, so too must be its supports. The structure emerges from the details, as well as from the context of those details both within the work itself and beyond it, from the publishing industry to the broader culture that contains it and all the way back to the author’s spoken (and unspoken?) intent. Join in to learn about structural editing and how it is done. Along the way, we’ll pick up some tools to understand the structures of thought and feeling, and we’ll also explore how we can use them to deliver edits that better satisfy client and audience both. This session is intended for people who are new to structural editing, including people who are new to any editing at all, but may also hold interest for more established professionals. Presentation slides: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1QZ1w3vH1U4GdGB7gy4UVZzXMXOtz_-eH?usp=drive_link Presenter Molly Topple came from the desert, and part of her is still there. Since leaving, though, she has studied literature, literary craft, philosophy and emotion, and she earned an MA from New York University by talking in detail about how scary stories made her feel. She uses the things she learned to edit horror and sci-fi novels, and in so doing helps readers and writers alike find solace in terror. No matter how much she edits, she still gets the heebie-jeebies. horroreditor.com