SUBSTANTIVE/STRUCTURAL EDITING
A substantive edit is appropriate when you are still outlining or have completed your first draft. This level of editing considers the piece’s overall organization, structure, and content and asks the crucial question: does it work? Will your writing reach and resonate with your intended audience? For example, in the case of academic nonfiction this means weighing your argument, scrutinizing the evidence, and evaluating your conclusion. In the case of creative fiction, a substantive edit will study the flow of the plot, characterization, and the development of authorial voice (a detective story requires a different voice than YA). At this stage, sections may be moved or cut out all together; large-scale rewrites are common.