Editing
I am not Auguste Rodin … really, it’s true. But, in principle, helping any writer clear away what is unnecessary or distracting; helping any writer get their message across clearly is walking quietly within the gesture in Rodin’s words and helping to find the sculpture inside the stone.
Practically speaking, there are roughly three levels of editing which have go by several names: structural or developmental editing, copy editing (which can be heavy, or medium, or light), and proofreading. Think of these types of editing as a continuum spanning deep, broad, document-long strokes to paragraphs to sentences to punctuation. There is often some overlap.
Developmental editing typically involves assessing the overall logic, structure, voice, consistency, character development and continuity (in fiction). It can be an especially intimate, collaborative process; it often comes first, and can involve significant rewriting.
Copy editing is more granular, more on a paragraph by paragraph level, assessing clarity, sentence and paragraph style, adherence to a style sheet, consistency, grammar, citation style.
Proofreading, is more granular still and tends to be less involved with meaning and more with spelling and specifics of grammar—like consistent use of a series comma, or an em dash.
I've served as a developmental editor for a memoir and for course material. I’ve copy edited academic texts, engineering standards, executive summaries, short fiction, business documentation, dissertations; using AP, APA, and CMS style for British, Canadian, and American publications; by native and non-native English writers. Editing is always challenging; it's always a privilege.
I am happy to provide a short sample edit, but here's a taste of what I do:
Academic Work
Query for the author: This confused me a little. Did Arland Decarle Le Flix publish a four-volume cartulaire between 1844 and 1886 that included nearly 5000 charters? If so, would it be alright to slightly reword as "For the Jesuits, Arland Decarle Le Flix published a four-volume cartulaire between 1844 and 1886 that includes nearly 5000 charters."
Business
"You may want to double check EPUD’s strategic plan to ensure you are accurately reflecting the value they see in EVs. As I read your text, EPUD views EVs as a means of adding revenue through electrical use during low peak hours. As I read EPUD’s strategic plan, they see EVs as decreasing energy costs by allowing EPUD to minimize their own need to purchase expensive power during peak load times."
English Language Learners (college level)
You’d written: "My strengths is plan and write clearly direct to the point. It’s best to stay clear on what the idea is and not to be confused with things that may not be relevant."
Since 'strengths' is plural, you need to use the plural form of the verb 'to be.' Strengths are, strength is. Take a look at this link: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/599/01/
Scientific Work (by a non-native English writer)
Original: The results in Figure S5 showed a very low rate constant (0.0053 min-1) for the sample without the H2O2 addition compared to that with H2O2 addition (1.4 min-1), and therefore meaning that direct photolysis contributed less than 0.4% of the NO2- oxidation in the presence of H2O2; and therefore it was negligible within the time scale of this study.he results
Edited: The results in Figure S5 showed a very low rate constant (0.0053 min-1) for the sample without the addition of H2O2 compared to the sample with the H2O2 addition (1.4 min-1). Therefore the direct photolysis contributed less than 0.4% of the NO2-oxidation in the presence of H2O2; direct photolysis was negligible within the time scale of this study.
Fiction
"You use dialogue well and frequently to further plot; elaborate on context, character, relationships; to separate internal from external. And you seem to like a naturalistic style. I would recommend, when you're free, jot down overheard conversation to improve your ear for how people talk." (to a student writer) "Do you want the marquee to both foretell and shout? Okay if you do, but wanted to check." (freelance fiction writer)