How to Edit a Story by an ESL Author

Working with an ESL author can be challenging, but also very rewarding. Writers of different cultures and countries bring new perspectives and ideas to fiction--all they need is a patient editor to help them articulate their vision in English. Read on for helpful guidelines to edit a story by an ESL author, and arrive at the best possible version of that story!

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

1. Read story all the way through. It's important to know the direction the author is taking, and understand their writing style.
2. If the story is in a file, print it out. It's always easier to see errors in print than on the screen. Make sure the story is double-spaced so that you have room to make corrections. See Tips section.
3. Start with the big problems first, like plot holes and extraneous paragraphs. Make notes in the margins.
4. If you point out a problem, carefully explain your reasons. Just crossing out an entire paragraph doesn't teach the writer anything. Let them know why the material isn't needed.
5. Move on to grammar and obvious spelling errors next. This is the trickiest part with ESL writers. You want to make corrections without altering that writer's individual choice. I've worked with Asian authors who write sparingly and use unusual metaphors, and German writers that are used to composing very long-winded sentences. Work with these tendencies rather than against them. Fiction allows for more bending of the rules than a term paper, so don't feel you need to break up every single long sentence or replace their imagery with your own.
6. Explain any corrections to grammar very clearly. If the verb tense is wrong, explain what tense they did use and what the proper usage is. The more you tell them, the easier it is for them to learn to correct their own mistakes.
7. Ask questions. Often a sentence will be very confusing and you have no idea which verb or adjective the writer meant to use. Don't make a guess correction. Ask them to explain what they were going for, and if you have a few guesses, put those down just as suggestions. It can help them to articulate their intent, and understand where your confusion is, if you give them some options.
8. Read aloud. It often helps to find the problem segments in a long sentence or confusing paragraph if you read it out loud. Whenever you stumble in the reading, or lose the thread, it's a clue to what's wrong. It's a great trick that can add sudden clarity, so you understand what they meant to do and how to fix it.
9. Read through story again, mentally adding in your corrections and looking for any spots you may have missed.
10. Transfer edits to the word processing file. (Microsoft Word has a "Track Changes" format that makes edits easy for the author to work through.) Use colored text if possible to make your changes stand out.
11. Concentrate on the most critical edits for this first draft. Don't point out every single comma or grammar problem, especially if there are larger plot points to be altered that will change a lot of the text anyway. Unless the story only has a few errors, it's best to leave the fine-tuning for a later draft. It's difficult and overwhelming for an author, particularly an ESL author, to edit their story when there are more edits than their original text scattered all over the page.
12. Add overall thoughts to the end of the text. Point out some things that you liked--all authors need a positive boost, and it's important to let them know what to keep in the story. If you have any questions about the plot or suggestions for a way to further develop a character, put them here.
13. Return edit to author. Let them know you are available for further questions and discussion. An open dialogue between the author and editor is the way to get the best version of a story possible.

Tips & Warnings

• Some editors may prefer to do all their editing directly in to the word processing document. This is a fine method, but I still suggest printing out the story--either before or after your edits--to read through and catch any errors you may have missed on the screen.
• I just want to stress again not to overdo the editing, particularly when it comes to phrasing. It's important to let the writer's style come through, and to maintain that style consistently.