Structural Editing
Raya assessed and shaped the initial material to improve its organization and content. She suggested changes to the writer and verified that the changes improve the logic and flow of the novel. Structural editing included:
- revising, reordering, cutting, or expanding material
- determining whether permissions are necessary for third-party material
- clarifying plot, characterization, or thematic elements
Stylistic and Copy Editing
Raya edited the manuscript to clarify the meaning, ensure coherence and flow, and refine the language, including:
- eliminating jargon, clichés, repetitions and euphemisms
- establishing or maintaining the language level appropriate for the intended audience, medium, and purpose
- adjusting the length and structure of sentences and paragraphs
- establishing or maintaining tone, mood, style, and authorial voice or level of formality
Raya edited the novel for correctness, accuracy, consistency and completeness, including:
- editing for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and usage
- checking for consistency and continuity of mechanics and facts, including anachronisms, character names, and relationships
- developing a style sheet or following one that is provided
- correcting or querying general information that should be checked for accuracy
- Americanizing the language
- converting measurements
Synopsis
The novel is set in Colombia, a country traumatized by a war between the government, paramilitary forces and the FARC. The author exposes these opposing factions with flashes of realism so violent that, at times, it reads like a journalistic chronicle. Then we are taken to Canada where—we see a society ruled by law and order as a reality and a metaphor, as a counterpoint to a Colombia full of violence, corruption and abuse of power.