Any good advice on editing, when the document needs serious work?

I'm editing a travel journal written by a (now deceased) middle aged woman, as a paid favour to some of her friends. While it's essentially interesting, it rambles at times and a lot of it is tangential.





I'm just wondering if anyone has any advice, however random, about editing things like these such as:





*How to make it interesting without altering it,


*How to conform to language and order norms without ruining the original author's style,


*Ways to convert from disjointed journal to travel narrative without changing the original intent.





I realise this is somewhat vague, but any advice would be appreciated!Any good advice on editing, when the document needs serious work?
Hello Sam,





My first action would be to get in contact with the deceased author's friends and try and come to some sort of agreement on the level of editing they want done (if you haven't already done so).





Things that could be discussed:





*How much of the original content do they want left untouched? Eg, all, some, approval on a case-by-case basis?


*Who does the rewriting of passages, if any?


*What aspects of the travel journal would they be willing to let go in order to tighten the narrative?


*What are the most important parts of the travel journal that they would like to see emphasised?


*Who has the final say on any proposed changes, rewrites or amendments?





If you can, try and get these agreements down in writing rather than rely on a verbal. When dealing with just one person it is probably not so much of an issue but if everyone wants to put their two cents in you may have a hard time. Email is fantastic for this sort of thing.





Now as for actually performing the editing work, I would suggest you go for a structural edit first. Read the material over several times, put it aside to rest and then let it all just simmer away until the important parts remain with you. That's what you want to focus on and emphasise. From there, anything that isn't tied to those core elements can probably go, slashed back or moved so that they serve as anecdotes or background filler to other events.





You mentioned the meals and recipes featured heavily and seemed to be quite important to the author and her friends. Perhaps focus the journal as a gastronomic adventure?





Recipes could be set separately as interest items, say in their own boxes apart from the main text in the same way photographs sometimes do. In fact, it may not hurt to source some real foodie type photographs of ingredients that are a big part of the dish the woman wrote the recipe for. She may not have taken the photograph but it gives a visual prop to glorify the passion she had for food. Look at the style of photography used in gourmet magazines and cookbooks of well reputed chefs or restaurants, once you get an eye for the style it can easily be reproduced with nothing but a trusty digital camera and a bit of time and creativity. Saves on hiring a professional photographer, if nothing else. Perhaps the deceased author's friends may want to try their hand at the photography side of it, or, if one of them is creative they may want to try their hand at a little artwork.








Once you have identified the aspects of the travel journal you want to keep, then your job of tightening it up is much easier. Opt for the classic ';omit needless words'; philosophy and look at paragraphs and sentences with that same attitude.





I do notice you are concerned about your editing altering or affecting the author's voice/style. You can get around this by avoiding rewriting passages (this should be avoided unless the situation is that dire!), instead utilising the cut and paste method. Probably easier said than done if the material is not in electronic format! But get what I mean? You are still working with her words, just shifting parts around to make them flow better.





Language and order norms are only an issue if you are working with two different forms of English. For example, if the author wrote in Australian English but the publisher wants it in American English, then there are only going to be subtle changes in the actual written narrative but huge changes in measurements she used in her recipes. Personally, only worry about this if it is going to be self-published. If the journal is going to be sent to a publisher after you've done your magic, then the publishing firm will have their own editing team go to work on it anyway to bring it into line with their House Style.





I hope this has helped and I wish you all the best in your labours.





Mara





P.S. Feel free to email me if you get stuck on anything! mara_falconess@yahoo.comAny good advice on editing, when the document needs serious work?
Quite a difficult one this. I think it depends on what sort of a rapport you have with the friends of the deceased, as I think it sounds like you will need to be brutally with the editing process. If you know them quite well then it shouldn't be too difficult to point out their friend's shortcomings. On the other hand if it is being edited for their viewing only as opposed to a more general readership, I wouldn't worry too much, after all they will know what she was like anyway. In essence I think it depends on them moire than you. I hope this helps