Table of Contents when book est. 8% done

I put material in [brackets] when I know I'm not entirely happy with it and I want to be sure to spend some time with it later.

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Table of Contents   

[Part One: Captivated by the Gospel]

1. Imago Dei
2. [Seeing the gospel clearly]
3. [Justification: The Curse is Canceled]
4. The Bondage is Broken
5. The Cure Has Begun

[Part Two: Holiness, the Goal of the Gospel]

6. Beautiful Holiness
7. Killing Sin
8. Growing in Grace
9. Captivated by Beauty

[Part Three: Tools of Transformation]

10. Training in the Spirit
11. The Refiner’s Fire
12. Life Together

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My mandate from Shepherd Press

My mandate from Shepherd Press on this project is essentially as follows. I am to:

1) involve the author and elicit input from him, to whatever extent and in whatever manner fits the circumstances, makes him happy, and serves the book;
2) and perform hands-on editing myself;
3) in order to produce a manuscript ready for a final copyedit and proofing prior to typeset.

I plan to do this by a combination of Directed Rewrite, Line Edit, and Substantive Edit work, all three of which I discuss in greater detail at my personal website. When I returned chapter 1 to Brian with suggestions, I was initiating a directed rewrite of that portion of the book.

Brian is looking forward to making the time to work on those suggestions. (He is, after all, a husband, father, and full-time pastor). In the meantime, I am making edits to subsequent chapters and hope to send him back two sample chapters of my edits within the next few days.

So for me, the work has now begun in earnest.

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What does it mean that Christ has returned to us our humanity?

This blog is primarily about editing a book. From time to time, however, I know I'm going to be compelled to post excerpts from the manuscript that I find illuminating or helpful. I will try to remember to label them so they can be readily distinguished from the posts that are purely editorial in nature. Here is the first such inspirational entry, a partially edited and excerpted section from chapter two. Brian Hedges comes up with some great material. The purpose of this excerpt is not to encourage humanity to be self-congratulatory, self-exalting, or triumphalist, but to marvel at the graciousness and comprehensiveness of Christ's gift to us.

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The practical challenges of displaying before-and-after edits

I want to try to show some initial edits I did recently on chapter 2. Here are two versions of the first three paragraphs of the chapter. First is the original text, followed by my partial edit.

ORIGINAL TEXT
Some of my favorite stories are about characters who find themselves transported from this world to another through a magical object. Lucy walks through the wardrobe into Narnia. Milo enters The Lands Beyond through a tollbooth. Alice pushes her way through the bright silvery mist of a mirror into Looking Glass Room. Neo leaves the Matrix by taking the red pill and going down the rabbit hole. In each adventure, the protagonist discovers in a seemingly ordinary object a portal into a new world.

As we saw in chapter one, we are transformed as we gaze upon the glory of God revealed in Jesus Christ in the gospel. Like Lucy’s wardrobe or Alice’s mirror, the gospel is a portal into the new world of life in the Spirit. When we gaze upon and enter God’s new world through the gospel, we are changed.

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. (2 Cor. 3:18)

PARTIAL EDIT

Some of my favorite stories are about characters who find themselves transported into an extraordinary world through something which at first appears perfectly commonplace. Lucy walks through a neglected old wardrobe into Narnia. Milo enters The Lands Beyond through a tollbooth. Alice pushes her way through a mirror into Looking Glass Room. Neo leaves the Matrix by taking the red pill. In each adventure, something ordinary becomes a portal into a new world.

As we saw in chapter one, the most astonishing and transformative portal of all is the gospel. By what at first seem to be mere words, we encounter a truth that can change us forever. Gazing upon the glory of God revealed in Jesus Christ through this gospel, a power takes hold that is far beyond the mechanism of the words themselves. That power is the Spirit of God.

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. (2 Cor. 3:18)

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Click on this link for an image showing a side-by-side view of the before-and-after edits of the full seven-paragraph excerpt. The link takes you to a Picasa page. If you have a fairly large monitor, try clicking on the full-screen icon; it may give you a clearer view.

If anyone has suggestions for a better way to present the side-by-side comparisons please email me (kevinmeath on Google's email service) or comment. Thanks.

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Wondering about converting part of Chapter 1 into an introduction

In looking over the first chapter it seemed that the draft was trying both to introduce the book and begin the teaching process. Sometimes this works fine, but I think this book needs to be unusually intentional about distinguishing and defining itself in the mind of the prospective reader.

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The Original Table of Contents

I am an editor who firmly believes in the big picture. As a result, it is not usual for the Table of Contents to undergo fairly significant change. For the record, here is the TOC as it appeared in the original submitted manuscript.

Christ Formed in You: How the Gospel Restores God’s Image within Us

Table of Contents   

1. Imago Dei
2. Through the Looking Glass
3. The Curse is Canceled
4. The Bondage is Broken
5. The Cure Has Begun
6. Beautiful Holiness
7. Killing Sin
8. Growing in Grace
9. Captivated by Beauty
10. Training in the Spirit
11. The Refiner’s Fire
12. Life Together

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Time to launch

A lot of water has gone under the bridge in the past nine months. After consulting with Brian and with Shepherd Press over the past couple of weeks, we decided to go ahead and give this blog a try. Let me give a very brief overview of what has taken place since last November.

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