A good editor is primed to address big picture concerns of a project from a privileged position outside the project. This can be particularly valuable with regards to structuring a creative piece of work. One of the most important facets of a creative project is knowing where the narrative should begin. Where a writer makes that incision will echo throughout the rest of the project. Jean-Luc Godard famously alludes to great works which have a beginning, middle, and an end: just not necessarily in that order. Will your project start in the thick of things, in media res? Or will it benefit from a prologue, or introduction, in which the project's aims are outlined in a more systematic way. While the writer will invariably have strong opinions over the shape of their project, it can be difficult to make these big decisions when their perspective is so close to the project at hand. In such cases an editor can make the effort to intervene in a productive way, pointing to more dynamic openings that allow for writing that grabs the attention and complements the entire book.