When in the editing process should I edit characters and their arcs?

Question

When in the self-editing stages should I edit my characters? I have researched a bit on this but I haven't found any time to do that. I have mostly found how to do that, rather than when to in the editing process. I am in between deciding whether to edit characters before my structural edit, or after my structural edit and before my line-edit. Any advice?

Answer 1

Editing character could be considered a part of the structural edit. Not before the structural edit, or after it, but during it.
According to this link a structural edit focuses on literary devices such as:

Character Development/Characterisation: Are the characters authentic? Do they have realistic motivations and relationships with one another?

Which would seem to suggest, as I said, that editing your characters is **part** of the structural edit.
However, in your case, (correct me if I'm wrong on this) your editing seems to be a bit more fundamental. Maybe you want to flesh out your characters' likes and dislikes, tweak their personality, or changing their history to better fit the story. In a way that might not even relate to their character arc.
Enter **Developmental Editing** While I've seen structural and developmental editing grouped together at times, [this site][2] breaks them into two separate stages. And, it puts developmental editing **before** the structural editing. According to the site:

Developmental editing checks concept, plot coherence, and character development/arc.

Going with that, if the character editing you're looking for has to do with further developing your characters, the time to do this might be before structural editing.
I'd suggest you think what makes most sense to edit first. If editing your characters will likely cause major (or minor) structural changes, then edit your characters first. If, however, your structural edit might decide what you need to edit about your characters, do that first.
In any case, editing your characters will likely lead to another structural edit if you want to fully flesh out the connection between your characters and the story. So, if you're not sure where to start, I suggest you start with editing your characters.
Good luck!