May 4, 2011

Editing

I’m not a natural writer by any stretch of the imagination. I have been writing for as long as I can remember but it isn’t something that comes easy to me. I slave over each line and it’s a good day if I hit a thousand words. Spelling, grammar and punctuation have never been my friends.  After months of putting something that resembles a storyline together I have to go back over the manuscript and over it again and again…. 

After all of this I give it another read through and guess what? There are still a ton of mistakes.

I haven’t updated my blog for a while. That doesn’t mean I haven’t been working. I have been very busy writing sequels and… editing. Everything in publishing takes forever and that includes editing. I have heard it called editing hell but I can’t call it that. I’m actually one of those bizarre creatures who love the process of editing and I love working with editors. My favourite part is when the hard work is done and the novel is being polished to such a high shine that the reader will practically be able to see their own reflection when they open the pages.

Some say part of being a writer is the ability to self-edit. While this is true to an extent and we should strive to turn in the best work we can, there is no story that can't benefit from an extra pair of eyes. The best turned in manuscript can be improved on with some help and that’s what editors are there for. They make a book better. So, in the rush to get from first lines to first sale, it is a mistake to think proper editing can be disregarded or rushed without impact to the final product. 

3 comments :

  1. I'm like you. I enjoy editing. I believe that's where all the magic happens!

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  2. Grammar and punctuation kill me—commas in particular. I'm taking yet another online course to see if I can conquer my grammar demons.

    Re editing, one of my favourite quotes is, “writing is rewriting."

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  3. I agree! I am not a writer, but I read quite a bit. There are too many books out there that could have been much better if they were edited. I recently read a book where she described her main character as "the anal retentive journeyer". That is my new favorite quote in describing why one should edit.

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