WRITING ... Edit Your Own Writing

THEN HIRE A PROFESSIONAL FOR THE REAL EDIT

MONDAY

Editing is one of the crucial aspects of WRITING. When you first start writing you want to edit, rewrite, edit, rewrite … set it down, walk away for a few hours or days … then come back and write some more. The time away gives you fresh perspective when you return and reread. You almost always find something you left out, something you need to change or something that sounds completely out of context.

If you are still trying to decide how to write you can refer back to this previous article Writing (Or Creating) Your Book for 5 ways most people write. Maybe one of them will work for you.

Now, let’s get back to editing. Writers and authors who want to have a professional career or WRITING business know that they need a professional Editor.

I DO NOT EDIT MY OWN MANUSCRIPTS and I have almost 50 years working in the book business. I learned my editing skills during 3 years on the college newspaper: first as a feature editor, then as an associate editor, and last as a copy editor. I honed those skills over 33 years writing my own books and 13 years helping publish over 100 books for other authors. So believe me when I say you don’t want to be the ONLY Editor that looks at your manuscript.

In PUBLISHING today, you can learn everything there is to know about the business for free with enough time and energy. However, I ALWAYS recommend YOU PAY FOR two things: EDITING and COVER DESIGN (I will address this more on Wednesday during my PUBLISHING article).

So how do you find a good EDITOR?

Ask other authors the name of their editor or editors (some will have more than one). Do a LinkedIn or Google Search for Editors in your genre. You may not want a non-fiction editor for your fiction book and vice-versa. It is a different kind of writing so you want someone who has experience EDITING books similar or at least structurally the same as what you are writing. You also can check for a Writers Guide to Editors at your local library, bookstore, or online retailer.

Some EDITORS are developmental editors, others are copy editors, and others are proofreaders, or line editors. If you need help crafting your story, developing your characters or transitioning from one situation or chapter to another then you need a developmental editor. Copy editors are concerned with syntax, word choice, tone and more. Everyone needs their manuscript checked for grammatical errors, someone who proofreads or checks line by line.

The reason I DO NOT EDIT my own work is … I read it right! I know what it is suppose to say and my mind tricks me by telling me it is correct … when in fact it is NOT. There are a few obvious things I know to look for like –– words ending in tion … I almost always type iton –– position, communication, adoption, etc. Or, there and their … 90 percent of the time I type there when it should be their.

So now you know … always budget and pay for a GOOD EDITOR. If you need a good editor then post in the comments below “I need a good editor” and I will send you a couple of names. I also will be interviewing a couple of Editors in future posts, so you might want to shift to a paid subscription to get those bonus interviews

Cheers to your writing (and editing) success, Liz