By: Ruth Harris
As a former editor,
I’m biased but, as a writer, I’ve learned that for me (and for just about every
writer I know), editing is the most productive and transformative part of
writing a book. Whether you hire a pro, rely on a crit partner, or DIY with or
without input from beta readers, editing can take longer than writing and can
turn an OMG-did-I-write-that? draft into a book you can be proud
of.
Or not.
More on the
downside later, but to begin on the bright side: If you are a beginning writer
your editors are your teachers and mentors and will rescue you from the sh*tty
first draft. If you’re an experienced writer, your editor can be the invaluable
second pair of eyes.
9 ways your
editor can help.
- Editing is your opportunity to figure out what you really mean to say and how best to say it.
- Editing will save you from yourself and your worst tendencies.
- Editing gives you the chance to come up with the killer line of dialogue, the mot juste, the cliffhanger that keeps the pages turning.
- Editing is the stage at which you cut the bloat or expand and amplify when you’ve gone too bare bones.
- Editing can shore up a blah plot, identify, fill and fix plot holes, and turn wooden characters into living, breathing, believable people.
- Editing gives you a chance to pick up the pace when the story lags and slow it down when you need to give the reader a chance to breathe.
. . .
To read the rest of the post, click here:
~*~
If you missed my
latest writing and marketing tweets, here they are again:
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- How to Launch a Book on Facebook | Self-Publishing Author Advice from The Alliance of Independent Authors http://ow.ly/AkdH300KUp0
- Editing and Editors: A Writer's Guide - Anne R. Allen's Blog... with Ruth Harris http://ow.ly/FxVA300KR0G
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