Writers, be Kind to your Editor
Writing is more than just putting words on paper ...
As a reader, when I pick up a book and open it to the first page, I’m ready, willing, and able to get lost in a well-told story within the first five pages.
As a freelance editor, I want to make that possible for a reader, so I concentrate on what I think is most important: grammar, sentence structure, paragraph division, and character development, so we end up with a client’s well told story.
I start with a raw manuscript from a writer who wants to send it out to publishers, or in some cases self-publish, and working with all of the above in equal parts, I polish it until it shines.
Robert, my partner, calls me his little ‘Grammar Nazi’. Maybe I am, maybe not, but I do know how to edit a manuscript for a client.
There have been instances where no amount of polishing could, or ever will, make a well told story. It doesn’t happen often, but in those few cases, I can’t make myself edit the darn thing.
That being said, punctuation and sentence structure can be fixed, but when the writing stinks, this quote comes to mind,
“You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.”
When I have to plod through unruly towers of paragraphs with poor grammar and sentence structure, or God forbid, no punctuation at all to guide me, I can’t do anything but put the manuscript back in the mail to the client. (That was a run-on sentence. No fun, is it?)
In that case, I tell the writer it needs more work when I hand it back. I think that’s fair. He would only be wasting good money to have me edit what he gave me —I’m not against hard work, but I’m sure not going to rewrite his book for him ...
… unless he wants to re-hire me as a Ghost Writer. We can talk about that, too.
It could be a wonderful story. It could have the best plot with the most true-to-life characters. But, if I can’t FIND the story, it’s a waste of my time and the client’s money. I have other manuscripts waiting.
I want to edit so readers will read, not suffer …
Poet/Writer/Author of 5 books.
Quora Top Writer 2018.
CJ’s World is reader supported.
If you enjoy reading my work, please,
be a paid subscriber so I can continue
writing. Thank you!
Dare to write without any fear, dream to edit without any mercy is the writer's right and people will acknowledge without any doubt when we write it confidently without any spec of doubt. Doubt is like a disease and it allows us to commit more mistakes. It will not allow us to move forward with great zeal of joy and pleasure in reality. Be free and frank to express your views to others. It helps them to give a confidence and courage to build the trust on us in long run. Love and kindness towards editor shows our responsibility. Words are precious! They are more valuable when they form as sentences. Each sentence creates a paragraph and they make as a page. Each page will teach a lesson to learn and improve better to make it as a book which consists as pages and gives a meaning in it. Life is like a book. We never feel loneliness when we read a book. We should be careful while forming sentences to concentrate on what we think grammar, punctuation, manuscript, and the matter makes readable by the reader and understand better to find the ways and means in reality. It creates interest and try to continue to read the book in creative and innovative manner to generate more knowledge and utilize it where required.
Nice C.J, I am always a tad nervous about my too long sentences and commas and semi colons 🤣.