I have several paragraphs written and now in the process of editing it. I hate this, it is long and tedius and not anywhere near as fun ad writing. But it is necessary so im doing it. But it is tedious. Carefully and slowly reading what I wrote line from line, reading it not for fun. Reading it with a critical eye looking for screw ups, misused words. Looking for sentences that seemed ok when I was writing, but makes no sense or difficult to comprehend when rereading it a second time.
Lots of those :(
lookng for sentences that start with And or But,. Looking for sentences that need separated iinto two or more. Or sentences that need combined into one. Or things that can go away because they restate what was already said previously.
I am asking for advice, what do I look for and how can I tell if a sentence need divided, or combined. What other misused words or phrases should I look for when editing
I need editing advice.
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How I edit
Personally, I try to wait until I have finished my first draft before I edit too heavily. I write in a journal first and then I transcribe it into Microsoft word which helps with spelling errors and fragmented sentences. I sometimes use Slick Write (www.slickwrite.com) to help with proof reading. A couple books that have helped me are: Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty tips for Better Writing and The Elements of Style by Strunk and White. The Free Rice website (http://freerice.com/) has free English grammar and vocabulary quizzes. For every answer you get right they donate 10 grains of rice to help end hunger.
I feel your pain when it comes to editing. I have quite a few stories that have made it past the first draft, but still need editing. I constantly wrestle with myself over whether I should spend my writing time working on a new story, which I love or editing an existing story so that it can finally be posted.
I hope this helps in some way.
By the way, it is okay to start a sentence with 'and' or 'but' (http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/can-i-sta...)
Varian
Also check this grammar
Also check grammar checker site.
Editing
I'll echo what the previous poster said, but I'll add this: it is possible to over-edit.
If you go back to any story after a period of days, weeks, months or even years you will always find something that doesn't seem quite right. If you're like me you'll usually find typos and blatant blunders you missed even after obsessing over the text any number of times.
There comes a point where you have to say, enough is enough. So long as you haven't left any of the obvious errors like typos or homophones then your masterpiece should be good to go. BCTS is a site for people to develop their craft, after all.
If you want to take your work further and have it properly published, then you have to allow your creation to be edited by someone else who has the necessary knowledge and experience.
Penny
PS A quick read-through works wonders. Have you read through your own post? It is full of typos.
Seconded
I look back on a story I helped edit for a writer here and I can still see a number of misses here and there or a possible retraction of a change in a couple of places. That is why imho another editor is not amiss since it increases the filtering.
If one is to publish though, ignore the criticisms of the readers here at your peril with regard to bad problems with spelling and grammar. We are trying to help here and are more forgiving of such problems since it is free and for fun. However, when you make people part with their hard earned cash to read your tomb, then it becomes a whole different thing.
To me you are now obligated to provide a professional product that the reader can enjoy without undue distraction. Unfortunately Kindle-land has way too many 'authors' who think of it as a fast buck instead of it being a vocation and just slam it into publication and then have it criticized (as well it should) for mechanical flaws that bury what otherwise is a good story.
Maybe an author here can't afford a professional editor, fine, but that is no excuse though for a sloppy product.
Correction: I meant tome and not 'tomb'
See how spelling errors creep in?
That said
As far as joining and splitting sentences goes, I find there is a modern tendency to make sentences too long and there is more need to split sentences then not. Reading a story out loud is important imho. If you can't read your sentence to a 6 year old and make it sound reasonably cohesive then I think that a sentence is probably too long. Running out of breath is a good hint of where a comma or semicolon or period is needed.
The pacing of the story dictates some of it and it affects emphasis and mood you are trying to project in a scene.
something in addition to prior posts
I would actually recommend getting a second pair of eyes onto the work, before posting.
We all have idiosyncrasies in our writing styles that may [ usually aren't ] not be really clear to others, a second person reading the work before it gets posted can find those for us.
Stupidity is a capital offense. A summary not indictable.
Perspective
The best tool for editing . . . is patience.
Put your work aside for a month or two. Then you can read it more from your reader's perspective.
Another tool is to diagram the conflict between the characters. How has that conflict been displayed? How does that conflict move the plot forward? Can any characters be combined to make things simpler for the reader?
The last tool I use is a book called The Plot Thickens. I go through the first section looking for ways to broaden my characters. http://www.amazon.com/Plot-Thickens-Ways-Bring-Fiction/dp/03...
Good luck.
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
I plan on trying to find a good editor
later when I have it done. I want to look thought my work a few times before I do that. The editor needs to be able to comprehend the idea I am trying to write and theres many totally incomprehensible sentences that, make no sense. I know what I was trying to say. When writing and the ideas flowing, it doesnt always work and then looks like a moron was writing it. I read it again and scratch my head thinking "whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaatt"
So, that's why i'm doing this and trying to make it comprehensible.
How I edit.
I wait. A month, two months. sometimes six months. Then I go back over the text, chapter by chapter. do a chapter, take a slight break, move on to the next. (Much like I write oddly enough) I do that once, and only once. The editing is then complete.
And, of course, I take any and all criticism and change the text in light of any errors found by the community, even if I don't always change the text at this site. My first book released had 3 spelling errors in it, and about half a dozen grammar issues. I've gotten much better since then, but still make mistakes. :)
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editing
I had the same problem on a story I'm working on. I posted a request for an editor right here and got three positive responses. The one I chose has not only helped me correct my obvious problems, but his aid has made me a much better writer.
Waterdog
My Secret
My stories rarely reach the point where I need to do final editing.
This extended time does mean that I end up re-writing sections constantly. However, in general, I am not particularly good at it, so I use some crutches:
I know I should spend more time on things like words ending with ing, but it is around that point of my editing effort where I start feeling that I am taking the story away from being ready to publish and making it worse.
Reading aloud helps
If you read your work out loud -- even if you can only read it softly -- is a good way to find problems that need fixing. Not only will you find where words are missing or sentences are too long, you will also find points where you falter in the reading -- which indicates a problem in the flow of words.
- io