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There is one universal truth in writing - the need to edit, edit, edit. The lack of editing can kill a good story, changing the read from a pleasure to a chore. A good story shouldn't be a chore.
Editing a story provides a distinct sense of polish and can make a mediocre story good, or a good story great. A few details like comma placement, paragraph transitions, and word corrections can make a huge difference in meaning and tone. The polish editing provides projects a sense of caring to the material presented.
'Seeing' is not the same as 'seen'. Palpable and palatable aren't even in the same ballpark. Using 'there, their, and they're' really does make a difference. We may lose our audience if our meaning is lost in translation, or they must work to decipher what we're getting at. Or errors annoys them lol
Edit FTW - polish that sucker 'till it shines. Just sayin'.
Happy reading/writing!
J
Comments
Ah, the unsolicited "advice"
Ah, the unsolicited "advice" that destroys already fragile psyches and makes posters think twice about posting as their hard work that takes hours of typing and immeasurable strength to post gets critiqued.
Sorry if not everyone is able to find a dozen people to line up and beg to help, most posters are self-editors by need and despite looking over their stories multiple times simple mistakes still happen. Even the best authors here still have errors and only a small number escape without a single misplaced quotation mark or comma instead of a period. The top read stories on here feature authors who have many glaring mistakes in their stories, are you going to tell them to get an editor? Because you'd be in the minority as almost all ignore the mistakes and just enjoy the free entertainment.
I'm told STFU more times in a day than most people get told in a lifetime
Good points
Those are good points, efindumb.
Writing is certainly a time consuming and personal process. The effort it takes to form an idea and build upon it to create a cohesive structure takes dedication. The art of writing is inspiring - to see disconnected, disjointed words brought together in a mosaic of meaning is beautiful. I have absolute respect for all wordsmiths.
Thanks for the comment.
I've wondered about this a lot
I'd love to add constructive critique, but I'm afraid it might come off wrong. I've been accused of being impossibly terse; not a good thing.
So, I'll throw this in the ring for consideration: Elements of Style, by Strunk and White. A very short book, with excellent advice for self editing, and a think a staple for the writers bookshelf. American English, by the way, and with our diverse writers backgrounds, might actually be a bit confusing for some. Still, it's a way to 'put a shine' on a piece, and make it more enjoyable for the readership.
Thoughts?
Thank you
Having more resources is a good thing. Writers may not always use the same tools, but finding ones that work for us can really help.
Thanks for the comment.
J
Fortunately both posts about edited and un-edited stories
have merit. I think BC has room for each.
Kudos
There's always room for more.
Thanks for the comment, Wendy.
Editing, even self-editing
Editing, even self-editing, can make a good story better. Editing is especially important if you want to sell your work; you owe it to your paying customers.
Some ideas:
Set it aside for a bit.
Read it slowly.
Read it aloud.
Read it backward, sentence by sentence, paragraph by paragraph. (Seems odd, I know, but it will catch some errors you might otherwise just read over.)
Use a spell checker, but don't be a slave to it.
Grammarly is a cool tool, but don't be a slave to it either.
Check this out - HOMONYMS, HOMOPHONES, HOMOGRAPHS, and HETERONYMS
Kris
{I leave a trail of Kudos as I browse the site. Be careful where you step!}
Excellent
Very helpful, Kris, thank you!
I'd never thought to proof-read backwards. Think I'll try it - that could be a good way to catch things.
J
'Seeing' is not the same as 'seen'.
And 'seen' is not the same as 'saw' .
Hugs
Patricia
Happiness is being all dressed up and HAVING some place to go.
Semper in femineo gerunt
Ich bin eine Mann
I think
I think 'seen' and 'saw' are both past tense participles of ' see', but don't quote me on that lol. 'Seen' certainly seems to see more common usage though. But you're right, they're not the same word.
Thanks for the comment, Patricia.
Hugs,
J
I believe "saw" is the past
I believe "saw" is the past tense of "see", while "seen" is the past participle. They each have their place.
I see the bluebird.
I saw the bluebird.
The bluebird was seen.
I have seen the bluebird.
But not: I seen the bluebird. (BTW Grammarly flags these.)
Or: The bluebird was saw.
Or: I have saw the bluebird.
(But if the poor bird was dismembered, perhaps it was sawed.)
Most people learn the difference not by studying the rules of grammar, but by reading a lot of well-written prose. Of course, reading a lot of poorly written prose just compounds the problem.
Kris
{I leave a trail of Kudos as I browse the site. Be careful where you step!}
Cool
Thanks, Kris, good examples.
J
Another thought
I should have included somewhere in my comments this thought:
Your characters/narrator have a voice.
Depending on things like age, level of education, region where they grew up or now reside, and just general quirkiness, your character or narrator may not speak standard grammatical American English or the Queen's English.
So if an utterance like, "Yeah, I seen him!" is consistent with your character, his voice, then it's not wrong. If we feel an unbearable urge to edit an author's work, we need to keep that in mind. Literature would be dull indeed without that kind of spice.
Kris
{I leave a trail of Kudos as I browse the site. Be careful where you step!}
Definitely
Those are important factors to consider. I feel that a hallmark of good authors is skill in consistently writing unique voices throughout their work. It's a skill which speaks to me of effort, caring, and vision. I've seen some great examples on BCTS.
I read a lot and these are probably my biggest pet peeves: sentence fragments; comma splices; wildly misused words; inappropriately mixed tense; and continuity errors.
I'm not a hardcore critic. I've read very compelling stories that were poorly written and had kudos and appreciation at the ready. But I've also started reading a few utter disasters that had me running before the first paragraph break. Editing/proofreading is a simple improvement that helps authors of any skill level. It really is good mojo.
J
Second that. EOM
.
Kris
{I leave a trail of Kudos as I browse the site. Be careful where you step!}
Use PM
I think it is best to use Personal Messages (contact the author), if available (some authors disable), for typo's and this type of correction.