Tag Archives: Editing

A blog about writing, Writing ways

How is your grammar? :For the record, I use an editor

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How good is your grammar as it pertains to writing? I have done better over the years due to my editor, Nancy. Without Nancy, my books and short stories would not shine as brightly as they do now.

There are programs out there that are free and with a price that helps with commas, spelling, spacing, and more.

But I don’t rely just on the programs.

Some writers I have seen use their writing groups to pick out the errors as they critique them. It does help with your piece having more eyes on it. A few writers have stated that is all they need to get their books edited.

I have heard a few writers stating that is all their books required to run their WIP through a critique group.

It is helpful, but it is not what one should rely on.

Grammar can derail a book, and it can prevent a publisher from taking your book on to tossing it in the trash can.

There are so many books on Amazon that I have read that make me read only a bit. I have reviewed books that are so heavily bad in grammar that I struggle with writing a review. There have been times I have contacted the author, stating why I won’t proceed with a review. I like to help fellow authors and write a review about books. However, an unedited manuscript can derail authors.

I have learned and have done better with my editing, but I will always use an editor at the end of the day. The last thing I want is to see an unedited book online to be purchased that has my name on it.

A blog about the topics of writing

What is one thing you hate when it comes to writing?

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What part of writing do you absolutely hate? Are we talking editing? Researching? Revisions? Or is it something else?

I use to not be a fan of research but now I absolutely love it. I use to not be a fan of revising. But now I do enjoy that as well.

The thing I hate the most is editing. When it comes to commas, past tense, effect vs affect, which is something I can’t seem to remember, dangling participles and gosh so much more. I have on many occasion dub myself the Queen of commas and past tense in the sense I am so bad at them I rule.

I know or rather I feel I can’t possible be alone. Yes, there are those who love to edit and do line by line editing. I do tend to give them a, “What the heck is wrong with you?, look. How can any possible enjoy doing that? But there are. Thankfully there are.

I have editors for a reason. They can do the stuff like this that I can’t be bother with or don’t want to be bother with.

I give all the props to editors. It is not easy and very time consuming. And as Mark Twain put it, “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”

So, I will leave it to them. I will go back to the job I love doing which is writing.

Editor, Freedom, Writer

Editor:Why I Need One

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2013-03-22 10.20.35

I know there are tons and tons of links about why authors need to get an editor. Today’s post is why I need one. I am fortunate to have an amazing woman as my editor. She works tirelessly fixing my bunch of words to where they sparkle.  I will be perfectly honest. I am not a fan of commas. I don’t know where to put them with accuracy. I wrote once on my FB something along the line to how I was sure glad as punch that she knew where they went for I sure as hell did not. I don’t. Something so simple but if you do it wrong it will completely mess up a paragraph, page and eventually a chapter if you make enough mistakes.

I am not always sure when to make a chapter break. I get these right a good portion of the time but not always. Nancy will swoop in and leave in the margins where one should be and I am grateful for that.  There has been times I have not made any chapters at all. A great example of this was NaNoWriMo 2012 where I have 60k plus works but no chapters. I did separate them so it did not look like a hot mess. The sad part is I am still adding to this story I fear what it will look like when I am finally done and have to hand it over to her. I will do my best to separate it where it should be. I had gotten so wrapped up in this story, I wrote the required 50k words in two weeks.  I just wrote and wrote not caring about editing but about the words.

Nancy has spoiled me plan and simple. She lets me be an author without worrying about edits as I am writing down the latest story or MS. Knowing that about her I can be free and just work on my craft. I know a lot of editors heck majority of editors would probably kick me to the curb and say I need to find someone else. At which point I would have to man up and do a better job.

She has polished my query letter and my MS so well that publishing houses even in the rejection letters are saying how polish my work is in content, yeah me, and in edit which is yeah Nancy.  We make a good team. She allows me to write without worry about what I am going to do after. I am so grateful for her. I hope my fellow writers have a great person in their corner. It truly makes a huge difference in where I started to where I am at now.