Let's Talk Story ...

 The Joys of Editing

You have done your part. You wrote the story. You went back, revised it, rewrote it, and polished it up. It is your new baby, and you are ready to present it to the world. But no ... first you must edit this baby. You MUST edit the story. You may not want to and may go straight to self publish but trust me ... editing is the best thing you can do. 

Here are some glaring issues I found in several books. In one, the main character's name changed halfway through the book. On one page, it was Alison; on the next, it was Sarah. Two, the writer used the word "suddenly" every time something surprising was going to happen. (Words ending in "ly" are not the best ones to use. ) a sentence that reads: "Suddenly George stopped," is rather boring compared to "George came to an abrupt stop, holding his hand out to keep me from running into him."  Another one repeated the same word five times in the same paragraph. The time on the clock was five. It was time to go. I needed to make it to work on time. And ect.

There are six types of editing.

Developmental. Evaluation. Content. Line. Copyediting and proofreading.

Think of it this way: "A developmental and evaluation editor helps you build the house and figure out where the rooms--chapters--go.  A Content and line editor helps you decorate and paint the house, making sure you can get from room to room without running into a wall. A copy editor makes sure everything flows well, the electrical is up to code, the fire alarms work, and the plumbing is installed; a proofreader goes over the entire structure and gives the final inspection, making sure the house is livable.

You want a "livable" house. Take the time and make sure your i's are dotted, the t's crossed, the spelling is correct, grammar and punctuation (I struggle with this one) are right, your voice stands out, and the story flows. Get rid of repetitive words and descriptions. Check, double-check, and triple-check your baby before sending it out into the world. You don't want it to catch a cold because you forgot to put its shoes and socks on.

--Gina G