Guest Post by Andrew Howe
No matter how experienced you are, you might spend some time editing and proofreading your text before publishing it. And as a writer, you would agree that if the writing process takes time, the editing process needs even more efforts. To edit texts well, you need to be attentive and skilled which is not so easy, so some writers would rather turn to editors.
But:
Hiring professional editors is expensive, so if you're on a tight budget, you'd better learn how to edit texts without spending much money. And there are four actionable ways how to do it.
1. Use Free Tools
The most common way to check your article is to use online tools that can highlight stylistic and grammar mistakes so that you can correct them. As the technological progress is developing daily, the number of tools is growing, too.
No better feeling can be found than finding useful tools that are free of charge, especially if you don't have money to spend on online editors.
Here are some free tools to edit your chunks:
• Hemingway
• Grammarly
• AdverbLess
• ProWritingAid
• AutoCrit
Once you find tools that work for you, start using them, but never stop exploring the Internet in order to find new useful tools to edit your writing.
2. Collaborate with Other Writers
Even if you give your text time, double check it, and use all the editing techniques you know, making your text perfect is a hard thing to do as you perceive the information in a different way.
To have a fresh look at the text, you'd better share it with another writer. Once your colleague gives you feedback, you can analyze your piece from a different angle.
Don't be afraid to ask for help. Although begging your colleagues isn't good, you can collaborate with them in order to take advantage of it for both of you: exchange articles to edit, give feedback, or highlight chunks that should be proofread.
3. Enhance Your Editing Skills
If you're good at editing, that's great. If you keep developing your editing skills, that's even better! It goes without saying that even a professional editor can make some mistakes or typos. But, the more you train, the better your results are. Thus, pay attention to ways how to enhance your editing skills right from your home (or wherever you have the Internet connection):
• MOOCs. Enrolling in online courses from the world-best universities is a good way to improve skills. As the variety of MOOCs is big on the web, the number of courses for writers is growing rapidly, so you can sign up for courses to learn self-editing techniques.
• Learning from gurus. Surfing the Internet, you come across different writers and bloggers who are successful. Most of them share their tricks and tips, so reading their articles can give you insights.
• Practice. There is nothing better than practicing. Once you have some free time, dig into your drafts and try to edit them. Every time you come back to your article, you can find some things to work on: find a better word, change some sentences, or include a new example. Practice is the key to editing success!
While you're learning editing skills, write down new tips and techniques so to remember them. Once your skills are advanced, you can craft better text from scratch.
A well-written article will not only grab, but it will also hold your audience's attention, thus polishing your writing skills is a crucial task for writers who want to stand out in their niche.
The truth is, it's nearly impossible to write an outstanding piece without spending time on editing and proofreading it. So, to save time and money, use the above-mentioned strategies. They'll help you learn how to become a better editor.
Do you have editing tips you’d like to share?
Andrew Howe is a student who loves learning something new! Being fond of writing, he has crafted AdverbLess, a tool to help people eradicate adverbs in their proses to make it stronger. Contact Andrew via mail: andrewhowe306@gmail.com
MORE ON WRITING AND BOOK MARKETING
3 Ways to Writing Builds Strength
Pros and Cons of Outlining Your Novel
A Critical Skill for Every Writer
Writing, publishing, book marketing, all offered by experienced authors, writers, and marketers
Showing posts with label editor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label editor. Show all posts
Five Ways NOT to Attract an Editor's Attention
Will Rogers wisely said, “You only have one chance to make a good first impression.” As an acquisitions editor, I read proposals and manuscripts from authors every day. It’s no exaggeration to say I’ve read thousands of submissions in my years in publishing. Besides my work at Morgan James Publishing, I’ve acquired for two other publishers.
In minutes, I can scan your submission and see if it is going to move forward or be rejected. This may sound harsh because of the work and energy writers poured into their submission. Here’s the reality, every year our publishing house receives over 5,000 submissions and we’re going to publish about 150 books this year.
In spite of these large rejection numbers, I’m actively looking for quality work and daily interacting with authors and literary agents. Here’s five ways not to stand out:
1. Unprofessional appearance. Are you using a serif font like Ariel that is the default for most writing programs? Change it to Times New Roman or a serif font because it is easier to read and shows you care. This small change makes a huge difference to editors.
2. Untargeted submission. Many cover letters begin “Dear Sir or Madam” yet it is sent to my email address. It is an instant red flag. You want to write a particular editor or agent and address them in your submission.
3. Not specific for my publishing house. Every agent or editor is looking for certain subjects and types of books. Research online (big hint: use Google.com) then follow their guidelines.
4. Incomplete with the basics. An email address is not enough contact information. Many writers forget to include their mailing address and phone number. Without this information, I can’t get the submission into our system nor can I easily reach you to engage you about your work.
5. Lack a memorable title or opening sentence. We read the opening and if compelling, we continue. If not, it is rejected. It is business and not personal but one way to handle the volume of submissions. Some of my agent friends receive hundreds of pitches every day. Make sure you start with a bang.
Every editor and agent is actively looking for the next bestseller. Your manuscript or proposal will stand out if you are professional with quality work. If you follow the basics and persist, you will be published.
W. Terry Whalin is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. A former magazine editor and literary agent,
Terry has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams. To help writers, he has created 12-lesson online course called Write A Book Proposal. Get his free Ebook Book Proposal Basics and teleseminar at www.AskAboutProposals.com. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Terry has over 161,000 twitter followers and lives in Colorado.
Do You Use Readers?
It used to be that an author created
and wrote his story and then sent it to his editor, after which he did his
rewrites and published his book. But there is one tool I use to help give me
input about my story. This tool is my readers. They have become an important
part of my editing and rewriting process.
More and more authors are turning to
readers to give their thoughts and opinions on the authors’ stories. This is a
good idea since most people who buy and read books are ordinary everyday people
and are not writers or editors.
Editors are looking at the structure
of your plot, character development, and yes, grammar and spelling among other
things. But readers are looking at it for its intrest and appeal. To use both
readers and an editor gives you a more rounded viewpoint of your story.
Readers give you a perspective from
a different angle. Now don’t go firing your editor. On the contrary. I prefer
to get my readers’ input before I send my book to my editor. Readers view your
story from a reader’s viewpoint where your editor look at your story from a
writer’s viewpoint, and it is my opinion that a writer needs both.
I do ask my readers to look for spelling/grammar
errors and typos. They do a grand job of finding them, too. But I also like to
get their opinion on specific parts/chapters of my story. Because they are not
as picky as editors are, they can really give you a fresh and honest opinion.
Once you get your readers input, then you can concentrate on the things your
editor finds.
How many readers should you have? As
many as you want but definitely more than one. The difference in opinion from
one reader to another can create a dilemma. A third reader’s opinion can give
you the solution to that dilemma.
So do you have a reader/s? If not, you’re
missing out on a more well-rounded editing information.
Faye
M. Tollison
Author
of: To
Tell the Truth
Upcoming
books: The Bible Murders
Sarah’s Secret
Member
of: Sisters in Crime
Writers on the Move
www.fmtoll.wordpress.com
How to Choose the Right Editor
From a
reader’s and reviewer’s point-of-view, books need a professional editor.
Why do books
need a professional editor?
Authors are
too close to the project to be able to pick up everything, especially if the
author is self-publishing their book. Self-editing doesn’t work; many books and
author’s sites have errors in grammar and punctuation as books and a web site
visited today.
How to
choose the right one to work with
- Authors need to talk with, and ask questions of the editor they choose to work with to see if the read and understand the genre of your book
·
Have
they edited in the genre?
·
Can
you and the editor work together?
·
Will
the editor accept your input?
·
Are
they willing to keep you abreast of how the project is progressing?
·
Does
the editor have an estimate of how long it will take to edit?
·
Can
you agree on a price that is acceptable to both parties?
- The editor should send the author an edited copy for review/proofread.
·
The
final say is the author’s responsibility.
·
The
editor shouldn’t have changed, but strengthened the sentences.
·
The
editor should have corrected any grammar or punctuation errors.
·
The
editor should have used Word’s Track Changes.
·
Any
questions the editor has should be addressed using Word’s Comment feature.
- After the edited copy is proofread by the author:
·
The
author and editor should agree on the changes.
·
If
the editor suggested a word change, the author and editor should agree.
·
Talking
with the editor should be like talking to a friend helping your book be the
best it can be.
·
Once
the final edits are completed and both parties are satisfied, then the final
edited copy is ready for publication.
There should never be harsh feelings about your book with an
editor; the editor is there to help the author create a book that is the best
copy possible.
Readers deserve the best book authors and editors are capable
of creating. From an ethical standpoint, authors need to offer only their best
to their readers.
Robert Medak
Freelance Writer/Blogger/Editor/Proofreader/Reviewer/Marketer
Self-Editing
Self-editing is something every writer should do, but it means knowing how to do it. Every writer should have a good book in their library, but it shouldn't just sit on the shelf. Get it out often and use it. I like to get my book down and go through it every so often whether or not I'm doing any self-editing just for reinforcement.
A good book on self-editing will tell you not to do any editing until you have your first draft completed. Because writing and editing are two different mind sets, it's hard to concentrate on both at the same time, hence causing you not to do a complete or proper job of either process. So the right order is to write the first draft of your book first and then do your self-editing.
A thorough self-editing includes it all: grammar, punctuation, structure, dialog, point of view, interior monologue, beats, tributes, rhythm voice, and characterization. Are there any conflicting areas in your manuscripts? Do your characters sound and feel real? Do you have areas where you tell when you should be showing? Does your plot flow and have the ability to hold the readers' attention? And do you have a balance between your narrative and dialogue? I could probably think of some more points/questions you should ask yourself, but these are enough to give you an idea of the point to self-editing.
Now I know what you are thinking. But I have an editor to do my editing for me! That's true in most cases, but your book will be more polished if you edit your manuscript yourself first and then let an editor go over it again. A first-time author will sound less amateurish , and an experienced author will sound like the experienced writer he/she is..
Sound like a lot of work? You bet it is! But it could pay off in the long run.
Faye M. Tollison
Author of To Tell the Truth
Upcomng books: The Bible Murders
Sarah's Secret
www.fayemtollison.com
www.fmtoll.wordpress.com
www.facebook.com/faye.tollison
tollisonf@gmail.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
How to Assure Getting a Book Cover That Sells
Book Cover Tips Your Publish Might Not Know How to Partner with Your Cover Designer By Carolyn Howard-Johnson Award-winning writer of ...
-
Contributed by Karen Cioffi You may be an author or writer who takes the time to comment on other websites. This is an effective online mark...
-
Right-Brain - Left-Brain Which Controls Your Writing? In 1981, Roger Wolcott Sperry--a neuropsychologist and neurobiologist, toget...
-
by Suzanne Lieurance Many new freelance writers are confused or intimated by sidebars. But that’s usually because they just don’t understa...