Why an Editor?
As a freelance editor, I am the human spell-check for my family. My husband, while typing an email, will call out a question on how to spell a word. Or my son, while working on his homework, will ask if he should punctuate with a comma or semi-colon. Usually, I can rattle off the answer without much thought. But when I prepared the flyer for my recent “Writing in the Garden” my spelling skills failed me. The focus of the day was writing without cliche and my sister, author Candace Simar, had agreed to co-teach the class. She was horrified when she read the rough draft of the flyer with the word “clique” instead of “cliche.” I was able to fix the error and we had a good laugh.
We all need an editor or trusted friend to look over our work—someone to check our spelling and punctuation. Someone to point out the inconsistencies in our story lines. Does your manuscript need an editor? If you are ready to send your book to agents or publishers, stop for a moment. Will your manuscript make a great first impression? Does your first page draw your reader in and make them want to read more? Do you have any holes in your plot lines? Have you found every opportunity for optimum drama? I offer editing services by the hour and promise to give you an honest critique.
If you’re interested in reading more about the edit process and why you may need an editor, please read the following blog post from Books & Such Literary Agency.
We all need an editor.
Angie, your advice is right on. I recently bought a self-published book which should have been very interesting, but the author obviously didn’t use the services of an editor, and it was so bad I couldn’t finish reading it.
Thanks, Margaret. I don’t think anyone should publish without an editor. You just don’t see your own stuff. I would hate to be sorry later.
Nothing spoils a reading experience for me more than poor editing. I can’t seem to get past it. The mistakes just jump out of the page at me and make so much ‘noise’ that I don’t want to listen to the story the writer is trying to tell! I think if you’re a fast reader and very adept at grammar, you can usually decipher the writer’s intent despite the mistakes, but imagine how it must be for someone who struggles with reading, or perhaps has a learning disorder. It may be confusing and could change the whole story.
Good advice – extremely important!
They jump out at me, also! An error throws me right out of the story and then I am on to a new thought. That’s not a good thing. I just read a blog that said errors are the main reason stories are rejected. First impressions are so important.Thanks for commenting. It’s great to get feedback.