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Make Your Editor Not Hate You
1. Reread it yourself. If you can't stand doing this, then what makes you think anyone else is going to want to.
So, if you really don't want to reread it right away, try waiting a while - a few days, or a few hours. I also suggest reading it aloud, or saying it in your head (not everyone can do this, though I don't understand how they can't..)
You'd be surprised at how many errors you can catch this way.
2. A huge pet peeve of mine that almost every amateur writer I've seen does and yet is a basic english lesson, at the very least taught in Gr.11, though I think I've seen it before -
It's and Its
It's is a contraction (a combination of words) of It is
Its is the possessive term.
Even writers such as Falcolf (Whose work I strongly reccommend) make this mistake - indeed, I found it a massive amount of times while editing her first, yet to be released novel. In the end, I resorted to using the Find tool and looking solely at It's. 85% of the time it was being used incorrectly.
3. Make sure you have your tenses straight. A common error is switching between past and present or present and future in one paragraph. It is extremely difficult to catch while writing, and even sometimes while editing. The best thing to do is keep it specifically in mind while reading your work - pay attention to the verbs.
4. Homonyms. Every writer who can't spell very well's worst nightmare.
For those who don't know; homonyms are those nasty words that sound the same, but are spelt differently and mean completely different things.
bear, bare, knight, night (well, even novices should know that one...) too,to,two, etc. These can be notoriously hard to spot if you have a hard time remembering words well.
5. Don't trust the spell/grammar check!
Microsoft Word and Microsoft Works Word Processor (the only two I've used) are often and consistently wrong! They've missed errors, incorrectly identified errors, and even told me a few words don't exist which, I know for a fact do! So please, do not always assume it is correct - think about it, does what it's saying make sense? If not, perhaps it is better to leave it. Some of the suggestions it's given me are simply ridiculous.
1. Reread it yourself. If you can't stand doing this, then what makes you think anyone else is going to want to.
So, if you really don't want to reread it right away, try waiting a while - a few days, or a few hours. I also suggest reading it aloud, or saying it in your head (not everyone can do this, though I don't understand how they can't..)
You'd be surprised at how many errors you can catch this way.
2. A huge pet peeve of mine that almost every amateur writer I've seen does and yet is a basic english lesson, at the very least taught in Gr.11, though I think I've seen it before -
It's and Its
It's is a contraction (a combination of words) of It is
Its is the possessive term.
Even writers such as Falcolf (Whose work I strongly reccommend) make this mistake - indeed, I found it a massive amount of times while editing her first, yet to be released novel. In the end, I resorted to using the Find tool and looking solely at It's. 85% of the time it was being used incorrectly.
3. Make sure you have your tenses straight. A common error is switching between past and present or present and future in one paragraph. It is extremely difficult to catch while writing, and even sometimes while editing. The best thing to do is keep it specifically in mind while reading your work - pay attention to the verbs.
4. Homonyms. Every writer who can't spell very well's worst nightmare.
For those who don't know; homonyms are those nasty words that sound the same, but are spelt differently and mean completely different things.
bear, bare, knight, night (well, even novices should know that one...) too,to,two, etc. These can be notoriously hard to spot if you have a hard time remembering words well.
5. Don't trust the spell/grammar check!
Microsoft Word and Microsoft Works Word Processor (the only two I've used) are often and consistently wrong! They've missed errors, incorrectly identified errors, and even told me a few words don't exist which, I know for a fact do! So please, do not always assume it is correct - think about it, does what it's saying make sense? If not, perhaps it is better to leave it. Some of the suggestions it's given me are simply ridiculous.
Suggested Collections
Well, I was doing some editing/critiqueing today, first on the Gaia writing forum and then for ~WilsontheElk and I thought up some things that, as an editor, I wish people would do. These ideas were bouncing around in my head preventing me from getting to sleep, so I figured the best thing to do was to type them up and hopefully then they would stop turning my mind into a playground.
If this helps any of my fellow writers out there, I'm glad.
If you're offended by this, then you need to chill.
Finally, I am aware that I myself do not do some of these things - however, as these are suggestions, not to improve one's writing, but to make life easier for editors/betas/critiquers/whateverthehellyoucall'ems, I don't feel bad.
Why? I am my own editor, and I dare say I have the abilities to do so as few errors ever show up in my story.
If this helps any of my fellow writers out there, I'm glad.
If you're offended by this, then you need to chill.
Finally, I am aware that I myself do not do some of these things - however, as these are suggestions, not to improve one's writing, but to make life easier for editors/betas/critiquers/whateverthehellyoucall'ems, I don't feel bad.
Why? I am my own editor, and I dare say I have the abilities to do so as few errors ever show up in my story.
© 2008 - 2024 AleriaCarventus
Comments9
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"I know for a fact do!"
*giggles* The irony. :3 I think you mean "too" instead of "do".
That aside, I'll use these tips before I post anything written. Thank you!
*giggles* The irony. :3 I think you mean "too" instead of "do".
That aside, I'll use these tips before I post anything written. Thank you!