Editing made easy (easier, anyway) -- Ladies of Lallybroch Literary Forum

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Date Posted: 15:49:54 03/23/10 Tue
Author:

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Subject: Editing made easy (easier, anyway)

Editing is hard for me. Not because I think I've written the Next Big Thing, or because I can't bear to remove any of the words I've written. No, it's hard for me because sometimes I just can't see what I need to change.

That's why this place and my beta readers are so invaluable. You point out things I'd missed, no matter how carefully I thought I'd looked at the manuscript. You tell me, "This just doesn't work for me, and here's why," and I know I have to either clarify or change something so what I'm trying to say doesn't get lost in a bunch of arcane references only I understand. Then, once I've taken your wonderful and helpful advice and fixed the typos, worked on the flow, made sure it's believable, etc., it's time to sit down and try to cut out some of what's just not needed. This is where I run into trouble.

So many things I've read about editing repeat the advice of using the "Find" function to bring up repetitive words. My problem is that I'm usually unaware of what's repetitive. Like typos or a POV slip, most times I just don't see it. But I came across something today that's probably the most helpful article I've ever read about editing a manuscript. Not only does the author tell you to search for repetitive words, she tells you which words to search for, and examples of how a sentence reads better without them. She also goes into redundant words, redundancy in punctuation, indefinite words, show not tell, verb choices, adverbs (Esther will love what she says about that! *G*), using the correct word, passive voice, and a few other things you should look for while editing. All of her examples are laid out in a concise way, and best of all, she tells you how to fix them!

Just had to share this with y'all, and I hope it helps you as much as it has helped me. Just clickit the link below:

http://www.heartla.com/tips2.htm

Last edited by author: Tue March 23, 2010 15:54:05 Edited 2 times.

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[> Um, I've no idea why I have a reply. Maybe I should find an "Editing on Voy made easy" article... Nothing to see here, people, move along... --

Page, 15:51:55 03/23/10 Tue

Last edited by author: Tue March 23, 2010 15:53:18 Edited 1 time.
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[> This sounds great! Thanks for sharing. --

susiej, 17:48:04 03/23/10 Tue

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[> I'll referncing this when I do another read-through/tweaking. Added to my favorites tab. --

debikm, 19:41:32 03/23/10 Tue

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[> Adverbs eh? LOL Well, yeah. Although...my favorite part was what she said about tags! *G* -- Esther, 10:08:29 03/24/10 Wed

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[> Cool site! -- Alex, 10:58:11 03/25/10 Thu

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