Editing

Be mindful of your work’s impact, implications, strengths, and weaknesses — at the micro and macro levels — to be a more powerful and versatile writer.

Estimated reading time: 13 minutes Publishing your book is a major milestone for many would-be authors. It’s exciting, but it can also be overwhelming. There are so many moving pieces...

Within the domain of book editing, a developmental editor will assess content and story structure. Go to one when you want to see if your story "works."

Having a professional editor in your corner is priceless. They’ll see things that no software program ever could. Still, it’s good to have a book editing software program on hand to help your editor...

Self-editing a piece slated for publishing goes beyond spell-checking your work. These writing mistakes should also be addressed to ensure your writing is clear, vibrant, and effective.

You won’t catch every error in your manuscript. Only one kind of magical spirit can pull off such wizardry — professional editors. You should hire one if you’re serious about this whole publishing thing.

The most helpful bit of editing advice I ever got was from poet Michele Glazer. She said, "revision IS writing." In other words, there's no difference between the "writing" process and the editing process. You don't just write a draft, make some changes, correct the spelling, and call it good. As a writer, you need to be open to new ideas that may occur during the revision process, and be brave enough to follow them  — thus, leading you back into a writing mode. See? Revision IS writing, so it's best to just accept that fact upfront.