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Hi I'm Suzie Carr. Thanks for tuning in to my Writing Insights video series.
In this video, I'm going to discuss why every writer needs an editor.
For many aspiring writers, hiring an editor may not be in the budget. However, whether
your goal is to self-publish your book or pitch it to a traditional publisher, you will
need that second pair of eyes. Here's why. Bottom line - If a book is littered
with errors, you may likely lose your readers. Why can't we just self edit?
A curious thing happens when we spend months to years working on a written piece.
We become intimately involved with it. And just like with any intimate relationship,
we tend to overlook things and see past flaws. Every good writer experiences this.
That being said, we need to rely on the objectivity of someone detached from our story.
If you can afford to hire an editor, do so. Seek recommendations and ask for a sample.
Now if you can't afford an editor, here's what you need to do.
Find someone you trust who can be objective and challenge you. Someone well read. Someone
not afraid to hurt your feelings. Someone willing to perhaps go probono until a profit
is made. That's how I started out with my editor.
And, here's my process: 1. I write my first draft.
2. I step away for a week. 3. I revise into a second draft.
4. I repeat this until I'm confident my story is readable.
5. I ask my editor to read it and provide her gut reaction on things like: flow, pacing,
believability, tension, overall plotline and character development.
6. I take this feedback and let the suggestions marinate to a point I can effectively analyze
them objectively without any defensiveness. I stay true to my story, while remaining open
to ways to make it shine even brighter. THAT'S CRITICAL.
7. Now I revise again. 8. After this, I hand it over for editing.
She uses track changes to polish the manuscript by correcting grammar and punctuation, as
well as reworking any awkward sentences. 9. Once I receive edits back, I review the
track changes and accept or reject them. 10. The last phase of this process is proofreading.
I typically opt to do this myself. I print out the manuscript and read it out loud. I
do this because I can hear mistakes more accurately than see them. In this phase I'm looking correcting
any final grammatical or punctuation oversights.
Okay so there you have it. Editing 101.
If you found this video helpful... I have 19 others videos in this free writing series
as well. To get more go to authorinsightsbysuzie.com.
Thank you for listening. And please feel free to comment below to let me know your thoughts.
Good luck!