tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7502152359497137754.post6370096982102538447..comments2024-03-18T08:33:25.907-04:00Comments on Inkwell Inspirations: Edit Like A Pro!Lisa Karon Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02175430876079208723noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7502152359497137754.post-12783012577454677282013-02-14T19:06:27.561-05:002013-02-14T19:06:27.561-05:00Glad it was helpful. You know, rereading this yest...Glad it was helpful. You know, rereading this yesterday helped me find a few areas I could improve in my latest manuscript on the scene level. I think it's a helpful checklist.<br />Dina Sleimanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05214446103057806111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7502152359497137754.post-84645633397975423142013-02-14T14:07:19.793-05:002013-02-14T14:07:19.793-05:00Ooh, great post. I'm bookmarking this.Ooh, great post. I'm bookmarking this.Susanne Dietzehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09710634601407161821noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7502152359497137754.post-6296151407215343142013-02-13T19:29:43.977-05:002013-02-13T19:29:43.977-05:00Hi Rachel. I'm excited about your space opera....Hi Rachel. I'm excited about your space opera. Hope it turns out great!Dina Sleimanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05214446103057806111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7502152359497137754.post-41111798234673456352013-02-13T19:25:00.381-05:002013-02-13T19:25:00.381-05:00I use my kindles text to speech, DeAnna. Love it.
...I use my kindles text to speech, DeAnna. Love it.<br />Dina Sleimanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05214446103057806111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7502152359497137754.post-35636236225224288242013-02-13T18:59:24.397-05:002013-02-13T18:59:24.397-05:00Great tips. I use Natural Reader to read out loud...Great tips. I use Natural Reader to read out loud to me. It finds a TON of errors. :DDeAnna Julie Dodsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09006564626571868446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7502152359497137754.post-45685369353389075082013-02-13T16:27:19.218-05:002013-02-13T16:27:19.218-05:00Excellent tips, Dina! Thanks. I'm diving into ...Excellent tips, Dina! Thanks. I'm diving into edits on space opera #2 in a couple weeks and compiling all the editing tips I can find. It needs major work at the structural level.Rachel Leigh Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16004728242824462126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7502152359497137754.post-61614589299804140462013-02-13T15:47:07.626-05:002013-02-13T15:47:07.626-05:00Pauline (and others) I have some longer posts on e...Pauline (and others) I have some longer posts on editing as part of my Inspiration and Perspiration class on my website. Also, if you want, I'd be happy to share one this subject with the Yorktown group sometime. I'm going to give you this link because it has a lot of my writing posts, but for more on editing scroll down to "Writing Series" weeks 4,5, and 7.<br /><br />http://Dina Sleimanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05214446103057806111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7502152359497137754.post-32843012568565618142013-02-13T15:41:45.320-05:002013-02-13T15:41:45.320-05:00Lisa, editing for me gets faster and faster as I g...Lisa, editing for me gets faster and faster as I go along. Then again writing does too. Love in Three-Quarter Time took me 6 weeks to write and about an equal amount of time to edit. Maybe a little longer once I went through agent and publisher rounds of revision.Dina Sleimanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05214446103057806111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7502152359497137754.post-78835386855046342632013-02-13T15:39:47.540-05:002013-02-13T15:39:47.540-05:00That is so true about editing creating its own iss...That is so true about editing creating its own issues, Barb. Great points! I always keep reading and re-reading until I feel like my eyeballs are going to puke. LOL.Dina Sleimanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05214446103057806111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7502152359497137754.post-47308678303311526612013-02-13T15:37:37.576-05:002013-02-13T15:37:37.576-05:00Mel, sounds like you'd make a great line edito...Mel, sounds like you'd make a great line editor. As for POV shifts, I sometimes wonder if the ereaders cut out extra spaces that were meant to signify POV shifts. I always use asterisks, but some authors just use a space, and it's easy to loose that. I read a great book last year with rough POV shifts, but I read it on kindle, and I bet that's what happened.Dina Sleimanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05214446103057806111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7502152359497137754.post-69201303572156958382013-02-13T15:23:55.973-05:002013-02-13T15:23:55.973-05:00Argh - I'm disappointed - I wish this was 3 or...Argh - I'm disappointed - I wish this was 3 or 4 posts instead of one - I'd love to hear details :)P. Creedenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15677824783578921121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7502152359497137754.post-44188237899006142642013-02-13T12:52:50.583-05:002013-02-13T12:52:50.583-05:00Good counsel, Dina. I actually really enjoy the ed...Good counsel, Dina. I actually really enjoy the editing process. But it goes quickly for me, more so than the writing.Lisa Karon Richardsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02175430876079208723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7502152359497137754.post-62007151784597449972013-02-13T12:43:19.332-05:002013-02-13T12:43:19.332-05:00Mel, beware. You might find yourself with a bunch ...Mel, beware. You might find yourself with a bunch or requests to be a beta reader! We can all benefit from an objective second pair of eyes, especially ones with those eyes pealed for boo boos.<br /><br />is that the right form of peal? or peel?<br />jeepers I should have picked a different word.<br /><br />Debra E. Marvinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17853387871623424853noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7502152359497137754.post-19335255103779436502013-02-13T12:39:23.288-05:002013-02-13T12:39:23.288-05:00The Amish say that a mistake in a quilt is good - ...The Amish say that a mistake in a quilt is good - it's the reminder that only God is perfect. We must remember that with our queries and proposals and that permanently-in-print mistake.<br /><br />Writing is easy. Revisions and editing (someday we'll have to discuss those two terms) for me is like eating jello with a toothpick.<br /><br />Debra E. Marvinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17853387871623424853noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7502152359497137754.post-71383909576167774672013-02-13T11:38:46.699-05:002013-02-13T11:38:46.699-05:00Good post, Dina.
I used to get really upset when ...Good post, Dina.<br /><br />I used to get really upset when I found typos and misspellings in books. Those, and even bigger issues, sneak into books even published by the biggest houses.Perfection is impossible to achieve. Each editing pass just gets us a little closer. Two observations from editing other people's work: Sometimes the editing process can even create more problems. (Since the Barbara Earlyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02446880500278578170noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7502152359497137754.post-13484645662016615092013-02-13T09:46:22.600-05:002013-02-13T09:46:22.600-05:00Great advice! The one thing I hate as a reader is ...Great advice! The one thing I hate as a reader is misspelled words, missing words, or the wrong word. I'm an excellent proofreader in that sense. I also notice when there is an inconsistency in a book. It's like a game to me, to find the errors.<br /><br />I also dislike when the book changes POV without any warning or marker. If I have to reread several sentences to figure out which POV Melhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00410114935534301370noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7502152359497137754.post-80332033786905160642013-02-13T09:31:15.895-05:002013-02-13T09:31:15.895-05:00I think we probably all do a little of that, Niki....I think we probably all do a little of that, Niki. But at the end I find it helpful to do a full strategic edit at every level. Personally, I also do an "artistic" edit to look for poetic qualities like cadence, image, and symbol, but since publishers don't do that, I didn't include it here.Dina Sleimanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05214446103057806111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7502152359497137754.post-11902095839077398582013-02-13T09:29:41.836-05:002013-02-13T09:29:41.836-05:00Good plan, Suzie.Good plan, Suzie.Dina Sleimanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05214446103057806111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7502152359497137754.post-23557560665457824562013-02-13T09:28:02.210-05:002013-02-13T09:28:02.210-05:00Dina, this is an awesome post! Superbly helpful. T...Dina, this is an awesome post! Superbly helpful. Thank you!<br />I'm weird (well, we knew that). I edit as I go, during the rough draft. Write a little, go back the next day and revise (on all levels) and add some more, rinse, repeat... Kind of the way TV serials have that "last time on such-and-so" before they launch into that day's episode, I guess. Niki Turnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10419436634375255412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7502152359497137754.post-91903016402398827362013-02-13T09:17:44.799-05:002013-02-13T09:17:44.799-05:00Great info, Dina. Like Deb, my edits take longer t...Great info, Dina. Like Deb, my edits take longer than the first draft. I also try to get everything down before editing. Only because if I stop to fix this sentence or that one, I tend to lose my way.Suzie Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06296203324088418271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7502152359497137754.post-71652687010723413982013-02-13T09:17:42.840-05:002013-02-13T09:17:42.840-05:00I think it's fine to have a messy first draft....I think it's fine to have a messy first draft. I'm starting to enjoy editing more than the manic first draft stage. I can do it at a much more leisurely pace. I enjoy fussing over every word.Dina Sleimanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05214446103057806111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7502152359497137754.post-15103896124287924292013-02-13T06:10:49.644-05:002013-02-13T06:10:49.644-05:00mine would go under the obsessive list maker way t...mine would go under the obsessive list maker way to edit:<br />First, I'm big on plotting so I know what's going on plot-wise in every chapter before I start. and I have an idea what baggage the h/h have and how their goals will be in conflict with each other's.<br /><br />Okay, so then I write it as a rough draft (pretty much all dialogue and 'telling')<br /><br />Edits then Debra E. Marvinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17853387871623424853noreply@blogger.com