Do I need an editor? |
Author: Scott Staerkel (---.ok.ok.cox.net)
Date: 01-10-02 08:47
I am currently putting the finishing touches on a novella besed upon an original screenplay I wrote and optioned in 1996 to two academy award nominated writer producers. My question is...should I find an editor before I begin the submission process or should I save my time and and money let an interested publisher edit the work for me?
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Re: Do I need an editor? |
Author: Brad Maier (---.cg.shawcable.net)
Date: 01-10-02 09:09
Scott: Although most editors will do exactly that with work they're interested in i.e. edit it, you shouldn't rely solely on them either. Make the work as polished as you can before submitting it. A good professional editor can really polish a work but their rates are ususally 40 to 50 dollars an hour and up. There are also some sharks out there that will simply fiddle with your work, making only cosmetic changes, and charge you a lot of money to do so. Take it as far as you can on your own then send it out and see what people say about it, would be my advice. Good luck.
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Re: Do I need an editor? |
Author: Mark Bastable (194.203.22.---)
Date: 01-10-02 10:13
Depends what you mean by an editor, I think. Editors perform three separate functions....
1. Line-editing. That is, correcting typos, noticing missing words, slapping your wrist when you say 'flaunt' instead of 'flout'.
2. Sub-editing. That is, deciding that you've got the rhythm of the sentence wrong, or that you use the passive voice too much, or that that joke could do with some improvement and - hey - look, now it's much funnier.
3. Meta-editing- That is, writing in the margin, "We need to know more about Rachel otherwise we don't care enough when her puppy is steamrollered..."
So - what kind of editing might you need? Almost everyone needs the first kind, because very few of us make no typos and dumb your/you're errors in the throes of creative estasy. However, unless a manuscript contains so many such errors that it irritates, most publishers wouldn't turn down a book because of them.
The third kind of editor is useful - but frustrating. One will say, "The dialogue's great, but we need more description to give a sense of place and to pace the whole thing." And another will say, "The dialogue's what makes this work. Cut out all that descriptive stuff - it just slows the thing down." So one tends to take the advice one agrees with. Still worth getting it though.
And the second kind of editor - the kind that messes with your writing - needs to be taken out and hung from a lamp-post by a hook through the tongue.
Clive James to a Sub-editor: Why did you make changes to my piece?
Sub-Editor: Well, I just thought they improved it...
Clive James: Listen, bub, if I wrote like that, I'd be *you*..
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Re: Do I need an editor? |
Author: Gary Kessler (---.dialup.mindspring.com)
Date: 01-10-02 10:33
No, especially if you already have a hook of previous industry interest in the work as you describe, there's really no reason to seek your own edit before submission. Let the publisher pay for editing. If it keeps coming back with evidence that something is standing in the way of acceptance that might be helped if you had someone of your own work it over, consider seeking your own editing help at that point.
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Re: Do I need an editor? |
Author: Dirk McClintock (63.69.220.---)
Date: 01-11-02 09:42
There are plenty of great books on editing your own work-I personally feel that a writer should edit his/her own work. Having said that, I think it's important to run it past someone else's eyes, perhaps a trusted colleague, to look for minor copy errors and perhaps continuity errors that are easily missed when reading a work over and over again.
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Re: Do I need an editor? |
Author: J. Casey (---.anc.acsalaska.net)
Date: 01-11-02 16:39
I wouldn't go into a lawsuit against powerful people without haveing a good lawyer, therefore, I would certainly have my work edited by the best professional I could find. It can make the difference in having your work published and not published.
When I've been sure my work was perfected, I could look at it a couple weeks later and see flaws in it. It's unusual for a writer to find all the inconsistancies, over emphasizing a point that could be deleted, and have too many adjectives or sentences that could be constructed better.
Jane
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Re: Do I need an editor? |
Author: Wendy Duncan (---.proxy.aol.com)
Date: 01-13-02 07:20
You'll need (and get) final editing services via acceptance of your manuscript, most likely. Let them pay for the final tweaking. As a writer, you always want to put your best work forward, so who knows better what you're trying to say and how to say it? Pre-edit before submitting. Unless you have numerous or glaring mistakes, they will be able to see past it and evaluate the work.
It's always good to have someone who is capable and will have an honest response read your work. By capabale, I mean someone who has a command of the language and its usage, and well-read enough to understand your genre and how your work reads. By honest, I'm not referring to your mom or sister who loves you too much to give you critical feedback and not just love pats. If you can find one person who fits both descriptions.. .Nirvana! Treat them well at Christmas!
I never recommend paid editing right out of the box, as there are (as mentioned) a lot of ways to get fleeced. Do as much polishing as you can, then send that baby out there to face the cold, cruel world. Hopefully, if it's rejected a few times, you'll at least get some commentary to steer you toward refinement.
Best of luck,
Wendy D.
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Re: Do I need an editor? |
Author: Patricia Cooper (---.toronto72.dialup.canada.psi.net)
Date: 01-13-02 11:11
Read Ann Crispin's post in a more recent thread -- her advice, as always, is profound and right on the button.
I don't know how many times I have edited some of my chapters. Sometimes it may be that I only change one word, or perhaps delete another adverb. Polish every sentence until it shines.
I would just add to Ann's advice that this is YOUR work, and it is written in YOUR voice. Let it remain as such. Perfectly polished it should be strong enough to stand alone without being 'tweaked' by some unknown.
patC
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