The Candle

MY TAKE ON EDITING

I’m working on a new book. I actually have at least four other books outlined and several children’s books I’ve never published, but the one I’m crafting now is moving along. The issue my main character is facing is one of stolen identity. I’ll share more later, but the topic of the day is EDITING. 

Editing is a big issue. I broach it for two reasons. First, I’ve met a few people of late who think editing is merely a matter of spelling and punctuation. 

AS A FORMER AGENT I MET SAYS,
"This is why the world needs editors!"

I actually had someone say, “Spell check or something will fix it. That’s what I do. If the word is red or something, I find the right spelling.” 

That’s only part of it. Proofreading usually catches those errors if your computer didn’t. 

Then…there’s also developmental editing. That’s when you discover there are holes in your plot that need to be addressed. 

And there is fact checking. I write fiction, but I am always fact checking everything I write. For example, in this newest venture, I took a citizen’s police academy course a few years ago. Earlier this summer, as I started the research for this book, I called on Joel Herzog, from that police department where I graduated the citizen’s academy and talked with him about my book, my character, and the way her identity may have been compromised. 

Don’t worry. I am not offering tips on “how-to” in my novel. My character learns ways to deal with the issue. Of course, there is much more to the story than that, but fact checking my content on this issue is important. I can’t always trust what I see happen in a television program. 

I read everything I write several times, including at least once OUTLOUD. Word for word. Writing is fun. Editing is work. 

If you are a writer or want to be a writer, you’ll hear words like “copyediting,” “fact checking,” “developmental editing,” “proofreading,” and so on. 

Writing is work. It is one thing to have a great idea. It is another to convey that notion from beginning to end in 80,000 words without substantial editing. 

The picture? I found that in a thrift store and couldn’t resist forking over the two dollars for it!