IngramElliott Publishing
  • Welcome
    • About
  • Film & TV
  • Titles
    • A Call to China
    • Benny Moon: Racing the Medicine Wheel
    • Benny Moon Eats Dirt
    • Benny Moon Saves the Standing People
    • Between the Ocean and the Stars
    • The Button Collector
    • Clown William
    • Clown William and the Lincoln County War
    • Clown William and the Wind of Vengeance
    • The Cornbread Letters
    • Crooked Lines
    • First Line of Defense
    • Highlights of Palmistry
    • Hungry
    • Indian Country
    • Island Whispers
    • JuJu Justice
    • Medicine Hat Moments
    • Ms. Mulligan and the Enchanted Ice Cream
    • Mystery Muffin & Soda Pop Slooth: The Legend of Mr. Creepy
    • Mystery Muffin & Soda Pop Slooth: The Ghost of Crippler's Creek
    • Path of the Half Moon
    • Courses of the Cursed
    • Merging Paths
    • Surrender
    • TimeLock
    • TimeLock 2: The Kyoto Conspiracy
    • The Timestream Verdict
    • Whispers on the Wind
    • WWCC Heroes: Pablo's Adventure
    • WWCC Heroes
  • Submissions
  • News & Updates
  • Shop
    • IE Merch Mall
    • Amazon
    • Barnes and Noble
  • Contact

All writers need editors . . . and all editors do too!

11/20/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
By guest editor and contributor Macy Cochran

Patience is key to publication, and after writing a novel, the dreaded editing process is next, calling for the utmost patience. Writing a novel might sound like the difficult and tedious part of publishing, but isn’t editing your work the most time-consuming part? 

The editing and revision process is hard on the author and even more trying when beginning the process right after completing your last chapter.  All writers need a break from their manuscript, so before taking a nose dive right back into your novel, give yourself a break and allow for time to refresh your creative mind prior to looking upon your manuscript with a pair of fresh eyes. 


Picture
Some of the best practices for editing your work prior to publication or professional editing can be quick and easy if you take one step at a time. 

First, read through your manuscript checking for instances where you might “tell” the action instead of “showing” it.  Doing a word search for adverbs that end with “ly” is a perfect place to start.  The best way to avoid pesky adverbs is to consider the sentence and create a description the adverb was trying to imply.

All writers face overused words that always make their way into your work.  While editing your own piece, start cutting some of those overused words.  Though it might seem time consuming, a quick read-through of your book is what will call attention to any sort of redundancy that’s woven within. 

Like most authors, we’d like to think our work is a masterpiece that needs no professional editing.  The problem is that all authors need editors, and even better––all editors need editors.  While you might not catch some awkward phrasing or wordy sentences, an editor is sure to polish those blemishes. 

Editors can seem intimidating in the beginning because they’re literally hired to find your mistakes. But what might not meet the eye upon first introduction is that working with an editor builds a level of trust.  An editor cares for your book as much as you do, and that’s why they chose to work with you. 


Picture
Working with an editor is often a learning experience. 

During the time you’re with an editor, you’ll get a better understanding of what kind of editing you need. While developmental editing clears up plot holes and character development, line editing takes care of general syntax issues where grammatical errors tend to appear. Proofreading is almost always a necessity that gives your manuscript a final review for typos and last-minute details prior to publication.   

 
But if working with an editor right after the completion of your novel feels too soon, online workshop classes are a timeless means of receiving peer feedback from writers and editors alike.  Every author’s opinion is valuable and worth considering. 

When it comes down to it, editing is likely the most important part of publishing a novel, so track down an editor who’s right for you and your genre and get to work!


Picture
​
Macy Cochran is a freelance editor and writer for the Tryon Daily Bulletin. Learn more about how to work with Macy on her website at ElegantEditingServices.com or by email at [email protected]. 


Want to know more about working with editors? Check out a previous blog post about working with professional editors: It's your baby, let it grow!
0 Comments

      Join our mailing list

    Subscribe

    Archives

    March 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    June 2024
    March 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    November 2022
    October 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    May 2022
    November 2021
    August 2021
    June 2021
    April 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016

    Categories

    All
    10 Years
    Adobe
    Advertising
    Amazon
    Austin Film Festival
    Author Interview
    Author Platform
    Authors
    Awards
    Barnes & Noble
    Bestseller
    Blog Tours
    Blog Writing
    CIBA
    Contests
    Editing
    Events
    Gift Guide
    Gifts
    Goodreads
    Holidays
    IBPA
    Independent Publishers
    IndieBound
    IngramElliott
    IPPY
    Marketing Books
    Merchandise
    New Releases
    NIEA
    Podcast
    Publishing
    Reading For Kids
    Reviews
    Social Media
    Uncommon Publishing
    Virtual Assistant
    Writing Tips

    RSS Feed

Picture
Picture
©2015-2025 IngramElliott, Inc.
  • Welcome
    • About
  • Film & TV
  • Titles
    • A Call to China
    • Benny Moon: Racing the Medicine Wheel
    • Benny Moon Eats Dirt
    • Benny Moon Saves the Standing People
    • Between the Ocean and the Stars
    • The Button Collector
    • Clown William
    • Clown William and the Lincoln County War
    • Clown William and the Wind of Vengeance
    • The Cornbread Letters
    • Crooked Lines
    • First Line of Defense
    • Highlights of Palmistry
    • Hungry
    • Indian Country
    • Island Whispers
    • JuJu Justice
    • Medicine Hat Moments
    • Ms. Mulligan and the Enchanted Ice Cream
    • Mystery Muffin & Soda Pop Slooth: The Legend of Mr. Creepy
    • Mystery Muffin & Soda Pop Slooth: The Ghost of Crippler's Creek
    • Path of the Half Moon
    • Courses of the Cursed
    • Merging Paths
    • Surrender
    • TimeLock
    • TimeLock 2: The Kyoto Conspiracy
    • The Timestream Verdict
    • Whispers on the Wind
    • WWCC Heroes: Pablo's Adventure
    • WWCC Heroes
  • Submissions
  • News & Updates
  • Shop
    • IE Merch Mall
    • Amazon
    • Barnes and Noble
  • Contact