Today is the last in our series of posts on working with an editor from guest blogger Cressida Downing. Today she’s giving us the overview of the benefits of being edited and answering the question, Why get edited?
So ultimately – why get edited?
- It picks up horrendous grammatical and spelling errors that can put your readers off your writing for good.
- It pulls out any plot holes – you may know who the mysterious man is – but you may have forgotten to give any information for your reader to work it out.
- It suggests a coherent shape to your work. – it’s helpful to have a fresh pair of eyes to see what the whole looks like, especially if you’ve been down amongst the details for some time.
- It can show you areas where your writing needs improving. Writing well is a long-term apprenticeship. There are common early mistakes, and it’s helpful to have them pointed out so you can be aware of how to fine-tune your style.
- It stops you getting too precious about your writing. You may feel a phrase is perfect, and should stay in its entirety – but if your readers find it an annoying diversion, you’ll lose them.
What do you think? What benefits have you had from editing?
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You can read all of Cressida’s posts on editing here.
Cressida will be speaking about editing at Eroticon, find out more about the speakers and buy your tickets at the Eroticon conference site.
