Get An Editor

      

Don't self-publish without an editor!

Anyone that has been following along my bumbling writing journey will know that I went ahead and published my first novel without an editor. I have a habit of not only jumping in with both feet but also going straight from the frying pan into the fire. I am easily excitable and don't look before I leap.

Ok no more beating around the bush, the point of my post, get an editor!

When I found out from a friend that I could self-publish for free, I got over-excited and said: "Hey I wrote a book and it's been sitting here collecting dust." So I put it online without editing - that was a big mistake! It seems in my re-reading and self-editing, I still cannot see the misused words, it's as though my brain reads what I meant to write, and not what I actually wrote. Plus my grammar skills are lacking. (I am learning as I go.)

I was lucky enough that a kind person read my book and said to me: "It sucks, you need work." Then he offered to help me out; now I have an excellent mentor and editor, who teaches me along the way.

Here is an example of what he does for me - an excerpt from a story I wrote.

The gray portions are his comments, other colors spots to fix.....“

As he stumbled through the park, he would every so often check over his shoulder to ensure he as still alone.  Twilight was darkening the city as he stepped out from under the trees. You need to work on your prose with the description.  It started good and went bad.  Take the preceding sentence for example.  It is ghastly and needs to be rewritten.  Here is a better example: Relieved as he stepped from the treeline back onto the trail, he realized twilight had fallen over the city.

I decided to discuss this because, now that I am reading more Indie authors, I am finding that too many of them do not use editors. There have been a few stories that I really enjoyed for uniqueness and style, but they lost me in the end because they needed to be more attentive to grammar and flow.

I would have been trapped in the same loop, had it not been for the kindness of strangers. I even reached out to a couple of these aforementioned authors to give them the same advice I received, and they would not hear it, they responded offensively. I find that sad, as how do we grow and change if we cannot look beyond our shortcomings. 

Well, I wish everyone the best, and if you need an editor, my guy is extremely technical and tough, and he will make sure you put your best foot forward.On a side note I don't get him to edit my blogs, so all errors here are mine.

Contact +Zanedowling for a budget conscious quote or if you are not on G+ message me and I will give you his email.

Happy Writing, Theresa