Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Learn How to Edit Yourself, Please

A friendly reminder from your favorite local semi-pro writer: editors are not there to fix the mistakes you made because you couldn't be bothered to learn some really fundamental stuff.

This is not one of my random writing rants, I assure you. Far too often, I come across writers and/or written pieces that are sorely lacking in the editorial department. (And, in fact, I have written about it before.) Everyone makes a typographical error now and then; this isn't the kind of thing with which I take issue. When I was working in publishing, I straight-up admitted that there would be at least one mistake in every book I ever produced, because human error is a strange and terrifying thing. Rather, it's the attitude that some people have about their level of proficiency with the English language.

If you don't know how to use a semi-colon, go and find a book that will explain it. If you're not sure what the difference is between flaunted and flouted, pick up a dictionary. If you never learned about the proper format for dialogue in a short story or novel, might I recommend that you ACTUALLY READ A SHORT STORY OR NOVEL?

I promise I'm done yelling. For now. But seriously, I beg of you: brush up on your writing skills prior to showing your work to someone, especially an editor. You will thank yourself later, guaranteed.

-Cate-

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