Editing Aftermath
Posted 31 Jan 2017
editing
I completed my proofreading edit review/implementation on Sunday. The proofreader I hired through Reedsy caught some fantastic issues, and while I am completely wiped out from the process, there is no way I could ever question the value of the effort or the cost of services.
Lessons I took from the process:
- I can feel free to sprinkle commas like rainbow sprinkles, and trust the grammar professionals to tell me where to keep them or scrub them.
- Reading out loud is invaluable as part of the process of catching issues.
- Let me repeat: Reading out loud is invaluable as part of the process of catching issues.
- I allow myself to listen to my gut and risk being wrong if something feels right for my story and my voice rather than allow the voice of Imposter Syndrome to tell me that, because I'm paying this person for their professional services, their edits are obligatory.
- No one reader is going to catch every nuance in the story. I have to be okay with that. Just go with the gut and confirm the details are there.
- I'm gonna need a map, after all. That's not a bad thing. Lord of the Rings has a map, and my world building is far more assumption-breaking than Middle Earth.
- This process deserves as much time as it takes to complete, and the book will be better for it.
- Not every comment needs to trigger a revision.
- Not every error can be caught.
- No one is perfect, least of all me.
Oh my goodness, this step is DONE.
Next Tuesday: Cover art update!