Start with the Macro Edits

Recently I took a webinar on self-editing picture book manuscripts. The presenter, editor Natascha Biebow, explained that when we edit our work we need to start with macro-edits and then move on to micro-edits 

I quickly realized that her macro-edits were what I call “big picture” edits. These are the structural things that make or break your story. Micro-edits were the minute details like word choice, spelling, and punctuation that make for smooth reading, but without the macro-edits no amount of polish will save a manuscript. 

Discussing this with my accountability group, we realized that we are all much better at micro-editing our work. Angela pointed out that many writers really need an outside reader to help them see the big picture. Without another pair of eyes, it is hard to see what works and what doesn’t on a structural level. 

One thing that can help you conduct your own macro-edits is to analyze your work based on a checklist of possible problems. For fiction, macro-edits include: 

1. Whether or not the reader knows who the main character is by the end of chapter one for a novel or the first paragraph for a piece of flash. 
2. Does the reader know what the character’s problem is or what is at risk if the character fails to solve this problem? 
3. Does the story have a beginning, a middle, and an end? The beginning is where you set up the story problem. The middle is where the character attempts to solve this problem. The ending of the story wraps it all up. 
4. Is the character sympathetic and three-dimensional? This doesn’t mean that the character needs to be likable, but they need to have one or more traits that readers can sympathize with. She may be an anti-hero, but she does her mother’s laundry every week, or she feeds the stray cats in her neighborhood. 
5. Does your reader know what the setting is? This means that they need to know when and where it takes place. Too often stories take place in some un-named blank space. 
6. Is each of your characters essential to the story? Maybe some of them can be combined or eliminated. You need to similarly scrutinize each chapter and scene. 

Nonfiction is going to have a slightly different set of possible macro-edits but these include: 

1. Is there a clear introduction? This is where you let the reader know what you are writing about and why it matters. 
2. Do you build your piece step by step? This means that material needs to be presented in the most effective order. But it also means that you include enough clear, meaningful examples to lead your reader through the argument or the steps in completing your how-to. 
3. Is the voice consistent throughout the piece? Or does it start out stiff and then get more conversational as you warm to your topic? You also need to verify that this voice is appropriate for the audience and market. 
4. Make sure that all necessary terms are defined. 
5. Is each paragraph unique? It can be easy to give the same information in more than one place. Delete all repetitive sections. 
6. Does the ending include a clear summary of all conclusions? Or is it rushed? 

Analyzing your work to make macro-edits is tough. It is too easy to see the manuscript you intended to write vs the manuscript you actually created. Going through a check list and examining one element at a time can make this task easier. What items would you include in your own macro-edit checklist?

--SueBE

Sue Bradford Edwards' is the author of over 30 books for young readers.  To find out more about her writing, visit her site and blog, One Writer's Journey.

The next session of her new course, Pitching, Querying and Submitting Your Work will begin on June 5, 2022).  Coping with rejection is one of the topics she will cover in this course.

Sue is also the instructor for  Research: Prepping to Write Nonfiction for Children and Young Adults (next session begins June 5, 2022) and Writing Nonfiction for Children and Young Adults (next session begins June 5, 2022). 

Read More »

6 comments macro-edit, macro-edits, micro-edit, revision, revisioning, rewriting, Self-editing

Friday Speak Out!: Self-Editing/Rewrites An Important Tool for any Author

by Robin Murphy

You will find MANY articles, blogs, and self-help posts on the Internet or in bookstores, regarding self-editing and rewrites. Everyone has his or her own way of doing this process, and quite frankly I think it should be left up to you, the writer, to discover what works best. Some wait until they are completely done to begin the editing, others do it while they write. Me personally, I edit as I write, and then again, and again, and again after I have completed the novel. The same holds true if you are writing a non-fiction article.

Some despise this process, while others love it. I happen to fully enjoy editing. It gives me comfort in knowing I’m making my story better, and it allows me to change my mind anytime I wish. Which is what writing is all about, right? That complete freedom to change, add, or delete anything you want within your story.

I feel that editing is the most critical part of the writing process. There isn’t a magic number of times to re-read your story, but I was told to re-read my story until my mind squealed and then put it away for a week or two and come back and read it again.

Another option is to read your story out loud to yourself and if you slow down or stop when you’re speaking, you can be rest assured that’s a sign of something being off base or not quite right.

I’m an author on a budget, so unfortunately I haven’t been able to pay for a professional editor to edit my stories. There are many who say to join a critique group to read/edit your story; this can be okay, as long as they are genuinely sincere in your success. For me, I use some family members. After all, they’re readers, and are comfortable in telling me there’s either an error, typo, or something doesn’t make sense. You have to be able to receive this constructive criticism. We authors hold these stories close to our hearts, but you need to have a thick skin because what I’ve discovered over the years is that most of the points my family have made…have been correct, or a point of view I hadn’t seen for myself.

However you choose to have your article/story edited, please do it to an inch of its life, because after all, an editor of a magazine or publishing company is going to expect it to be at that professional level.

* * *

Robin Murphy is an Amazon best selling author. She is a paranormal mystery and travel writer; a speaker on author platforms, self-publishing, and marketing, and the sole-proprietor of Rookie Writers Solutions. She has also worked in the administrative, graphic design, desktop publishing, writing, and self-publishing arena for more than thirty years. Her wide range of skills and abilities place her at the top of her field. Robin is currently an executive virtual admin and freelance writer.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Would you like to participate in Friday "Speak Out!"? Email your short posts (under 500 words) about women and writing to: marcia[at]wow-womenonwriting[dot]com for consideration. We look forward to hearing from you!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Read More »

4 comments author tips, editing, Friday Speak Out, Robin Murphy, Self-editing

Friday Speak Out!: Quality Control—After the Editor

by Frances Brown

We’ve all heard that it’s almost impossible to self-edit our writing, and there are no truer words. You see, we are all human, but our eyes don’t know that. So, they perform this handy little function, akin to the “auto-correct” function on our smartphones. When our eyes read words that we have written, they skim right over all the errors, essentially “auto-correcting” the word, phrase, or sentence to what our brains know it should be. Which is why we rely on good content and copy-editors to perfect our work.

My problem is that once I get back the edited manuscript, I go through and make all the suggested edits. That’s what we’re supposed to do, right? And why is that a problem? Because the manuscript does not return to the editor after I’ve made my edits. And in making those corrections or changes, I make yet more errors.

These errors are invisible to my auto-correct eyes on my computer screen. I’ve tried printing off the piece and reading the words on paper, but my eyes don’t fail me. They insist on inserting missing words and ignoring repeated ones. They refuse to admit when a sentence is awkward. They repeatedly, and insistently, insert commas where they aren’t needed.

So, what’s the answer? You’ve paid an editor, you’ve made all your edits, and you’re ready to pitch or publish your piece. But you can’t afford a second round of edits . . . what’s a girl to do?

This is advice I got from the publisher of my very first novel, Debbie Gilbert of Soul Mate Publishing—read it out loud. I didn’t believe her at the time. Boy, do I believe her now.

Your ears can hear what your eyes cannot see—even if the words are coming out of your own mouth. I am amazed every time I’ve gone over and over a piece of writing until I’m absolutely, positively certain that it’s perfect. Then I read it out loud. How did that extra “the” get in there? Why does that sentence sound so clunky? Did I really use the word “aggravate” three times in one paragraph?

In my office, I keep two giant aquariums filled with colorful, freshwater angelfish. They are the “best read” angelfish in the world, because they’ve heard almost every blog, story, and chapter I’ve ever written. Do they bother to offer their literary opinions? No. But they are patient and haven’t complained once about having to listen to endless hours of narration.

Yes, you read that right. Hours. I once lost my voice after reading an entire 349-page novel out loud in one weekend—to my angelfish. You would not believe how many errors I caught before the copy went to print. Precious time, well spent.

I’m still waiting, however, for one—just one!—of those snooty, stoic angelfish to post a review for me. Nothing yet. Guess they haven’t perfected aquatic laptops yet.

* * *

Frances Brown is a multi-published, award winning author of a memoir, and five novels + one Author Resource book entitled, The Road to Publication under her pseudonym, Claire Gem. You can visit her at http://www.francessusannebrown.com and http://www.clairegem.com. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Would you like to participate in Friday "Speak Out!"? Email your short posts (under 500 words) about women and writing to: marcia[at]wow-womenonwriting[dot]com for consideration. We look forward to hearing from you!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Read More »

4 comments advice for writers, Claire Gem, editing tips, Frances Brown, Friday Speak Out, Self-editing

Friday Speak Out!: Self-Editing Tips from an Editor

by Erin Liles

You know how it is, you read your work over and over, and soon, reading it becomes like driving on autopilot. Except, sometimes, you miss your exit and end up on the wrong side of town. Reading on autopilot can be a lot like that. After countless reads, you start missing the errors.

Now, I’m not suggesting you don’t need an editor (ehem, waves), especially if you plan to self-publish, but I am saying that you can be a lot more effective at self-editing with a few nifty tricks.

Search

Use your search function to look for common filler words like just, very, really, you know, those words we think we really need but don’t. Unless you’re using them in dialogue, which might contribute to the voice of a character, these words are generally unnecessary.

List

Make a list of common errors and use the search function to find them. My list has things like preferred word spellings and hyphenations, space before closing punctuation, and abbreviations.

Print

Print out your manuscript and read it beginning to end. Reading it as a paper copy helps you see it in a different way so that you can spot errors more easily. So, get out your red pen!

Read

Load it onto your Kindle or another e-reader. Like printing the manuscript, this gives you a fresh way to see it. On a Kindle you can also add notes and highlight, making it easy to find your corrections when you’re ready.

Listen

This one is my absolute favorite! You convert your Word document to a PDF and then under the View tab, choose Read Aloud. Then, slip on your headphones and start listening! Since I have two screens, I always have one screen showing the PDF where I’m following along as it reads and the other screen showing the Word document where I’ll make corrections. If you don’t have two screens, you can easily switch back and forth between documents, or use a printed version to make corrections on.

This technique is valuable in helping to find those small missing words like “a” and “the,” incorrect word usage, repetitive words, phrases, or sentence structure, and it can help you identify wordy or awkward sentences.

What self-editing tricks do you use?

Happy editing!

***

Erin Liles is a freelance editor and writer. She is the author of A Friend for Freckles, and her young adult novel is represented by Mansion Street Literary. You can visit her website at editperfectword.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Would you like to participate in Friday "Speak Out!"? Email your short posts (under 500 words) about women and writing to: marcia[at]wow-womenonwriting[dot]com for consideration. We look forward to hearing from you!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Read More »

6 comments editing, Erin Liles, Friday Speak Out, Self-editing, tips for writers

Friday Speak Out!: Why Writers Should Have Multiple Personalities

by Bonnie ZoBell

When I'm drafting, I'm the most Bonniesh. I let her rip without other voices interfering. Annabel, a girl from the wrong side of the tracks who's not un-smart but who has no boundaries, often edges in from my subconscious to loosen me up. If for some reason there's a refrigerator in the bedroom, instead of banning it, I leave it, try to figure out why it's there. If my character wants to drive her Studebaker to the airport and fly to Jot-Em-Down, Texas, after a bad day, so be it.

After that free-spirited start, stealthily, I begin to get more critical. Pilar kicks in, reminding me "stealthily" ain't the best word. No, my character can't wear a leopard bustier to a funeral. But why can't she? Just because I wouldn't? Not a good reason. Sure, let her paint the living room fuchsia, but make her stop saying "rad" so much. And if she can't see the father is doing everything he can, do we really want to read a whole story from her perspective?

My draft is decent enough now that if I were eaten by Big Foot tomorrow and someone probed my belongings, the story would simply look like a rough draft, not meaningless ramblings. Unlike me, largely a recluse, I make my characters confront heinous boyfriends, tell their bosses off, suddenly go to Spain. I describe unusual colors of brown hair, explore what these people are so afraid of, what they think will happen if they don't take action. What's at their core.

When split infinitives start to cross my mind, Theodore, buried in my cerebral cortex, chimes in. He claims never to have seen the piece before—good because I've read it so many times I'm numb. He's been at the New Yorker since the 13th century. He's appalled at many passages. He wants to know why if the story is set during the Vietnam War, the character would say "Googled." Why is the mother contemplating her relationship with her daughter AGAIN on p. 3 when she just did on p. 2? Do I mean further or do I really mean farther? Why is there a space break on p. 12 when it's still the same scene? I've got to shut Theodore up before he goes too far, though, or I'd only be writing technical journals. Shoo, Theodore!

I read the story fourteen more times, lock it in a drawer, then read it again. I find unnecessary phrases, realize that if I move a scene from p. 8 to p. 3, everything opens up faster. How could I have spelled "spontaneous" that way? Okay, I'll cave and put the thing through Spell Check, though I prefer to work alone.

Sparrow, an uber-savvy chick on FaceBook, sneaks in from some cavernous corner of my psyche. However, I hardly know this "friend." She's way too cool for me, so I make her retreat.

My editor self has to decide whether to call the person I'm addressing in my cover letter "Mr.," "Ms.," "Dear Surly Button Review," "Sir," "Madam," or "To Whom," but I'm guessing (hoping) this part doesn't really matter.

I take the word "impish" out, put it back in. I try to decide whether I'd be sympathetic toward this character if I met him on the street. Is there any reason to turn the page? Is there at least a sliver of humor no matter how serious the theme? Is there enough personality going on in that character so he's as Bonniesh as he can be?

Then the story might be ready.

* * *

Photo by Elsa http://www.photobyelsa.com/

Bonnie ZoBell's new linked collection from Press 53, What Happened Here: a novella and stories , is centered on the site PSA Flight 182 crashed into North Park, San Diego, in 1978 and features the imaginary characters who live there now. Her fiction chapbook The Whack-Job Girls was published in March 2013. She has received a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship in fiction, the Capricorn Novel Award, and a PEN Syndicated Fiction Award. She has an MFA from Columbia University, currently teaches at San Diego Mesa College and is working on a novel. Visit her at www.bonniezobell.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Would you like to participate in Friday "Speak Out!"? Email your short posts (under 500 words) about women and writing to: marcia[at]wow-womenonwriting[dot]com for consideration. We look forward to hearing from you!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Read More »

14 comments Bonnie ZoBell, editing fiction, first draft, Friday Speak Out, Self-editing

Friday Speak Out!: The Internal Editor Is Not The Enemy

by Kathleen Basi

The internal editor gets a bad rap, and not without reason. Writing requires a strong heart to withstand everything from tough critiques to the slush pile and the inevitable rejection letter. We certainly don’t need our own minds adding to the negative energy.

And yet I often think we’re too hard on the internal editor. After all, that mental whisper is the first one to tell us when the words flying from our fingers are filled with whining, posturing, or clichés—not to mention when we’re just plain barking up the wrong tree. Most of us have seen plenty of things that could have used the TLC of a good internal editor. A well-trained IE, and a measured, thoughtful relationship with it, can save an author a lot of wasted time.

I’m a slow, methodical writer. I believe in letting things simmer--setting them aside when something doesn’t feel right, turning it over in my mind, talking things through out loud while I drive, do dishes, or fold laundry.

In other words, entering into conversation with the internal editor, who often turns out to be pretty smart.

Here are three things my IE has taught me:

1. The Brick Wall. If I get stuck on a sentence or a paragraph for longer than 10 minutes, there’s something fundamentally wrong with it. Usually it’s not supposed to be there at all, but occasionally I’m trying to force a metaphor and I just need to say it straight, or find a different one altogether.

2. The Don’t Rush It. When NaNoWriMo is leering in the web browser, it’s easy to give in to the pressure to write down anything, no matter how bad it is, just to get to a word count. But stopping to take a deep breath and problem solve at the front end can save a lot of time later, fixing things that shouldn’t have been there in the first place (refer to #1).

3. The “Don’t Just Tell Me It’s Bad, Tell Me Why.” The more I read and the more I study the craft of writing, the more I realize if the IE is nagging, it’s because I already know what the problem is. I just have to stop and think it through. Refer to #2.

So when my internal editor starts whispering generalized discouragement in my ear, I take a deep breath and turn my back on it. But when it points to something in my writing, I stop and listen. And I’m always glad I did.

* * *

Kathleen Basi writes an award-winning column for Liguorian magazine as well as regular magazine features. She has published a trio of short nonfiction books for families, and her fiction and essay credits include The Storyteller, Apeiron Review, Chicken Soup for the Soul and NPR's All Things Considered. Her manuscript, THE WINE WIDOW, won third place in the WFWA's inaugural Rising Star contest in 2014. She can be found at www.kathleenbasi.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Would you like to participate in Friday "Speak Out!"? Email your short posts (under 500 words) about women and writing to: marcia[at]wow-womenonwriting[dot]com for consideration. We look forward to hearing from you!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Read More »

1 comment advice for writers, Friday Speak Out, internal editor, Kathleen Basi, Self-editing

Making a List, and Checking it Twice

I must confess, I have always been a list-maker. I make to-do lists. I make pro-con lists when trying to reach a decision. I make lists for goals, both long-term and short-term. I make numerous lists for trips: what to do, what to pack, what information to leave with the sitter, etc.

I learned early in my editing career the value of lists. Style sheets have long been a staple in copy editing (although the term now applies more frequently to web design and desktop publishing), but I also made other kinds of lists. I wrote out lists of trends I was seeing in various authors’ works. I identified frequently occurring errors, and made notes to myself about how best to address them. I also jotted down things that I should always look for, creating an “editing checklist” that I still use today. Most of it is committed to memory, but having it down on (virtual) paper helps me to avoid overlooking something simple.

But one area where I never thought about making lists was in my writing. Writing had always been more of an organic experience for me, so the idea of creating lists felt too rigid and forced, I suppose. I was list-making out the wazoo everywhere else in my life. But in my writing, it completely escaped my notice.

When I finally thought to apply list-making to my writing, more specifically to editing my own writing, I realized how much I’d been missing by not doing it sooner. I created lists for issues specific to a particular work (character lists, timelines of events, plot points, etc.), but I also started creating lists for more general issues. I’d applied my editor’s list-making skills to editing and critiquing clients’ writing, but not to my own.

It worked wonders. I was able to detect trends and habits in my own writing that had escaped my notice. I discovered that I was over-using certain filler words across the board and my penchant for adverbs often became even more pronounced during particularly intense scenes. I realized that just as lists had made me a stronger editor, they were slowly, but surely, making me a stronger writer too.

Not only did these lists help me to figure out what to look for when editing my own work, but they also started to bleed into my “writer’s” brain. I started to catch myself using filler words during the drafting stage and cutting it off at the pass. I started becoming more aware of my weaker writing tendencies, and I was able to develop better ones to replace them.

In the end, while I realize that list-making isn’t for everyone, I know that it’s helped me to become a better and more self-aware writer.

So, if I were to make a list of advice for fellow writers and self-editors, at the top of that list would definitely be to start making more lists.

***

Denise Long holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in English from the University of Illinois. She has been teaching college-level English courses since 2006, including literature courses and writing courses, ranging from English Composition to Professional and Technical Writing. She has been editing, in some capacity, since 1998, and she has edited many works of fiction and non-fiction and numerous academic articles, dissertations, and theses. Her scholarly work in American literature has been presented and published regionally in the Midwest, and her short fiction has been published in a handful of print and online publications.

Join her brand new class, Tips and Tools for Self-Editing. For  information and enrollment, click here.  Sign up now to reserve your spot!

Read More »

1 comment Denise Long, lists, online class, Self-editing, WOW Classes, WOW instructor

Conference Takeaways on Self-Editing

The NCWN conference packet and schedule.
Photo | Elizabeth K Humphrey

This past weekend, the North Carolina Writers' Network held its fall conference nearby. An editing colleague and I put on a workshop about self-editing. Here are five (of many) takeaways from the conference and our session:

Skills Can Be Important. Before I headed into my session, I chatted with a woman who had self-edited her manuscript. She studied English and technical writing in college, but she said even she found editing her own work difficult and a more lengthy process than she thought it would be when she started. Even with her skills, she continues to find errors and wonders why she didn't catch them when she edited.

Editing Styles Are Important, but Not Essential in Self-Editing. During the workshop, different editing manuals were mentioned. One group of attendees started asking about the variations and how to learn the styles. With self-editing, one of the things we stress is keeping work consistent and clear. Readers generally notice the inconsistencies and lack of clarity in writing, not which style you've applied to your writing.

Readers Are Great, but Know Their Limitations. We all need readers and having friends read through out manuscripts is a super idea. But don't confuse having a reader with having an editor. The majority of readers are not reading to make sure you've used the Oxford comma consistently. One issue that one attendee discussed was having six friends reading his work and often agreement was lacking among the six when it came to punctuation.

Lots of Options for Editing. One attendee mentioned that she has hired the author of eighty books for her manuscript. Another person uses the manuscript services provided by the writers' network. Hiring an editor and self-editing are not for everyone. Know your limitations, but also understand what you are getting when you are paying for any of the services. Other attendees questioned hiring the author of the eighty books simply because they wondered who had done her editing and if such a writer could be a good editor.

Genres Matter in Editing. I believe I can absolutely edit most anything that crosses my desk. But do I want to? No. I've never really enjoyed reading science fiction, so I'm not going to be a good fit for science fiction writers. But I can be a good resource for getting recommendations for you because I know editors who work in different genres. If you are self-editing, be aware of the conventions for your genre.

Elizabeth King Humphrey is a writer and editor living in coastal North Carolina. She wishes everyone a terrific Thanksgiving and she feels thankful for WOW!

Read More »

3 comments editing, editing your writing, Elizabeth King Humphrey, Self-editing

Building a Micro List for Self-Editing

Creating an editing list for your work
is a great way to improve your writing.
Photo Credit | EK Humphrey

I was invited to speak at an introduction to editing college course yesterday. The class takes a look at the publishing industry and it was a blast. As soon as I started talking about editing, I kind of threw out my notes. Probably not the best idea, but I realized I wanted to hear their questions and concerns. What they wanted to know trumped anything I had planned and wanted to tell them.

We talked about micro-editing. Not the big-picture editing where you are moving through a manuscript to look at the scenes from the view at 50,000 miles above to see if they will work. But the editing that focuses on whether you have repetition or if you are stuck in the passive voice. The students are approaching it from the self-edit perspective, but in many ways their learning could apply to editing for a client or employer.

Some questions the students bounced around were everything from how much does someone pay for editing (it depends on the level of editing) and are there different kinds of editing (yes, lots, including cookbook editing).

At one point, I projected a manuscript so they could see it and asked them to take it to the level of a micro-edit. I asked them to list what they would look at within a manuscript to start a micro-edit. What would they do first?

When I first started as an editor, I kept a checklist nearby to make sure to cover the important elements of a manuscript. Now I work in such a way that I don't rely on a checklist (as much). But when it comes to my own work, the editing checklist is buried.

So I started wondering, if I had a micro-editing list for my own writing, could I write something specific to follow to ensure a better quality of writing? Why not?

So, based on what the students and I discussed, here are a few items I would add to my editing checklist:

• I learned to type in the two spaces after a period era, I always need to check myself on that one!
• Is this a specific type of writing that has a formula that needs to be followed? If so, have I followed the conventions or have I used my own style?
• Am I repeating myself to my reader?
• Am I being clear?
• What is my writing group or reader always pointing out to me as problematic in my writing?
• Keep in active voice!
• Am I showing actions, not telling about them?

 What would be on your list? Do you have an idea of your strengths and weaknesses? Do you already have a list of edits you need to make for your work?

Elizabeth King Humphrey is a writer and editor in the throes of updating her website. She's using a checklist for that. Absolutely.

Read More »

2 comments editing your writing, Elizabeth King Humphrey, manuscript editing, micro-edit, Self-editing

Interview with Don Russell, creator of DARedit software and AutomatedEditing.com

Don Russell is a nationally known software developer and self-confessed “geek.” During a conversation with a friend regarding the cost of editing Don’s cerebral light bulb lit up and it’s been flashing ever since.

Don impressed us with his website, AutomatedEditing.com, which we reviewed in May of 2011. After many improvements, Don launched version 4.0 of the site and it is absolutely a joy to use. We really began to wonder, though, “Just what drives this man to constantly tinker with this editing website?” So, of course, we decided to ask!

WOW: Hello Don, welcome back to The Muffin! Automated Editing is constantly evolving—this must be time consuming. What drives you to constantly improve the website?

Don: Because it will never be “finished.” The problem with the English language is, well, the English language. It is amazingly complex, and totally inconsistent. It keeps evolving, and changing. So trying to write algorithms that can look at something so “squishy,” and still give valuable, valid advice is worse than herding cats. It never ends. Robyn, you once reminded me that Oscar Wilde spent a day inserting and deleting the same comma. Only a writer or an editor (or a senile algorithm creator) could see the wry, painful humor in that event.

Let me use the simple example of a period. We all know periods end sentences. Ah, I wish it were that simple. What if they are the end of an abbreviation, or part of a number, currency, or part of an ellipse? What if there is a following parenthesis or quotation? Are they part of an internet address? One of the most difficult things for our software is something that probably sounds easy—determining where a sentence was meant to end.

And what about certain words? “Friend” is a noun, right? Wrong! It can be a verb today (I just friended you on . . .”) or even, in very tortured English, an adjective (My friended neighbor is the one who . . .” And it could also be a typo/misspelling of “fiend,” or a common salutation. Ugh.

The bottom line is that every time I run a new test document through the software, I find something new—an exception I never thought of, or an outright error. Unlike a pro editor, around 20% of the time our software gets it totally wrong. That will never change, even as we improve and add to the software, because English is so squishy. (Just visit the forums at the CMS to see brilliant editors and writers arguing over how something should be done!) The only solution is to strap on the keyboard, brew a large pot of coffee, and get back to work.

WOW: How has usage of the software compared to what you expected when you started the project two years ago?

Don: I was not even close on predicting why members most enjoyed the site. When I started this project, my goal was to help fellow starting authors and I thought the main (perhaps only) use would be by authors who could not yet afford to invest in a great pro editor, and needed a low-cost way to get to the point where investing thousands in pro editing would be a great decision. They could catch most of their major errors and style issues, and get their writing to the next level to prepare for contests, first submissions, etc. Soon they would get to the point where a pro editor would be a logical next investment in their writing.

Yet today, with 20-20 hindsight, I discovered that there was another usage that has proven to be much more important to many users. The number one use is by authors who want a 24/7, easy-going English tutor to help rapidly improve their writing and style. The best example I can give is an author who told me “People keep telling me I have a run-on sentence problem. How can I change that?” Well, all she needed was a few passes with the software where all her run-on sentences were flagged, along with suggestions for improvement, before she made huge improvements in that part of her writing.

That’s the benefit of the instant feedback from the software. It takes only a few times being flagged for a dialog error before you tend to stop making that particular dialog error in new writing. Misuse “which” and “that”—and the software points it out for you, so you easily learn the proper usage. Your writing gets better and better!

So my original goal turned out to be the number two reason. Oh, and the number three reason never dawned on me back when I started—business people checking reports and emails before sending out a potentially “embarrassing” mistake!

WOW: I confess; I’ve used the software to improve my writing as well! About your software, how do algorithms help us edit our writing?

Don: In a word—instant feedback! (Or maybe that’s two words!)

I cannot overstate how exciting it is when I get emails from members who find that their grammar, and therefore their writing, improves week after week as they use the software. People forget that the reason we want good grammar and punctuation is not to please the editors and publishers—but to make sure the reader gets our message! Good editing makes your intent clear to the reader. I think those who have the creativity to write are also, almost by definition, good learners. The software instantly points out problem areas, explains why, and offers suggestions. Their writing gets clearer and more powerful as the grammar becomes easier.

One other insightful comment I received was a bit of a surprise, but made a great deal of sense the more I thought about it. “The computer doesn’t judge or threaten. It just offers ideas late at night when I am looking at what I wrote. I can deal with that. It’s a lot easier than having my boyfriend point out every mistake he thinks I made.”

I get encouragement every week from members of our site who find that the instant feedback on their writing continually improves them, and make them better writers. The stories start to jump out from the words. After all, it only takes a few times when the software points clauses that are confusing before they stop making that mistake!

WOW: This has been quite a journey for you. What have you learned about yourself or others along the way?

Don: I am sad to say that one thing I have learned was a real surprise to me, and was very discouraging. In short, I find that more and more writers see very little value in proper grammar and punctuation, and their writing suffers as a result. I see this every day in e-books, blogs, and even major websites. They seem to believe that “. . . people should only look at the idea, not the grammar.”

Sadly, it is not as simple as that.

I think they miss the point about why editing is important. It is not just to live up to some silly rules set by ancient librarians somewhere! It is that the sole purpose of editing is to make sure your message and story are clear to the reader. Bad grammar or punctuation (unless you are Ferlinghetti!) destroys even great writing when it loses the reader.

The best examples of this are run-on sentences and passive voice. Neither of these is automatically “bad grammar.” Often they are excellent and powerful ways to convey and image or story. But more often than not, run-on sentences are so messy that they lose the reader completely. And passive voice often runs the danger of making the object of the sentence unclear. Beyond these two examples, I would guess that a large portion of those who purchase books (I personally would guess more than two-thirds) find bad grammar to be so distracting that it would significantly detract from their enjoyment of the work.

And all that goes double for contest judges and publishing acquisition evaluators!

The good news is that the best writers (in terms of creativity and stories) consistently have better grammar and punctuation. There seems to be a relationship between creative writing, and good grammar. The best writers create an idea, and then precisely use the English language to get it across. That is what hooks the reader. You somehow stop looking at the words, and start to enter the author’s vision. Neat!

WOW: You obviously love language as much as you love those algorithms! Thank you for visiting with us today, Don. We appreciate all the time you put in to help us polish our work. I'm sure writers will want to check out the new and improved AutomatedEditing.com.

Interview by Robyn Chausse

Read More »

2 comments AutomatedEditing.com, book editing, DARedit, editing, editing services, editing software, interview with Don Russell, Robyn Chausse, Self-editing