Working with an Editor or Editing 101

Why are they automatically called editors? That's a basic problem here--the thought that you can self-elect yourself as an editor. It takes training. Maybe "reviewer" would be a better term to use at Lit. for those who aren't trained editors so that the authors seeking help aren't misled.

sr71plt said:

Why are they automatically called editors? That's a basic problem here--the thought that you can self-elect yourself as an editor. It takes training. Maybe "reviewer" would be a better term to use at Lit. for those who aren't trained editors so that the authors seeking help aren't misled.

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Feel free to discuss this on a thread of your own.

LadyVer said:

Again, if you want to make criticizing Lit editors the subject, you need to do it somewhere else.

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sr71plt said:

Why are they automatically called editors? That's a basic problem here--the thought that you can self-elect yourself as an editor. It takes training. Maybe "reviewer" would be a better term to use at Lit. for those who aren't trained editors so that the authors seeking help aren't misled.

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Right. A better term might help.

LadyVer said:

Feel free to discuss this on a thread of your own.

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Don't be silly. There are no private forum threads. If you want privacy PM your friends.

sr71plt said:

Don't be silly. There are no private forum threads. If you want privacy PM your friends.

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Find someone else to argue with, somewhere else.

_Lynn_ said:

Right. A better term might help.

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This is why most Lit editors stay off the EF.

LadyVer said:

This is why most Lit editors stay off the EF.

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Well, if those who volunteer here choose not to frequent the forum over differences of opinions on threads, that's their right.

LadyVer said:

JBJ, until Robert edits for you, you're rambling. Besides, you must really be bored to comment on a thread I started.

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Think of my rambling as a BRIDGE OUT AHEAD alert.

And, true. Youre a near death experience.

Off to work, dear ones.

Try not to blow up the EF in my absence.

Lady Ver: Sorry, have a drink and a bath. I said an Author should never be their own (exclusive) editor. They can have as many as they want to work with.

Don't get sucked into junior blow job's bullshit. He is only trying to get a rise out of me. Irritating people across the miles is his only joy in life.

robertreams said:

Lady Ver: Sorry, have a drink and a bath. I said an Author should never be their own (exclusive) editor. They can have as many as they want to work with.

Don't get sucked into junior blow job's bullshit. He is only trying to get a rise out of me. Irritating people across the miles is his only joy in life.

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Thanks for the clarification, Robert.

LadyVer, I also expect to go through several versions of a draft with writers. Unless it's very well-written, I will ask to have revised versions sent back to me for further comment although of course if a writer wants to just get on with it on their own, then that's their funeral.

I actually prefer them to edit out the Track Changes and send me a clean new copy, as then I am reading it from 'fresh'. In fact, LOL, I sometimes find I have edited out a suggestion I earlier edited in.

robertreams said:

I actually prefer Google Docs, wherein it is actually possible to share the document in real time; changes, comments, et al.

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I did try out Google Docs recently but I had a bit of a freak because the comments all popped up in my real name, and a whole lot of academic documents I had worked on in there a while back on a Real Life project came up alongside the story I was looking at.

I went into Google Docs from a link the author had sent in an email to my Naoko Smith email, but I had been logged in on Blogger as my real name persona, in order to work on my Mumsie blog. I would've liked Google Docs to flag up that I was logged in as 'so-and-so'. It made me feel a bit exposed so I insisted on returning to email exchange of edited Documents in Word.

(Yes, yes, eager author! I am getting onto your story soon. I had a time-consuming weekend Christmas shopping with Piglet, I will spare you the gory details.)

Thanks for commenting, NS.

Thanks for posting a useful thread! Handy to have somewhere to sound out editing issues and questions.

NaokoSmith said:

Thanks for posting a useful thread! Handy to have somewhere to sound out editing issues and questions.

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Thanks, NS. A useful thread was my original intention, but the internet is more a minefield than anything else.

I'm starting a new editing project for a Lit author I've worked with before. He likes to use another VE for proofing after the copy editing is done. Would you be interested? I think it's around 20k and the writer is very good. Story is EC, M-F, 20ish characters, engaging story and sex scenes. Author isn't one to rush, which is nice. PM me. Thx.

I would seriously like to know about Google Docs, if anyone has any views/knowledge on it?

I was thrown when it automatically logged me in to my real name academic writing profile and seemed to be showing the reports and papers I was working on to my smut friends ... and a little anxious in case it shows all my smut writing to my academic colleagues!

Hey, NS. All I know about Google docs is that some people love it. I'm not one of them. I've tried it but wasn't comfortable with it and was worried about privacy and security as well. I'm used to MS Word and Track Changes, which is the publishing industry standard. Maybe someone else will comment about it. If not, I believe there are threads that discuss it in the AH.

I will only use Word and tracking changes now. It's the industry standard. I've shut down the editorial side of my editing business and jettisoned everything but PC Word. I'm not keeping track of any system other than that anymore (unless the industry changes its standard).

NaokoSmith said:

I would seriously like to know about Google Docs, if anyone has any views/knowledge on it?

I was thrown when it automatically logged me in to my real name academic writing profile and seemed to be showing the reports and papers I was working on to my smut friends ... and a little anxious in case it shows all my smut writing to my academic colleagues!

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Google docs is almost the same with MS Word except this one automatically back ups all of your documents (currently working on or saved within your unit).

example:

You have a mobile, a desktop at home and a workstation at your office.. If you are using just one google account for all three of them then all three units automatically saves them to the server and then update your copy on all three units.. So if you are working on erotic stories at home and you are working on office stuff in your workstation then they'll all be jumbled up and then updated (and saved) on all three.. Best to have a different google account for home and office.. Less risk someone accidentally seeing what you write *cough* here..

Hope that helps..

V

LadyVer said:

Hey, NS. All I know about Google docs is that some people love it. I'm not one of them.

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sr71plt said:

I will only use Word and tracking changes now.

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I think I'm with you guys, I am too concerned about the privacy issues to use Google Docs for editing smut.

Plus if I have a long train journey, I often take a story along to edit. I can't get Wifi on the train unless I pay for it, so that would be a problem.

simplywriting said:

Google docs is almost the same with MS Word except this one automatically back ups all of your documents (currently working on or saved within your unit).
Hope that helps..

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Thank you! that did help.


Although I still feel odd that documents I had worked on as MyRealName@email should have popped up when I linked to a Google Docs link sent to my NaokoSmith@email address. That does seem like a possible hole in the system's security. Some internet companies have the strangest view of people! They think we are all clearcut, shallow and one-sided, LOL.

NaokoSmith said:

Although I still feel odd that documents I had worked on as MyRealName@email should have popped up when I linked to a Google Docs link sent to my NaokoSmith@email address. That does seem like a possible hole in the system's security. Some internet companies have the strangest view of people! They think we are all clearcut, shallow and one-sided, LOL.

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Yeah, I've had similar issues before - Google doesn't seem to realise that some users might not actually want the connection between gmail and non-gmail identities visible for all to see.

Bramblethorn said:

Yeah, I've had similar issues before - Google doesn't seem to realise that some users might not actually want the connection between gmail and non-gmail identities visible for all to see.

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I'm glad I'm not the only one. I shall stick to exchanging word documents by email.

Authors looking for volunteer editors

I no longer have as much time to volunteer edit as I used to, which is why I disabled my VE profile. The list below is what I need to know before I look at a story:

1. Word count. (The most important variable, because the longer the story, the more editing time is involved).
2. Category. ( There are categories I have no interest in.)
3. Sex themes. ( The story may be categorized as Romance, but the sex scenes are heavy BDSM, or incest, etc. There are themes I am not interested in.)
4. Premise. What is the story about?
5. List of main characters.
6. Point of View (POV). (If you don't know what POV you're using, you may not be ready for an editor.)
7. Are you fluent in English, especially American?
8. Are you someone who expects a 24-hour turn-around? (I will never promise any author this, especially without having viewed the story, much less a story over 10k words. Stories are like a box of chocolates. An editor never knows what they're going to get, regardless of what the author tells them.)
9. Have you used, or are you using other VE's on the story?
10. What type of editing do you want? (Mechanics or structural? Both? I mainly focus on mechanics).
11. I work in MS Word and use Word's Track Changes to edit in. Are you experienced with Track Changes?

Note: My reading and editing preferences are M-F Romance. Depending on the story and author, I may edit for categories in: EC, BDSM, Mind Control, Non-Human, SciFi/Fantasy, First Time, and Mature. It's important to realize that all editors have their preferences and that your editor needs to be comfortable with your story's category and themes.

Good luck!

Just an FYI

Dealing with some health issues lately, not feeling great, will return to Lit when I'm feeling better.

LadyVer said:

Dealing with some health issues lately, not feeling great, will return to Lit when I'm feeling better.

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break a leg.