I’ve ranted on this topic before---we all have. I volunteered to edit some time back. Stick with this rant because as with many of my stories, there is sunshine at the end.
Sadly there are people out there who have a story inside them that needs to get out but who have barely a fourth grade grasp of English composition, syntax, grammar, sentence structure and so on. I would doubt that they are capable of writing a short letter to a good friend or family member. For whatever reason, their request for editing help ends up in my inbox.
Generally it hasn’t even had a spell check run on it.
Sometimes it is just pasted into an email message with no line breaks or worse, hard line breaks.
The fledgling writer doesn’t have Word or doesn’t understand how to use it.
The sex is juvenile and unappealing; it’s neither romantic nor good stroke.
Someone hurt them badly and they need to tell the world about it. As such it’s whining, or bitter, or vindictive---or some combination.
After a first read through of this unappetizing drivel I am desolate. I attempt to go through and insert comments; the same simple errors begin to overwhelm me. Fortunately most of these stories are barely above the minimum. I try to write an overall review of the work, often recommending that the hopeful new writer take a course in English Composition or Creative Writing. I seldom hear from them again. Or, because someone had told them how “special” they are they refuse to accept the fact that they can’t write.
Sometimes a bright, well educated person with some obvious creative talent sends me something worth a read. As with all new writers they have fallen in love with their own words and refuse to change anything. Again, these sorts of stories are generally technically okay. The writing style is often ponderous and pedantic. One waits for the “hook” the surprise, some steamy copulation---whatever---and it never comes.
Now for the sunshine!
Two weeks ago I received a request for an editor. I replied with my normal boilerplate which covers expectations, common errors, themes I don’t do, things Lit won’t accept and so on. I give the hopeful writer a short treatise on who I am and where I come from and ask for the same in return. It appeared that we had compatible world views; we exchanged several friendly emails. I heard nothing for two weeks.
I knew this person was highly educated and had significant technical writing experience but none in fiction. I was disappointed when I didn’t hear back. Yesterday I did, with apologies. He had taken my caveats to heart and reworked his story before sending it to me---as an attached Word file, spell checked…yada, yada, yada.
I jumped into the story immediately; three hours later I sent him back a marked up copy which also included overall impressions. He’s not used to writing dialogue and needs some work there. He’s unsure of where to place quotation marks. He’s uncomfortable in a first erotic fiction effort being graphic. He hasn’t found the dirty words to describe body parts and acts that he is comfortable with.
None of that is really important. It’s a solid 10,000 words worth of well constructed prose. He paints the picture vividly. His character development is excellent. He knows how to spin a yarn and tell a story. I think I knew where it would end---but I enjoyed getting there. It’s better than the first one I ever wrote.
He understood exactly what I was trying to convey and played back to me a clear understanding of why he went in a less than ideal direction, where he could have expanded the story, which phrases and words were overused and most important---his plan to rewrite and improve what is already a decent work. I can’t wait to see the next iteration.
There is a God after all.
Sadly there are people out there who have a story inside them that needs to get out but who have barely a fourth grade grasp of English composition, syntax, grammar, sentence structure and so on. I would doubt that they are capable of writing a short letter to a good friend or family member. For whatever reason, their request for editing help ends up in my inbox.
Generally it hasn’t even had a spell check run on it.
Sometimes it is just pasted into an email message with no line breaks or worse, hard line breaks.
The fledgling writer doesn’t have Word or doesn’t understand how to use it.
The sex is juvenile and unappealing; it’s neither romantic nor good stroke.
Someone hurt them badly and they need to tell the world about it. As such it’s whining, or bitter, or vindictive---or some combination.
After a first read through of this unappetizing drivel I am desolate. I attempt to go through and insert comments; the same simple errors begin to overwhelm me. Fortunately most of these stories are barely above the minimum. I try to write an overall review of the work, often recommending that the hopeful new writer take a course in English Composition or Creative Writing. I seldom hear from them again. Or, because someone had told them how “special” they are they refuse to accept the fact that they can’t write.
Sometimes a bright, well educated person with some obvious creative talent sends me something worth a read. As with all new writers they have fallen in love with their own words and refuse to change anything. Again, these sorts of stories are generally technically okay. The writing style is often ponderous and pedantic. One waits for the “hook” the surprise, some steamy copulation---whatever---and it never comes.
Now for the sunshine!
Two weeks ago I received a request for an editor. I replied with my normal boilerplate which covers expectations, common errors, themes I don’t do, things Lit won’t accept and so on. I give the hopeful writer a short treatise on who I am and where I come from and ask for the same in return. It appeared that we had compatible world views; we exchanged several friendly emails. I heard nothing for two weeks.
I knew this person was highly educated and had significant technical writing experience but none in fiction. I was disappointed when I didn’t hear back. Yesterday I did, with apologies. He had taken my caveats to heart and reworked his story before sending it to me---as an attached Word file, spell checked…yada, yada, yada.
I jumped into the story immediately; three hours later I sent him back a marked up copy which also included overall impressions. He’s not used to writing dialogue and needs some work there. He’s unsure of where to place quotation marks. He’s uncomfortable in a first erotic fiction effort being graphic. He hasn’t found the dirty words to describe body parts and acts that he is comfortable with.
None of that is really important. It’s a solid 10,000 words worth of well constructed prose. He paints the picture vividly. His character development is excellent. He knows how to spin a yarn and tell a story. I think I knew where it would end---but I enjoyed getting there. It’s better than the first one I ever wrote.
He understood exactly what I was trying to convey and played back to me a clear understanding of why he went in a less than ideal direction, where he could have expanded the story, which phrases and words were overused and most important---his plan to rewrite and improve what is already a decent work. I can’t wait to see the next iteration.
There is a God after all.
