Edit request for a 110k word novel.

[Altissimus]

Just a wee favour, honest.

I'm writing the closing chapter of a series that is tapping on 110k words. This is a highly optimistic call for anyone who might be persuaded to do an edit on the whole damn thing. The story is set in nineteenth century rural England, and written with language more fitting to that period. It sees a naïve girl take a role as a serving maid in a hedonistic mansion, where she's introduced to forced nudity and dominance/submission. Along the way she forms relationships with other maids, the dominant madam who controls them, and ultimately the master of the house.

If you're crazy enough to be interested please ping me a direct message. I've cleared some space in my mailbox in anticipation of the avalanche of positive enquiries I'm sure I'll be getting...

For the avoidance of doubt I know I could seek a volunteer editor for this, but it's rather a large project. I decided to ask here first, in the hope of finding someone whose quality I could trust.

Anyway, your usual program will now resume.

 

[alohadave]

Are you looking for a structural edit, or line/copy editing?

 

[Carnevil9]

If you don't get any takers, you could always have ChatGPT give it a go.

 

[Bramblethorn]

Just a wee favour, honest.

I'm writing the closing chapter of a series that is tapping on 110k words. This is a highly optimistic call for anyone who might be persuaded to do an edit on the whole damn thing. The story is set in nineteenth century rural England, and written with language more fitting to that period. It sees a naïve girl take a role as a serving maid in a hedonistic mansion, where she's introduced to forced nudity and dominance/submission. Along the way she forms relationships with other maids, the dominant madam who controls them, and ultimately the master of the house.

You might consider:

• Providing a short excerpt of the unedited material (just one or two paragraphs) or linking to an off-site example of your unedited work. This gives potential editors an indication of what they'd be letting themselves in for.
• Clarifying what kind of editing you're looking for. Just spelling, punctuation, and grammar? Feedback on story flow, structure, or themes? Authenticity of historic aspects? etc. etc.
• Linking to your other stories.

I'm not in a position to offer, but if I was considering editing something this large for somebody I haven't worked with before, that's the kind of information that would help me figure out how much work is going to be involved and whether I'm the right person for the job.

FWIW, I recently did a How-To chronicling my collaboration with AwkwardMD and Omenainen as editor on a story of similar length. I want to emphasise that this was posted as an example of how editing worked on one particular story, not as a prescription for how all editors should work (or even how I would work, on a different story. But it might be useful as an example of some of the different things "editing" can cover: https://www.literotica.com/s/editors-notes-changes

 

[Altissimus]

You might consider:

• Providing a short excerpt of the unedited material (just one or two paragraphs) or linking to an off-site example of your unedited work. This gives potential editors an indication of what they'd be letting themselves in for.
• Clarifying what kind of editing you're looking for. Just spelling, punctuation, and grammar? Feedback on story flow, structure, or themes? Authenticity of historic aspects? etc. etc.
• Linking to your other stories.

I'm not in a position to offer, but if I was considering editing something this large for somebody I haven't worked with before, that's the kind of information that would help me figure out how much work is going to be involved and whether I'm the right person for the job.

FWIW, I recently did a How-To chronicling my collaboration with AwkwardMD and Omenainen as editor on a story of similar length. I want to emphasise that this was posted as an example of how editing worked on one particular story, not as a prescription for how all editors should work (or even how I would work, on a different story. But it might be useful as an example of some of the different things "editing" can cover: https://www.literotica.com/s/editors-notes-changes

Thanks for the suggestion. The first 90-odd thousand words are on Lit already, beginning here. However, the intent is to pull the whole lot and re-structure as soon as I have finished the final chapter (almost done). I would like to make it as good as it can be, and there's still some work to be done in that regard. I might seek to publish it; there is an incontrovertible appeal of being able to afford the cup of coffee I've always wanted.

 

[Altissimus]

If you don't get any takers, you could always have ChatGPT give it a go.

IME ChatGPT would re-word Shakespeare just for the hell of it. You can feed ChatGPT ChatGPT's own recommendations, and it will still offer alternatives. It's never happy. Granted, not unlike an editor in that regard.

Also, given the length, I'm not sure the exercise is practical.

 

[Altissimus]

Are you looking for a structural edit, or line/copy editing?

Readability, flow, grammar (shouldn't be too necessary), error-spotting, consistency of language, healthy debates about the presence of commas, suggestions for omissions/inclusions. That kinda thing.

 

[Bramblethorn]

Thanks for the suggestion. The first 90-odd thousand words are on Lit already, beginning here. However, the intent is to pull the whole lot and re-structure as soon as I have finished the final chapter (almost done). I would like to make it as good as it can be, and there's still some work to be done in that regard. I might seek to publish it; there is an incontrovertible appeal of being able to afford the cup of coffee I've always wanted.

Cool. I'd forgotten to include it, but that for-money aspect is also good to mention - some people who'd be willing to edit an amateur work for free may have reservations about doing so on something that's going to bring the author money.

It wouldn't be an issue for me personally, for the usual small-scale self-pub that happens with Literotica authors. They're not written primarily for money, they're made available free on this site, and what money they do make is pretty meager relative to the time taken to write them. But some might feel differently about it and it can't hurt to be clear up front.