Editing Sucks

[DreamCloud]

I have 40+ page story that is taking weeks to edit. During which, I'm 30+ pages into a new one.

My grammar skills suck, forcing many rounds of repair. Damn anonymous and his/her demand for perfection. Something I will never achieve anyway. I could dump a story a week if I could bypass the editing.

Sorry, just needed to vent!

 

[PayDay]

I have 40+ page story that is taking weeks to edit. During which, I'm 30+ pages into a new one.

My grammar skills suck, forcing many rounds of repair. Damn anonymous and his/her demand for perfection. Something I will never achieve anyway. I could dump a story a week if I could bypass the editing.

Sorry, just needed to vent!

Amen. The only reason for editing is because someone here in the AH once wrote "One typo can ruin a story."

 

[HeyAll]

I agree.

Worst part of being a writer.

After you've written everything, you have to re-read the whole thing slowly and carefully to weed out any stupid mistakes.

One thing that makes it easier is to write story, and then edit it much much later. Perhaps writer another story in the meantime. That way, the story to be edited seems fresh since I barely remember it.

 

[desertslave]

Just keep in mind that at-least-passable editing will make your story more palatable to those readers who do pay attention to basic writing skills (whether they want to or not). I started a story today that was so flawed I quit reading roughly 1/3 of the way down the first page. I'm NOT a super-picky reader, though I do take note of errors, but this story was missing enough commas and had enough messed up plurals/possessives that I had to re-read parts in order to make sense of them.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Cormac McCarthy uses no punctuation.

 

[sr71plt]

Cormac McCarthy uses no punctuation.

Are you saying that in these quotes from him, someone has added in periods and commas?

http://www.notable-quotes.com/m/mccarthy_cormac.html

Even beyond that, that was really a stupid "so what" post, JBJ. If you don't use punctuation on a Lit. submission, you don't get published by Lit. (or by just about anyone else, I might add). You give some really hair-brained advice and writing comments, and this rates with the dumbest.

 

[MatthewVett]

Interesting. Editing is my favorite part of writing. Maybe I'm weird.

 

[PayDay]

Are you saying that in these quotes from him, someone has added in periods and commas?

http://www.notable-quotes.com/m/mccarthy_cormac.html

Even beyond that, that was really a stupid "so what" post, JBJ. If you don't use punctuation on a Lit. submission, you don't get published by Lit. (or by just about anyone else, I might add). You give some really hair-brained advice and writing comments, and this rates with the dumbest.

Nitpicking fucktard---^

eecummings wrote with and without.

Grow up.

 

[sr71plt]

eecumings used punctuation in his prose, you blithering idiot, and if he were to submit anything to Literotica without punctuation in it, his work would be rejected here too (you blithering idiot).

 

[SamScribble]

eecumings used punctuation in his prose, you blithering idiot, and if he were to submit anything to Literotica without punctuation in it, his work would be rejected here too (you blithering idiot).

I love it. It's been years since I heard the expression 'blithering idiot'.

 

[sr71plt]

I love it. It's been years since I heard the expression 'blithering idiot'.

It does rather bring back memories of Dan Aykroyd and Jane Curtain, doesn't it?

 

[Handley_Page]

It does rather bring back memories of Dan Aykroyd and Jane Curtain, doesn't it?

More like Blandings Castle

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

eecumings used punctuation in his prose, you blithering idiot, and if he were to submit anything to Literotica without punctuation in it, his work would be rejected here too (you blithering idiot).

McCarthy likely wouldn't submit to LIT, he really doesn't need the money or prestige or your guidance.

 

[TxRad]

McCarthy likely wouldn't submit to LIT, he really doesn't need the money or prestige or your guidance.

^^^ Another blithering idiot.

 

[Desiremakesmeweak]

Russell Brand called Rupert Murdoch a 'blithering bloody idiot.' Which I thought was pretty cool of Russell.

 

[Carnal_Flower]

There are lots of editing services/people to work with. I don't mind it. You can be a lot freer with the writing knowing you'll be cleaning it up in the editing stage.

 

[PennLady]

Interesting. Editing is my favorite part of writing. Maybe I'm weird.

I don't think so. I don't mind editing myself. I like to find and fix any mistakes. I'm one of the few writers I know that *wants* someone to look and say "this may be a problem."

Plus, if I'm editing, then I know the bulk of the work is finished, so that's nice too.

 

[_Lynn_]

My OCD screams if I leave errors while I'm writing. I've learned to go with it, though, which eliminates the bulk of editing that would normally follow a completed story.

 

[sr71plt]

Reviewing is fine for me. In contrast to many others, I'm adding, not trimming when I review. When I'm drafting, I'm not stopping anywhere; I'm letting it all flow from beginning to end, preferably in one session. In the review, I'm forming and expanding and clarifying. If I've done a lot of that in the initial review, there may be another pass to look again at the technicals, but rarely no more than two reviews on top of a draft. More than that and the freshness starts to drain from it. Then off to the editor (and I tend to add a bit even when it comes back from the editor).

 

[sr71plt]

McCarthy likely wouldn't submit to LIT,

That's precisely the point, lunkhead. This is Literotica. This is about posting stories to Literotica. So, your comment not only was ludicrous--that he used no punctuation--it also was totally irrelevant.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

That's precisely the point, lunkhead. This is Literotica. This is about posting stories to Literotica. So, your comment not only was ludicrous--that he used no punctuation--it also was totally irrelevant.

Your guidance is wasted on me, fat boy.

 

[sr71plt]

Your guidance is wasted on me, fat boy.

I'm totally aware of that; my concern isn't for you. You're past saving from anything.

(And, as usual, you come back with no reasonable substantive defense of your silly comments.)

 

[PayDay]

eecumings used punctuation in his prose, you blithering idiot, and if he were to submit anything to Literotica without punctuation in it, his work would be rejected here too (you blithering idiot).

Are you the Laurel(s) or an algorithm?

How do you know then?

eecummings also did not use punctuation, you manipulating fucktard.

 

[PayDay]

That's precisely the point, lunkhead. This is Literotica. This is about posting stories to Literotica. So, your comment not only was ludicrous--that he used no punctuation--it also was totally irrelevant.

How do you know?

 

[sr71plt]

I think those reading this thread who have half a brain can work this out for themselves.